Assistant Coach Danielle Rauch joins Nolan & Hobbs Episode 32 with her journey from player to coach!

[Here is the transcript with the timestamp remnant removed (the stray “:051 hour, 5 seconds” near the end) and Michigan-related names and terms corrected. The rest of the wording is unchanged.

—

From Crisler Arena to courts around the world, they wore the maize and blue. And now they’re bringing you the game inside and out. Hail Media presents Nolan and Hobbs, the Women’s Hoop Home Court podcast, hosted by Maddie Nolan and Jordan Hobbs. Hello everyone and welcome back to the Nolan and Hobbs show with me Maddie Nolan and my co-host Jordan Hobbs. We are so excited for our special guest today, none other than our good friend and teammate and current coach at Michigan, Danielle Rauch. Okay, everyone. Here is our special guest of the day, Danielle Rauch. Hi. So excited. I’m so glad I’m so special. So special.

Um, for those of you who don’t know, Danielle played with Jordan and I at Michigan for four years. Went on to be a GA at Clemson for one year and then decided she wasn’t quite done playing yet. Um, was played her fifth year, I guess, technically, but fifth year in sixth years. Yeah. At Clemson, then went on to be an assistant coach at Western Carolina. And now Danielle is back in Ann Arbor helping the Wolverines hopefully get to a Final Four this next year. Um but D just start us off basketball. You grew up in Syracuse. Dad was a baller, brother was a baller. What did your childhood look like with those two especially?

Yeah, with those two especially. Um it was basketball 24/7. That’s I started playing when I was four years old. Uh my dad still to this day runs a youth program, the Pastimes Athletic Club. uh very small gym. If you’ve ever had the privilege to go there, you’d know it’s like a basketball like fine relic. It’s uh the court is what it is now at this time. But that was kind of how I got started in basketball. Um my dad was running that program. My brother obviously grew up playing in there. Um so just a local team. We did Saturday morning skills and drills which then turned into maybe a couple tournaments and maybe uh Tuesday Thursday skills and drills during the fall.

So I would say like my basketball career started very fundamentally um learning from my brother and and learning from my dad and that was you know how my dad played and what he stressed and you know always emphasized the things that were important to him as a player onto my brother and I to really help us grow into the players that we were and are today. But yeah, from there on it it was one-on-one battles with my brother who has now um gotten to probably six foot eight. Um I am 5’8 with shoes on. So you could see how those battles would go. But I’d like to think uh it made me tougher and definitely you know gave me uh different perspective on how I have to find different ways to to score or you know get a stop and things like that.

So definitely having them teach me the game, but also to talk the game with has been awesome even now into my coaching career. Yeah. And I had the privilege of going to Pastimes with Danielle when I visited her and her photograph is up there so she’s kind of a big deal at the local gym. I just had to share that. But do you talk about being able to talk the game through with them? At a young age did that start and what did that look like for you guys? Yeah, I would definitely say at a young age. Um, my dad obviously was my coach growing up.

So, it was a lot of that of like, okay, this is what’s happening live. This is where I’m getting coached up. Um, you know, with my brother, you know, us being three years apart, I got to see him kind of go through, you know, high school before me, then on to college before me to share his experience. So, us being able to share in that and although our journeys were different, um, what kind of we were able to take away from each other. And I think even growing up just my dad was always very real with me. Like my parents in general, my mom included, although she doesn’t love to say all the bad things or whatever, my dad was very honest with me.

And I think that really helped me of at time of like no, this is this is how you’re acting. This is why it’s not good or this is what I saw and how you were like a real leader and how that could be more beneficial to your team. So um I think that was always big for me and I guess I’m very thankful for this too. I never had delusional parents. They always kept it real with me. I was always going to know how good I actually was or how bad I actually was. Yeah. Do you think you take now as a coach anything from your dad?

Are there any specific traits that you would say that are are very prevalent in your coaching now? Yeah, I would definitely say my passion. Um my passion for the game started from learning it from my dad. And you can and you can um you can take that as you will. However you define passion um and how my dad shows passion and maybe how I show passion in my coaching style are a little bit different. Um but that’s definitely the biggest thing just a love for the game and a want to learn it and play it the right way. And I think that was the biggest thing for now.

