The 1998-99 season is a time of transition for the Michigan women's basketball team. An experienced backcourt will try and guide an inexperienced frontcourt back to the NCAA tournament. This year's freshman class will make a significant impact on the team.
Every player on this team has an interesting story to tell. The Michigan Daily's women's basketball writers will feature each freshman once during the season.
 |
| DANA LINNANE/Daily Freshman Raina Goodlow has rebounded from an early season injury and is now ready to lead Michigan to the NCAAs. |
And if anyone knows how to turn a program around it would be Goodlow.
She spent her high school career at Dominican High School in Detroit, an all-girls Catholic school. It was the type of school where everyone had to wear uniforms, and basketball was not really a big deal - until Goodlow got there.
As a senior, she led her high school team with 17.2 points and 9.1 rebounds a game. She was also named the No. 1 women's basketball player in Michigan by the Detroit Free Press, and she finished fourth in the Miss Michigan Basketball balloting. She was able to build her high school program into a winning one, and women's basketball coach Sue Guevara wanted her to do the same for the Wolverines.
"I could tell they really wanted me to come here, because they kept calling," Goodlow said. "And I liked the idea of helping to rebuild a program. I also just got sick of all the recruiting."
Goodlow was recruited by Connecticut, as well as Michigan State and other Big Ten teams, but she wanted to stay close to home. And her choice to go to Michigan made her mother incredibly happy, even though Goodlow says that her parents did not push her to make a decision. But it does give her entire family a chance to see her, which they do by coming to every home game.
"It's nice to see them up in the stands," Goodlow said.
And at first her family was able to see Raina get ample playing time. Goodlow started the first three home games at Michigan. Her games on the road were successful as well. She scored a career- and game-high 18 points against Coppin State in the Torneo Cancun de Basquetbol.
But a dislocated patella would keep her out for four games after the team returned to Cancun.
"My injury was really disappointing," Goodlow said. "Sitting out four games was really hard for me. I kind of felt like I wasn't part of the team and just a spectator."
Goodlow was able to return to action in Michigan's Big Ten opener at Indiana, where she contributed five points and two rebounds.
"It's been a slow return," Goodlow said. "My role on the team has really changed since the injury."
But her return was greatly needed. Michigan lacks players in the post, and that has become Goodlow's role on the team.
Even though she is coming off the bench instead of starting, Goodlow is still contributing to the rebuilding of the team. She recorded 10 points and five rebounds off the bench in the loss to Louisiana Tech last weekend.
When asked about her favorite part of the season, Goodlow didn't mention the trip to Cancun, or being on national television.
Without hesitation, she said what any competitive athlete would have said.
"It was the nine-game winning streak," Goodlow said.
Now that the team is in kind of a slump with this past weekend's losses to Louisiana Tech and Minnesota, she is looking to once again change a team around.
"We had a lot to think about after the losses," Goodlow said. "We really need to refocus for the Big Ten."
And Goodlow has not lost confidence in the team. She is still looking forward to games against Penn State and Purdue, the premier teams in the league. And she is confident that this is a team that can win.
Who knows? The final four may be closer then she thinks.
01-13-99
| Previous Article | Next Article |
should be sent to: daily.letters@umich.edu | should be sent to: online.daily@umich.edu |