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| JEANNIE SERVAAS/Daily Pollyanna Johns heads for the basket in a game against Purdue. Johns led the women's basketball team in scoring and rebounding last season. |
The intended metaphor: A new beginning.
Daybreak for the '96-'97 Wolverines came this past July 11. On that day, Sue Guevara was introduced as interim coach, replacing Trish Roberts. During the press conference, Athletic Director Joe Roberson promised a national search for a head coach at the conclusion of the season.
Seven months later, on Feb. 11, Roberson removed the 'interim' from Guevara's title with four games remaining in the regular season.
What happened in the interim?
Guevara made Roberson's search unnecessary by directing a turnaround in the fortunes of the women's basketball program that was nothing short of remarkable.
The Wolverines opened the '96-'97 campaign with a 68-54 win over Kentucky and a 75-55 victory over Northeast Illinois to capture the Western Michigan Invitational tournament. The Wolverines won eight of their first nine games, and 11 of their first 14. Their only non-conference loss -- a 77-74 near-upset of No. 1 Stanford.
The Wolverines faced stiffer competition during Big Ten play, and suffered through a pair of three-game losing streaks. Michigan closed out the regular season by winning three of its last four. Included among those victories was the Wolverines' first-ever defeat of Penn State, and a school-record 107 points scored in a win over Minnesota.
Michigan finished with a 7-9 record in Big Ten action, tied for eighth with Indiana. Overall, Michigan posted a 15-11 mark last season, its first winning record since '89-'90.
Junior center Pollyanna Johns led Michigan in scoring (15.0 points/game) and rebounding (12.4 rebounds/game) for the second straight season. She was a second-team All Big Ten selection.
Guard Stacey Thomas was named Big Ten freshman of the year by both the coaches and media, and is the first Wolverine to receive that honor.
One of the few disappointments of the season was the way it ended. Indiana pounded the Wolverines, 72-54, in the first round of the Big Ten tournament. The Hoosiers led from start to finish, picking up their third win of the season over Michigan.
Although it was the Wolverines' third-straight first-round exit from the Big Ten tournament, it couldn't put that big a damper on a successful season.
Even more important than doubling the improvement in the team's win-loss record is the change in attitude surrounding the program. The players enjoy playing for Guevara.
The sun has finally risen.
09-03-97
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