Point Guard:  5’5 sophomore Jessica Minnfield returns as the Wolverines starting point guard.  Minnfield had a decent freshman season.  She’s a good athlete with good ball-handling skills.  Her decision-making was not always as good as it should have been.  The entire Michigan offense was weak and that has to somewhat reflect on the point guard.  Burnett has not as yet succeeded in putting in an effective half-court offense.  At this point, it’s not clear if Minnfield is basketball savvy enough to run an effective offense.  She’s a decent three point shooter, but her overall shooting percentage is too low for her to be an offensive option.  She also averaged almost 4 turnovers in 28 minutes a game.  That is not good. 

If Minnfield does not improve her play, she may lose her spot to freshman Sireece Bass.  Bass has one of the highest profiles of any player Burnett has recruited.  She is an athletic slasher who should give the Wolverines some of the scoring they badly need.  There is some question about her physical condition.  If she is healthy, she would likely be Michigan’s best point guard option. 

Wing Positions:  Since Burnett arrived at Michigan, her Wolverines have struggled mightily to score.  That is probably the major deficit that she must address in 2006.  She appears to have some players at the shooting guard/small forward positions who at least have to potential to put some points on the board. 

Junior shooting guard Janelle Cooper averaged just under 10 points a game in 2005.  Her overall shooting percentage was a poor 35.5% but she shot a good 37.9% on her team-leading 124 three point attempts.  She will need to keep improving.  Two freshmen may step into the rotation here and provide instant help.  Kalyn McPherson was a scoring machine in high school.  The 5’7 shooting guard averaged over 21 points a game in her four season high school career and set numerous, school, city, conference and state scoring records.  She will be the key addition to the squad and will be counted on to contribute immediately.  The other freshman who should have an immediate impact is 6’1 small forward LeQuisha Whitfield.  She will be one of the most athletic of the Wolverines and averaged 18.2 points and 13 rebounds as a senior. 

Several other players return at this rotation.  Kelly Helvey had stepped up and was having a solid junior season before she tore her acl last year.  Krista Clement has shown flashes of being a contributor and Melinda Queen started most of the games after Helvey went down. 

The most interesting speculation about this area revolves around last year’s top freshman, Stephanie Skrba.  She is an athletic 6’2 player who had a decent freshman season in the post.  Ideally, she should move to small forward.  She could have a true impact there.  But she can only switch positions if someone steps in and can play the post. 

The situation at small forward is complicated by the fact that the Wolverines were such a weak rebounding team that they will have to get help on the boards from that position.  The players who have the best ability to score are not necessarily the best rebounders. 

Posts: The post situation for the Wolverines is very much up in the air, but at least Burnett will have a number of options to choose from.  Stephany Skrba and Carly Benson started most of last year at the two post spots and they return.  They may or may not be Burnett’s best options this season.   

The 6’2 Skrba had a solid freshman season, but her body and her game are more suited to playing small forward than in the middle.  She may end up there again this season, but that would not be the ideal situation.  Ideally for Michigan, 6’6 freshman Krista Phillips will be able to step into the starting job in the middle.  Phillips was on the Canadian junior national team for the past two summers, but it’s not at all clear if she is ready to start for a Big 10 team. 

The power forward spot depends on the health of Katie Dierdorff.  When she has been healthy, she has shown the potential to be an above average Big 10 power forward.  She is both physically strong and athletic.  She is the best option at the power forward spot, but stress fractures in her hips have cut short both of her first two seasons.  Carly Benson started at the power forward spot most of the 2005 season.  She didn’t shoot the ball well and faded as the season went on.  She would be an adequate back-up but probably isn’t good enough to start on a decent Big 10 team. 

The other player who contributes in the rotation is 6’ junior Ta’Shia Walker.  Walker is undersized for the post, but she has consistently put numbers on the board.  She was a member of the Big 10 All Freshman Team and led the Wolverines in scoring, albeit at only 10.8 points a game, as a junior.  She will get as much out of her ability as anyone could and will continue to contribute. 

Summary:  The 2006 season will is crucial for Burnett if she is to have success at Michigan.  She has little success in the win-loss column to date, although she has upgraded the team’s talent.  Now she needs to win some games. 

The Wolverines do not have many apparent strengths, although they have good athleticism and do play hard.  But their weaknesses do not look as bad and they do have an experienced roster.  This is a team that should win five or six games in the Big 10 season.  That, in itself, is not impressive.  But it is a major improvement over past seasons and should provide a solid foundation for the future. 

If Michigan does not win some this year, Burnett’s time at Michigan could be doomed and that would be too bad.