That’s awesome. So grow up with them have a love for basketball. Was it always basketball for you or did you have any other sports you’re like maybe I’ll do this instead? So I did try a little bit of everything. Everyone makes fun of me. I was like a country club kid. So we did like golf and I did soccer. Um but the other one I did lacrosse in high school. I did a bunch of different stuff. But the other one I was really serious about growing up softball and I would play travel softball. And then sixth grade came and I was playing travel softball and travel basketball.

And my mom was like, “Get them banned. We’re not doing this here. You need to pick.” So I ended up, that was when I stopped playing softball and then went full in on basketball for the travel season. And then I never went back to softball. But in high school, I was three three sport athlete. So I was big on doing other things and not necessarily specializing in basketball. Um, but that was where I hit my crossroads of, okay, do I want to be good at softball? Do I want to be good at basketball? Um, and I feel like I made the right choice. Yeah. We’re glad.

We’re glad basketball. So, can you tell us a little bit once you chose basketball and specialized in it, what was your recruiting process like? Like when did you start to get college interests and all that good stuff? Yeah. So, obviously, um, grew up playing AAU, but for the longest time it was just like a small, we’re called the Syracuse Nets. We were a small team, just played locally, maybe got as far as two hours away. Um, that was a big trip for us. So did that and and then in the eighth grade um there was a team out in Albany which was about two hours from Syracuse that they’re called the Albany City Rocks and they were at EYBL at the time and they were like we want you to come play with us.

So that I would say um that spring of my eighth grade year I was playing 17U on the EYBL circuit. Um so that was where it definitely started to take off a little bit that I was like may we had a really you know experienced team a bunch of people getting recruited. I had no idea what that even meant or what that looked like. I grew up going to, you know, the local camps, Division II schools, Le Moyne College, who was Division II at the time. So, that was all news to me. And I went to Catholic school my whole life. I went to a small private Catholic school.

So, I was playing varsity in the eighth grade and just figuring it out, but definitely not any I was a good talent in our area, but no idea what that meant on the grander scale. Um, so I think playing EYBL in the eighth grade definitely changed that. And at the time when this was really big before phone calls and everything like that, at that was when I started getting letters in the mail of like, we’re interested in you. Come to our camp, like do stuff like that. Um, so that was really like kind of when it took off for me. And then could take us through like deciding on Michigan.

Like what went into that? Did you take visits other places? Did you just know instantly? Yeah. Yeah. So, um you know once I started to I guess narrow a little bit if you will or know that you know I had a decent amount of offers um kind of ranging all levels but majority low to mid major is where um a lot of the attention I was getting was at. So did a few visits got to know schools and and traveled to different schools just to see is this a place that I would like. um started talking to coaches and to be completely honest with you that was not my favorite thing in the world.

It’s funny that I do that now but I think you know jumping ahead a little bit I think it helps me now you know knowing how I was as a recruit of you know not wanting to be on the phone like that but I would say that was kind of where I was at and then junior year was really when I started to like focus on it. Um and I took an official visit to St. Joe’s, which is in Philadelphia, is the Atlantic 10 conference and then Wisconsin and then Michigan. So, it ended up being two now Power Four schools at the time. Um, that were like my top two, if you will.

But before that, I was like I probably, you know, I mean this in the most humble way possible, but like a lot of like any low major I would have wanted to go to and I probably could have went there and been really successful right away. Something about like having a challenge and kind of shooting for the stars that really was appealing to me. So, did officials St. Joe’s Wisconsin. Um, had great experiences, had great relationships there, but there was just like something missing. Like I I just couldn’t describe it. I I didn’t understand what that meant or what that was. But it wasn’t until actually how Michigan came to see me that uh John Beilein, who was the head coach on the other side at the time, was my father’s coach at Le Moyne College, Division II, when he was kind of first starting out.

