rundown of Michigan's riser
4-2-4 transfers
Women's Basketball: Another Commit and a 4-2-4 Transfer
Hello: Danielle Williams
A couple of days ago, Kim Barnes Arico got her second commit since becoming the Michigan women's basketball coach as Danielle Williams, a 5-9 guard out of St. Mary's High School in Phoenix, Arizona, chose the Wolverines. According to an ESPN item, Williams selected Michigan over Arizona State, Boston College, Colorado, George Washington, Marquette, and San Diego State.
Williams isn't as highly ranked as the new coach's first commit, Siera Thompson—at least according to ESPN, which has her as a 3-star in the 2013 class. Side note: Williams has a twin sister, Dominique, who commited to UCLA the same day Danielle picked U-M.
With her first two commits from California and Arizona, it's become evident pretty quickly that Barnes Arico will be recruiting nationally. I've seen reports of Michigan pursuing players from Georgia, Florida, Texas, and Ohio so far. It looks like the days of the Midwest-centric rosters of Kevin Borseth or the ones with almost all Michiganders of a decade ago are over.
Hello Eventually: Shannon Smith
About a month ago, Shannon Smith, a 5-7 point guard, announced on Twitter that she was transferring from North Carolina to Michigan. This news was reported in the Michigan Daily, but the basketball program never followed up with an official release. It appears the reason for the lack of an announcement is that Smith will spend a year at a junior college, Trinity Valley Community College, and then arrive at Michigan for the 2013-14 season and be eligible to play right away.
Smith took a medical redshirt her freshman season (2010-11), so this way she'll be able to play at TVCC in 2012-13 and then still have two years of eligibility at Michigan. I believe it's also possible she's doing this because Michigan does not have a scholarship to offer her in 2012-13. In any case, this whole thing seemed odd, but the NCAA Division 1 Manual does indeed have a section (14.5.6) on "4-2-4" transfers, spelling out the requirements for transferring from a four-year college to a two-year college and then to another four-year college.
Also of note about Smith: Although she went to high school in North Carolina, earning the state's Miss Basketball award in 2010, she was born in Detroit. Her father is Kevin Smith, who was an all-state basketball player at Birmingham Brother Rice in the late 1970s and then attended U-D before transferring to MSU.
