Women's Hoops Hello: Akienreh Johnson (#34, 2016 class)
Just a few days after getting 2014 commit #2, Maria Backman, the Michigan women's basketball program today received their first 2016 verbal, Akienreh Johnson, a 6-0 guard/wing out of Toledo Rogers High School. This is a big commitment as one of the top women's hoops recruiting services, ASGR, has her ranked #34 in the country in her class.
I'll do some more digging, but so far here's the best scouting report I could find on her, posted by Full Court in January 2013:
Akienreh Johnson, 6-0 small forward, Rogers (Toledo OH)
Although just a freshman, Johnson had college coaches focused on her from pretty early in her team’s 55-48 loss to Winton Woods of Cincinnati. She possesses a lanky athletic build not yet fully filled out, but her skill set is already high, showing intermediate range jumpers and threes. The line from high major programs will be queuing up for one of the top 2016 prospects in Ohio.
I think it's safe to say that Kim Barnes Arico and her staff are really beginning to gain traction on the recruiting trail.
EDIT: Here's another scouting report, posted by Blue Star last summer:
Toledo Rogers High School has made plenty of waves with their youth the last few seasons and another promising guard is joining the cause. Akienreh Johnson is the kind of player that’s going to make something happen with the ball in her hands. She’s impressive in her individual attack but equally adept at delivering the ball if someone else has a better look. A quick first step goes hand in hand with some sharp ballhandling getting her past defenders and opening up her options. The fact that she already stands 5-10 makes her all the more difficult to match up with and just that much more intriguing to recruiters.
Toledo Blade photo:
I work at a K-8 school that feeds into Rogers so this is pretty cool for me. Hope to make a few of her games the next few years.
After word of the commitment filtered out on Twitter, one of the assistant coaches tweeted out, "It's been one AMAIZING week at Michigan and its only going to get better!!!!" I may be reading too much into that, but perhaps the staff expects another commit this week?
I don't know this for a fact, but I'm guessing that Akienreh Johnson, like Maria Backman, attended the Michigan Elite Camp last Friday and Saturday. If there is another commitment expected soon, I'd guess it'd be another camper, and the best bets would be one of the four players I mentioned on the recruiting board—either one of these two prospects from California, Arica Carter or Briana Johnson, or one of these two 2015 targets: Cierra Rice (Grosse Pointe South) or Naomi Davenport (Cincinnati). As they say, stay tuned...
Very glad to see the women's program recruiting well. Excellent addition.
Great get for this squad.
I don't intend to hijack the thread, but I have a related question... The local rag said Davenport (Iowa) Assumption (private Catholic HS) hired Rachael Miliman as their new women's BB head coach. It says she is a Michigan grad, but I can't find any info ... Any intel? Thanks!
...this article, she's a Flint native and played 2 years at Michigan, 2 years at DePaul.
As the article that 'Shoe posted says, she played at Michigan for two years before being one of the many players who transferred out during the disastrous coaching tenure of Cheryl Burnett. She's married and changed her name since her playing days, so search for further info under "Rachael Carney." Here, for example, is a January 2003 Michigan Daily article on her: Carney providing 'M' with Horton-like leadership.