And he walked over to to Coach Rico’s office. this was, you know, early about her second, third year maybe when she had uh gotten on staff at Michigan. And he was like, “Hey, I got a kid, you know, from Syracuse that I think would be a good fit for you, a good fit for your program.” So, Michigan came and watched and uh you know, Coach Mel, Coach Rico got on the phone, offered me. Um I ended up coming. It was an unofficial visit here. Came, my dad drove me up. Um, we drove 8 hours and I came on a visit and it like I was like this is like where I’m supposed to be.

Um, and for whatever reason I was like so shy and so timid at the time, which is obviously not like me, but I was like, I can’t like commit like right now, but like my dad and I are driving home and I’m like I don’t like what do like we’re driving home and I want to go there. Like I just like told my dad and that’s like a moment I’ll forever remember of being like pretty emotional about like that was like for me and my dad crying and being like you know just overcome of like I’m so happy that you’ve you’ve this is the place for you and you found that fit.

So literally like maybe 30 minutes down the road I called Coach Rico and was like I want to come even though I just left I want to come. Um and so that’s kind of how Michigan landed for me. Um, but definitely shout out to Coach Beilein for uh putting a young kid from Syracuse uh on the on the Wolverines radar. That’s an awesome story. Were you the first one in your class, D? I forget to commit. Um I don’t think I was first. I think I maybe been third. So we had Yeah. Class of five. Um I can’t remember where I fell. Maybe Emily was just before me because then I remember I did it in June.

I committed in June and then when we went out in July, um Emily’s, if you guys know, Brian Kiser came out of his way to come to one of my courts and and watch me play and uh we definitely clicked. When Emily was playing for Indiana flight over there and that was my first time meeting Emily was the July of our junior year before um you know then we all took our official visit together um in September of our senior year, the five of us, which was incredible. So, um, definitely, you know, worked out exactly the way it was meant to. Hey, Michigan fans, we will be right back.

But first, a word from our sponsor. For generations, Knight’s Steakhouse has been an Ann Arbor tradition. Family-owned and serving the community since 1952. From hand-cut steaks and fresh seafood to classic cocktails and genuine hospitality. Visit Knight’s on Dexter Avenue or downtown Ann Arbor. Knight’s Steakhouse, great food, strong drinks, Ann Arbor tradition. Your class kind of changed the trajectory of Michigan women basketball. Kind of rewrote what the history looked like. Um, but can you just describe the relationship that you had with those girls and how you, I guess, coming into freshman year, uh, started to build that foundation? Yeah, I think for us it was like we’re coming into a team that had just come off of the WNIT championship.

So, we’re like, they have success. You know, they’re right there knocking on the door of an NCAA Tournament, which was so foreign to even us as, you know, freshman that that we didn’t even understand. But, we had such a tight-knit group that really we just wanted to be impactful. We wanted to, you know, stick together. We wanted to find ways to make each other better. Um, you know, Naz and Amy were talentwise like above the rest of us. Um, so it was for us like, okay, like they’re going to be like the ones. How can we still be really great teammates and connect and make ourselves better?

Like we want to do this thing together for four years. So, what’s it going to take out of us to do that? So, I think we just became a really, really tight-knit group. And I think that was, you know, we wanted to see each other be successful. So for someone like me playing almost behind somebody in my in my own class, that was really difficult at times. But I think Amy and I’s relationship worked so well because we just wanted the best for each other just as much as, you know, I was pushing her as, you know, our starting point guard. You know, she was pushing me of like, I want you to be great, too, and like I want to figure out how we can do this together.

And I thought that was one of the best things about our group is that we just wanted the best for the team. obviously for each other, but for the team. Um, and I think what it means to be a Michigan person, a Michigan player, Michigan woman, like we kind of all embodied that and and gave it, you know, some meaning. Agreed. Did you guys have a talk like all five of you or whatever when you first came in of like here’s what we want to do, here’s how we’re going to do it, or how did it kind of come about then you guys all ended up on the same page almost?

