Michigan women's basketball didn't accomplish all of its goals last season.

However, the Wolverine saw firsthand exactly the type of effort, the type of talent, the type of team that it were required to hit those goals next year.

Michigan competed against both national championship game qualifiers.

This past season, in early January, the Wolverines lost to Iowa in an offensive showcase at Chrysler Center with, as you'd expect, Caitlin Clark being a big reason for the Hawkeyes win.

Then, two and a half months later, after a few short-handed losses dropped the Wolverines from a potential hosting opportunity in the first weekend of the NCAA,

down to a six-seed.

Michigan lost in Baton Rouge to eventual national champion LSU in a much different game,

one where the defense was good enough to hang around, but the offense just wasn't quite there.

It's not as simple as seeing a team like that and then becoming a team like that.

And this Michigan program has lost some incredibly important pieces led by fifth year

seniors in Emily Kaiser and Leah Brown.

However, if you're looking for one person to shoulder more attention, more necessary

improvement than any other on the returning team, look no further than soon to be junior

lay Lafelia on the court it feels like this will be Phelia's team now and that progression is

always felt right Michigan recruited her while Nas Hillman was assuming that perch and they played

together for one season a magical magical one, the best in program

history when they went to the elite eight. Last year, the aforementioned Kaiser and Brown assisted

Felia in reshaping things during the post-Naz Hillman era. Now with none of those program pillars

here besides Filia, it feels like her time to take over.

Layla Felia is already considered one of the top WNBA prospects in college basketball.

She's had NCAA tournament moment.

She's encountered adversity with a late season injury that cost her several weeks

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