Women's Hoops Hello: Maria Backman
Last month, as I reported on the women's hoops recruiting board, Maria Backman had trimmed her list of schools to 15 and seemed at least a couple months off from making her final choice. But she attended the Michigan Elite Camp over the last two days and evidently that was enough to convince her to change her plans and commit to the Maize and Blue. She becomes the second member of Kim Barnes Arico's 2014 class, following the commitment of Jillian Dunston last month.
Barnes Arico continues to recruit well on the East Coast as Backman hails from the coach's former stomping grounds. She's a 6-2 wing out of Cardinal Spellman High School in the Bronx. There are two services that have rated her, one having her as a 4-star and one as a 3-star. In addition, ASGR has her ranked #158 in her class. That same service has Dunston ranked #98.
Here's a scouting report from Full Court from last July:
Backman, with a medium-solid build, is probably best suited to play the small forward slot but can fit at the four in some systems. She handles and passes well for her size, can drive to the hole and has a nice step-back jumper. New Heights coach Curtiz Simpson on Backman: “She is a really athletic girl. She has a good handle and excellent midrange game. She needs to get a bit more physical.”
The 2014 class is beginning to shape up nicely. A post player is likely the top priority at this point.
Side note: Holidays are turning out extra special for the women's basketball program. Dunston committed on Mother's Day, and now Backman on Father's Day.
Backman's AAU coach, who was also in Ann Arbor for the Elite Camp, posted this photo of Backman and himself(?) when announcing the news on Twitter:
All the comments about Coach Barnes Arico I've seen from recruiting experts and AAU and high school coaches in the girls/women's basketball world have been nothing but positive. She's widely expected to take the program to new heights (pun intended—Backman plays on an AAU team called New Heights).
I was in a bit of a rush to put the Hello post up and meant to indicate some of the other schools that Backman was considering as that can also give an indication of how good a player she is. Her 15 finalists included Georgetown, Virginia Tech, St. John's, NC State, Boston College, Auburn, and Rutgers.
Also, here's what the New York Post had to say about Backman in April when they named her Bronx girls basketball player of the year:
The highly-recruited junior led Spellman to the CHSAA Class A State final for the first time ever.
Backman could do it all, whether she was taking her defender down low or roaming the outside for long-distance threes or even taking her defender off the dribble. Backman, a 6-2 forward, could fill up the basket when she wanted but was also the consummate teammate and coach on the floor, using her high basketball IQ to affect the flow of the game.
She's also a skilled defender, anchoring Spellman's zone in the middle with active feet and hands. A gym rat, Backman worked hard to raise the level of her game since she was a raw freshman. . .
She averaged 26.3 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks to lead the team in each category.
And here's a nice quote from her that gives a good sense of why she chose Michigan:
"What I'm looking for in schools is great academics, great alumni, coaching security, a school that plays up-tempo and likes to push the ball."
wow...