Yeah. I mean, I don’t even remember if there was like an exact um you know, chat that we had about it or whatever it was, but I have to give a lot of credit to our seniors at the time and especially Hallie Thome and Nicole Munger who kind of laid the foundation for us of like they laid the groundwork of this is where the program was and how Coach Rico wants the trajectory to be like these are the things that it’s going to take and although they didn’t end up getting to reap the benefits of it, um they instilled that and us at a very very young age and poured into us so much that empowered us.

You don’t think about freshmen being empowered in that way a lot. But the way that we found our voices and were able to do that I think was a direct correlation to how they allowed us to grow in that space and led us, you know, on and off the court. Yeah, that’s awesome. And I feel like you and your class of of like especially Emily and Naz really did that for me as a freshman too like and Laila and allowing us to have a voice and asking us what we thought on the sidelines and I just I can see that through you. So, but on another note with your freshman year just like a fun question.

Was there ever a welcome to college basketball moment? I was trying to think about this the other day. Um my whole freshman year was like a welcome to college moment. like what did I get myself into? Um maybe like UCLA slides the first time like I definitely in high school and every I pride myself on being like I’m going to be the most in shape. I’m going to be this. I’m going to eat right. I’m going to d you do UCLA slides for the first time. You question your whole life having to keep your hand all of it. All of it. I would say that was one of the bigger ones, but there was multiple times throughout my freshman year that I was like, whoa.

You know, or times I’m sitting on the bench, I’m like, dang, I wish I was playing, wish I was playing. And then it’s like, do I really wish I was out there playing against her? I don’t know. That’s so real. Um, D, you talked a little bit about you and Emily kind of playing, not playing behind, but you didn’t play as much as Naz and Amy did the first couple years, but you guys still did everything you could. Can you just tell everyone some of the things that you guys would do because so normally we’d have practice and then you guys would always either come before, stay after or whatever, just some of the extra stuff outside of our three and a half hour practices, weights, film that you and Emily would get yourselves into.

Yeah. Um, you know, I think outside of just understanding the extra work that we had to put in individually, whether that was the hours I spent on the shooting machine or then developing really good friendships with our practice players who then poured into us and and gave of their time to help Emily and I get better. So, we would play two on two, we would play three on three. There was a drill we used to do all the time of like you got to get three stops in a row before you get out. I couldn’t like we like we weren’t even able to practice if we waited for me to actually get three stops in a row.

So, it was like, let me take that time after practice and like really work on that. So, those were the things of like we got to be better defensively. This is something we struggled with or if it was specific things from drills that like I just wasn’t understanding or needed to really be better at that we would just get there after practice. Um, I would say there were no off days for us. Off days were for the people that played a lot and needed to rest. Off days for us were like our Super Bowl, like can we how much can we play? How many shots can I get up?

How long can I work out? you know, and I think that adjusted over time a little bit, but I can remember two and a half hours I used to spend on a day off just shooting, conditioning, ball handling. I am so grateful for the managers that we had at the time that would spend hours in there with me. So, I think we just had a really, really good group of support um that poured into us and wanted to see us do great cuz it would have been really easy for them to be like, “Why are we staying here after with you? We just practice for however long.

like I’m not doing this, but kudos to them for actually being like, “No, this is important to you guys and we want what’s best for you.” So, a lot of two-on-two games, a lot of three-on-three, just a lot of time spent trying to still in in hard times to remind yourself of why you love this game. Like, it gets tough when it’s almost feels like it’s taken away from you in in some ways of you’re not being impactful um or not able to be impactful on the court. So, what are you going to, you know, be okay with that or are you going to try to do something about it?

And how can you still find joy every day coming into practice when maybe you’re only going to get three reps? So, some of my reps just had to come after practice. Yeah. Um, I mean, you grinded for so long and I feel like Coach Rico probably talks about your story and Emily more than anyone in the program. Was there ever a moment that you were like, “Man, I might want to transfer or like I can’t be here anymore. I want to go somewhere else.” Yeah. Um you’re in that group, too, Jay. But, uh Maddie would have been a maybe, but for a second there. Um, I would say maybe after my sophomore year, uh, we were still living in the dorms and I remember my a, this was like kind of before the time, but of this whole transfer portal thing, too.

