On a Michigan women’s basketball team with five incoming freshmen, junior guard Amy Dilk, who played all 32 games and led the team in playing time last season, will provide valuable leadership and experience.
Dilk and company will seek to raise expectations and take the Wolverines to new heights this year. To understand what Dilk will be providing the team this season, The Daily broke down some film:
Aggressive Playmaking
It’s Jan. 5th, 2020. Sports are still being played, and Michigan is leading Michigan State, 72-59, with 6:20 left in the fourth quarter. Dilk gets the ball after a Spartans score and begins to dribble down the court.
Dilk knows the Wolverines have a comfortable lead over Michigan State , but she also knows that no lead is safe and every point matters. She wants to drive toward the rim, but there are three Spartans in her way. She knows they won’t be able to stop her though. She takes the ball from half court and bursts toward the paint.
Through a combination of her speed, power and sheer will, Dilk blasts past the Spartans and floats in a layup and draws a foul. The Wolverines ended up sealing the win, 89-69, in large part due to Dilk’s 23 points, three assists, five rebounds and aggressive decisions like that.
Strong Passing
Dilk brings back a strong passing acumen to this year’s Wolverines. In this clip, from a regular season game against Nebraska, Michigan is hustling down the court after a Nebraska score. Dilk dribbles and assesses the offensive situation. She halts for a millisecond before finding junior forward Naz Hillmon driving towards the rim, who scores two off of a lay-up.
Dilk was fifth in the Big Ten last season in assists per game, and her passing prowess will be on full display this season.
Scoring Ability
Dilk is hard to stop in the key once she gets moving. She’s six feet tall — three inches taller than the average guard in Division I women’s basketball. This extra size allows her to barrel through opponents and drive toward the basket. In this clip, Dilk starts at the top of the line and begins a hook shaped path toward the basket. Hillmon sets up a screen for her, and Dilk flashes past another Michigan State defender like she’s not even there.
Being effective in the key is also not the only way Dilk can pick up points. She’s a strong shooter, posting a 36.5 percent 3-point field goal percentage in 2019-20. In the Wolverines’ game against Florida State last year, she picked up a career-best 26 points on 10-for-12 shooting from the field, and 2-for-3 from beyond the arc.
Dilk’s offensive responsibility this season is clear, if not overbearing. Her passing and scoring abilities, as well as her decision making, will be instrumental in any Michigan attempt to make it past the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2013.