BIG TEN BASKETBALL MEDIA DAYS

October 12, 2022

Kim Barnes Arico

Michigan Wolverines

Women's Head Coach

KEVIN WARREN: The next coach we're going to have to the podium is an iconic coach, one of the best coaches in all of women's college basketball, Kim Barnes Arico. She's active with the ChadTough Foundation, which works tirelessly to work for research for a cure against DIPG, an aggressive brain tumor that unfortunately affects children. She just ran the ChadTough 5K in Ann Arbor and smoked her age group. She's an active runner. Incredible coach. You can always tell the magnitude of a tree by their fruit. If you look at Naz Hillmon, who is here, working at the Big Ten Network now, she also played this last season in the WNBA, the relationship that Coach Kim Barnes Arico and Naz have just shows why she's such a great basketball coach.

Welcome to the stage the head basketball coach at the University of Michigan, Kim Barnes Arico.

KIM BARNES ARICO: Feel like I should do our fight song (smiling).

Well, thank you, Commissioner Warren, that was an amazing, embarrassing introduction.

It is wonderful to be here today in Minnesota. I got a bunch of questions correct about the Twin Cities, so I'm pretty proud of myself that I knew a little bit about Minnesota.

Our league is absolutely incredible. If you are a woman's basketball fan, you get to follow the best league in the country. Back-to-back years we had four teams advance to the Sweet 16, which is pretty incredible. Us at the University of Michigan made it to the Elite Eight last season, first time in program history. We were led by Naz Hillmon, who happens to be here today, and she is a wonderful player, but even a better person.

Our team will be different this year, but excited for the challenges that lay ahead. I think we led the country last year in points scored through the post. I think that's what makes it exciting for a coach and for the players in our program to play differently than we have in the past.

I think our league is going to be more challenging than ever. Obviously Caitlin Clark is a phenomenal basketball player, but I think from top to bottom there are tremendous, tremendous players in our league, as well as coaches.

I would not be surprised if we have a national championship ahead of us representing the Big Ten Conference.

So just excited about this season, excited about our team. Probably be led by Leigha Brown, who is a phenomenal guard, had a great season for us last year, but also Emily Kiser, who is a fifth-year player, Naz's best friend who decided to come back, and is in the Ross School of Business getting her master's degree. She's been practicing exceptionally well.

And Laila Phelia, who had a great freshman season for us this past year, is having a great start to her sophomore season in practice.

Thrilled to be here today and excited to represent this incredible conference.

Any questions?

Q. You got a transfer in Greta Kampschroeder, your first All-American in Michigan's history. What are you expecting from her this season?

KIM BARNES ARICO: She has been phenomenal thus far. She just fits the culture of our program. She's an incredibly hard worker.

I came back the other night to pick up something from the office at 10:00, and I looked into the gym, and there was Greta getting up shots. She has just been unbelievable.

She is a great scorer, high IQ player, can run all day. I think she's going to give us -- she's going to be able to play multiple positions for us, anywhere from point guard all the way through the four.

She's just a great kid, great student, great family. Really going to give us something that we needed this season, for sure.

Q. I'll be asking Juwan this too, but have you two ever discussed or thought about the two programs becoming one of the best kind of tandems in the country?

KIM BARNES ARICO: Yeah, it's funny. You see on social media all the time when your university or when your football program and men's and women's basketball program have great success. Fortunately we have been one of those teams or one of those universities that has had tremendous success with our football program and our men's and women's basketball program the last few years.

I think it's definitely something in the water in Ann Arbor. It's something that drew me to Ann Arbor, is the opportunity to be surrounded by excellence. You can go across the board, from softball to gymnastics to football to men's and women's basketball, every program has rich tradition and success.

Coach Howard is doing an amazing, amazing job. His young men are incredible people. They really connect with our program, as well.

I say this all the time, but he's at all of our games. He's in the front row with Jenine, and the guys are there cheering for our team. We really try to support each other.

At Michigan we do that. And they just have a great thing going. For both of us to have Michigan basketball having the success that it's had the last few years is really special.