But my AAU coach called me and he’s like, what do you want to do? Like, I think there’s just so much more out there for you. Like, I’ve heard from such and such and such and such and at this level and you know, you you could go help them right now. like you could go do this or that. And you know, I could remember confiding in my trainer at the time like what do you think? Like everyone wants to see me play. Like everyone knows like how important that was to me. Every my all of my circle, all of the people back home, like everyone wants to see me play and see me be happy.

Um and and not that I wasn’t happy, but it just wasn’t, you know, what people thought maybe that my career was going to be coming out of high school. Um and I remember that conversation exactly. And I told him, I was like, I I I’m not leaving. Like, I don’t want to go anywhere. Um, it’s hard and and there was times that it almost felt like, should I have? Uh but I think you know my personality um and my work ethic I you know it’s I don’t this is cliche and this is not maybe what how I want to say it but like of betting on yourself a little bit of like I would rather work my butt off and and figure it out and be at Michigan and give it my all then leave and and to never have the opportunity.

You know I would have done my same career over again and maybe my senior year doesn’t happen the way it was. I don’t they still think that I would have changed it because I would think I was exactly where I was supposed to be. And I think too when I think about just Michigan in itself, basketball was obviously a very big piece for me. Um but also like this school and this education and I I valued all of the things that Michigan has to offer outside of basketball as well that would have been really really difficult for me to walk away from. Yeah. So you talk about how you physically stayed ready, but how do you mentally go about, okay, this is going to be the year, this is going to, you know, and just like continuously to not like fall into the pit of, oh, like this sucks, this sucks, right?

So how did you continue to stay ready in that way? Yeah. Um, you know, I think my faith is a really big piece of that and and growing up um with faith and and really I was I would say really um faithful throughout high school and then maybe when I got to college initially it was like hard for me to like find like where does faith fit into all this for me? I don’t have time for that. Um but I think it was when I really started to lean into that and understand my purpose on this team and and what that looks like and how I can lean into that a little bit.

um that it made it make sense for me. And that’s not to say that I didn’t say why why God why are you doing this to me uh multiple times, but I think it was that that gave me something to lean back on when those things were running through my mind and I was frustrated and I was angry and whatever. Like it just gave me kind of that safety net of like this is where I’m going to lean into for some of that peace. Um, but also just, you know, talking to my family. And like I said at the beginning of this, like my dad was always someone that was going to keep it real with me.

And I think there was a time when too when he was like, “If you want to go like then go like you got to like whatever it is like can you can you do it there? I don’t know.” Like asking me those questions and you know for me that like fires me up like I’m going to show you I can do it here. o I think too like just leaning on your support system and I think having Emily as my classmate and someone to go through that with um I know she feels the same way about this is that we really really helped each other of keeping each other motivated um when it was really could have been really easy to get unmotivated of inspiring each other in that way.

So I just really leaned in obviously to my faith which is a big part of my life but also just like the support system around me my assistant coaches who are helping me at the time too. You just have to find people to lean into and lean on um so you don’t fall fat flat over. That’s awesome. So with all of that hardship, you lead the team to a Sweet 16 your junior year. How did that feel? What were some of the emotions that came when when you entered the bubble and and were the starting point guard? That was almost like not real life. Like I don’t like I don’t even know how to describe it for so many reasons.

like the bubble, COVID, all the things. But also just I didn’t think it was going to happen and and Maddie can attest to this as well. Like it wasn’t like a I am going to be the one to take this role on. I had no idea. So to say that I was mentally prepared for it would be a lie. But that’s where I had to rely on everything that I had continued to do despite not playing to rise to the occasion and my work to show in that. So it almost was like you have you have no choice like there is no nerves. There is no like I’m not ready for this.

It’s like it’s here like ready or not. So in that sense too of like I think the support piece comes back and how much the team at the time really believed in me and helped me made a world of difference when you have those people that have been playing for you know three plus years in every single game and played all season leading up to that and you got me rolling up being like all right well I’m going to bring the ball up and dish it out and we can go up there and then being like you got this like you’re like this is happening and like you’re going to be great and me actually like believing that and I see like clips from that time and I’m like I don’t like I don’t even know how I did it to be honest with you.

