Kim Barnes Arico on The Hardest Working Team in America (EP431)
About this episode
Kim Barnes Arico discusses her coaching philosophy and strategies for building a hardworking women's basketball team at the University of Michigan.
University of Michigan women's basketball head coach Kim Barnes Arico, discussed her philosophy of building "the hardest working team in America" through practice analytics that track intangible aspects like communication, diving for balls, and taking charges, while maintaining a balance between hard work and fun. She explained her defensive principles focusing on physicality, pressure, and keeping opponents out of the paint, using drills like progressive denial to develop players' ability to handle one-on-one situations without fouling. The conversation covered her adaptive offensive approach that adjusts to the strengths of her team, including strategies for handling elite players like Syla Swords who face significant defensive attention. Barnes Arico also discussed her emphasis on developing strong, confident women through practices that build voice and communication skills, and her off-season focus on improving specific areas like ball screen defense and transition offense through film study and staff collaboration.
More episodes of The Basketball Podcast
- Aarika Hughes on LMU's Championship Turnaround (EP433)
- Brian Earl on Blending Old School and New (EP432)
- Bryan Roony on Playing Complementary Basketball (EP430)
- Alex Sarama from Basketball Immersion to the WNBA (EP429)
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The Basketball Podcast podcast page.