Like it just Yeah. Like who who am I? I had this like crazy amount of confidence that like I don’t know where you get that from that just came inside of me to be like this is this is your time. That’s so cool. It was fun. And I don’t know, I sometimes forget that this happened, but our first round matchup was against we were a six seed because we started the tourn or we started the year off really well and then kind of had a a tough last part of the season. So, we weren’t even that highly like that high of a seed, but we played Florida Gulf Coast in the first round and they were ranked in the top 25, but they were like an 11 seed.

It was crazy. And I just remember, I kid you not, everyone, you know how they do like the celeb brackets, the people on TV pick them. Almost everyone I saw picked Florida Gulf Coast over us. And then to beat them and then to play against Tennessee, who was still a powerhouse at this time. Like, do you remember they were like the three seed? Yeah, they were three seed. Yeah, it was the 6-3 matchup. But do you remember going into that game like they were tall? They had a couple WNBA people like on half of the roster is currently in the WNBA literally legitimately. But do you remember having to like what did you think going in?

So we win the first game. You’re like okay cool. What did you think? What was mental like I can’t even remember but do you remember mentally how you felt being like okay got Tennessee next like let’s see what we can do here. Um, you know, Amy Dilk tells this story well, and it’s something that’s resonated with her for a long time, too. But I had this like, and whatever, she gives me crap for this, too. But this like Holy Spirit moment when we were sitting in our team room before that Tennessee game, like overcome with emotion where I just knew like we were about to beat Tennessee.

And I have no idea how to explain it, but I gave this whole like kind of like speech to the team that like we were meant to be here and I don’t care who Tennessee is. Like we all grew up like it was Tennessee, you know, like we all grew up wanting that and I gave this whole speech about how we were going to go and beat them and I just again where is this confidence coming from? I have no idea, but I just took it and ran with it and we pulled up on Tennessee. They got in this zone. I was like, “Perfect. I can see under your arms.

I can see makeup for this one.” Like like we’re going to figure it out. Yeah. And and we did. And we just I think more than I shocked them. Like literally shocked them that they had no idea like this was what Michigan was going to be. Um and played one of the greatest games of our entire history of Michigan women’s basketball to to do that and beat them and it was awesome. Danielle, Leah and I, we were in Colorado a couple years ago like hanging out and we legit pulled up that game and rewatched it. Re-watched it. I could watch it again right now. I could and I’d get the chills.

Like I had a six, five, and four stat line and you would have thought I freaking like dropped 50 the way that I was acting. Like that was like life to me. Like I was like I like this is incredible. This is incredible. And then to have the opportunity following that and sorry if I’m jumping ahead, but then to like play Baylor and you think about the Baylor team now and I was talking about this not long ago like I was guarding DiJonai Carrington. I was matched up with like DiDi Richards like was my matchup. Like there was no like other person for me to guard and you just have to figure it out.

and we take them to overtime like like we were just clicking and you talk about clicking at the right time like it was it was like something you never seen before the way that we were playing together um and obviously having somebody like Naz and and having experience in our fifth year at that time at Akienreh Johnson like it was just everything was kind of going right for us and although we didn’t move on and get past that Sweet 16 it was just the fact that like okay you everyone knows who Michigan is now. Nobody and everyone thought Florida Gulf Coast was going to beat Michigan cuz who’s Michigan?

And and now here we are. Yeah. And I just remember cuz Baylor, they had Kim Mulkey was still there. They had I think their starting five is was either all got drafted or all played in the W at some point. Smith, like you name it. The sixth and seventh person off the bench. Come on in. It was insane. And I just remember well first of all Danielle we talked they had a girl named Moon on their team and she was a tremendous player and Danielle’s on here and we still like good night Moon good night. You want to talk about out of body experience like I am driving it into the paint against Baylor and I go up and freaking like knock her to the ground.

They call a block and one. I have the picture of Naz and I somewhere just screaming into each other’s face. I think it was like crunch time, too. It was the four I’m pretty sure it was like fourth quarter, like two minutes left going back and forth with them. I remember being like, that’s like, how do you make that? And then you got to go to the free throw line and make the and one. I remember that well too. I’m like, whoa, baby. It’s not as cool if you don’t make the free throw. Not as cool at all. Um, but then you take that momentum and come back the next year.

What’s the mentality? Like now you’ve got a taste of playing and you’re like, “Okay.” Like what how do you go from there? Yeah. Um, I remember too. We had obviously a little plane situation. So, we got stuck um having to emergency land and got stuck into an airport for a while. And I remember me sitting there. I mean, this is like hour four or five, whatever it is that we’ve been there. And Coach Rico comes and sits next to me and starts talking to me, whatever. And she’s like, “This like you did it. Like this is like this is you now.” And I’m like, “No, it’s not.

Like you’re not going to play me again. Like this is this was just a little snippet. I’m done. Like I’m going back to doing like nothing. Like my shine. I had my time to shine.” And she’s like, “No, like this is this is your team. Like you’re going to do this thing.” and and did I guess and and then went into and and and then had that in my mind like you know for so long I was trying to prove to her that I could and it was finally that moment of she was like okay okay there you go you did it if that’s what you want me to say and and then having that mentality senior year of like okay this is this is you know in our minds what we thought was this is it you know four years this is our class there was still four of us together at the time.

Like this is exactly, you know, where we wanted to be four years ago. Yeah. Yeah. And I’m skipping ahead a little through your senior year, but obviously a very successful senior year and then we’re hosting for the first time in Michigan history. What was what was that feeling when you heard that name being called as a three seed and and getting to play on your home court a couple more games uh after senior night? Crazy. I think even better than that moment was the fact that we went 18 and 0 at home that year and we had such an incredible crowd and Maize Rage actually started giving us some attention.

So for that it was like wow we get to come back here and do it again. Um and then actually then finish that year undefeated at home and that home-court advantage helps more than anybody can ever realize especially with you know the crowd that we were able to get there. So that was super super special. You know, it’s like, okay, we played Michigan State on senior night and you think that’s it, like that’s the last one, and then it’s like, nope, we got a couple more. And and having that feeling to be back in Ann Arbor, it’s no greater place. Definitely was my favorite place of all time to play.

So, actually, Danielle, tell the story. When we beat Villanova to go to the Sweet 16, do you remember the locker room afterwards or No. Yes, I do, cuz I talked about that a little bit this year. calm of like, okay, now we’re like doing all these things and, you know, we make it to this point and now everything for us and the standards that we held ourselves to seemed like an expectation. So, you know, we were supposed to be an American obviously and and we’re hosting and we’re supposed to be Villanova, too. So, we get in the locker room and we’re like we’re like act like we’ve been here before.

Like, we don’t need to do like the water. Like, we don’t need to do all that. Like, that’s not for right now. Like, that’s for down the line. and like we like act like we’ve been here and then Coach Rico comes in like this is not what we’re doing and gets runs around the room and gets everybody up like we just did one of the craziest things ever and and really have established ourselves and that is something to celebrate you know so reminding ourselves like no we still have to celebrate no matter what it is you know it doesn’t matter if you’re supposed to win um it’s March and and anytime you you get to move on, that’s something to celebrate.

So, I remember then, you know, we had this big water fight in the locker room after she got everybody up and then we were dancing and all the things um before, you know, moving on. Um but that was that was definitely a moment I remember forever, too. She’s like, “What are you guys doing?” We’re all sitting there like she’s going to be like, “We’re supposed to do this and like on to the next.” And meanwhile, she’s like, “No, like we need to celebrate.” And keep in mind it was only the second Sweet 16 in program history. So it wasn’t like they had been doing. And here we are like me.

Ben was supposed to did it. We’re like cool. Here’s the board. Like put the thing on the board. Like let’s go. Like come on. I’m so glad she did that. I’ll take that with me forever. Just forever. Celebrate the wins. Like who knows when it’s going to happen next. So we played South Dakota. Do you remember walking into that arena and there was so Louisville and Tennessee played before us and there was so much red and I remember being like oh like it’s for Louisville like we’ll be fine it’s okay sea of red. Yeah. Being in Wichita Kansas I guess was a little bit easier for the South Dakotans to get to and sure they sure did.

They sure did. I remember that vividly. Um it was also my birthday that day. So that was like also a super memorable day for me. Um that I have a March end of March birthday. So we got to play in the Sweet 16 on my birthday. Um and that was a crazy game too. Probably didn’t play our best overall game. Um but found a way to win. Um and at that point that’s all you have to do. Um, so we did that and then I remember Naz got interviewed after and like gave me a shout out on my birthday and I was like crying, crying, crying and all our parents were like lined up and we’re doing like it’s great to be a Michigan Wolverine.

Like all the things that you remember forever and then there goes Michigan like moving on to the Elite Eight for the first time ever in program history. Yeah. So good. Can you uh walk us through the moment that you screamed I’m not a decoy? I uh like I said, I don’t spend that I didn’t spend that much time in the paint. I didn’t spend that much time shooting it. I that was not my rule. Um but yeah, made a good cut. Got a little layup on it. Told Coach Rico I wasn’t a decoy. Usually my rule as a point guard and as a to be a really good cutter, get somebody and get somebody else a shot.

That was her favorite saying is no, no, don’t pass it. I don’t want it. I’m gonna cut through the lane hard. I don’t want to. I’m a decoy. I’m a decoy. I’m a decoy. I was like, “Nah, I’m not a decoy.” That is one of my core memories from college. Decoy stuff. Yeah. I tell her about that real quick. After you said it, were you like, “Oh crap, maybe I shouldn’t have said that.” Or you like, “I’m just” I don’t know. Like this confidence that I was just like, “Oh, pulling out of thin air.” But it works. It works. So, season ends and we had the COVID uh the COVID we had COVID happen your junior year my sophomore year and so we get a fifth year if we want it and I remember Danielle and I were like this.

We’re still like this but we spent like every day after season together hot girl walking in the we didn’t go to the gym. We didn’t go to the IM took a hiatus from the PDC and we would go to the IM and hot girl walk in chat. But what went into your decision of like stay a fifth year, go somewhere else, become a GA, like walk us through that. Yeah, definitely was like a lot to to weigh. Um, you know, having this year that you didn’t think you were going to have and then having to actually put thought into what am I going to do with it?

Um, and I think at the time too, I went, you know, for not really playing much for three years into playing and starting 32 of 32 games my senior year. Um, so my body definitely took a toll. Um, I would say and I I think I used that um not not necessarily as an excuse but as one of the reasons I was like I don’t even know like this hurts that hurts. Like I can’t even imagine, you know, going through another preseason and doing all that again. So in my mind I and then it’s like we couldn’t have just written up what happened any better.

Do I want to like go back and then like not go out on that note? And so all the things that ultimately I felt like I was being pulled into just like, hey, I know I want to coach. This is what I want to do. I have a passion for the game. I think that made it easier for me to move on because I at le I kind of knew what it was that I wanted to do. I wasn’t just leaving college without a plan. I was like, this is, you know, this is the next step for me. And how did you decide on Clemson?

How did that come about? Um, so Danny Edwards, who was on our staff, um, when I for two years when I was here, uh, was a player at Clemson and every year they have two GAs. So there’s always one year where there’s an opening. Um, and I remember getting connected, uh, with Coach Butler there and, uh, getting my GA position down south after, you know, being from New York, coming to Michigan, and then I was like, okay, let’s try the South. So got my feet wet into the coaching world as a graduate assistant there. So you go in grad assist for a year and I think the NCAA probably has a rule now because of you.

Uh what went into the decision to go back and play a year and and why at Clemson again? Yeah, I think you know it was hard. I stepped away from it maybe a little bit prematurely looking back on it and that’s something you know at the time you feel like was the right decision and then you go back and you’re like maybe I would have done that differently. No regrets obviously but just that thought process of it and um it actually wasn’t until you know I played all year. I was on the scout team. I was like, I’m still kind of good. And I had again this like random confidence that I was like probably better than I was.

And I went to the Final Four that year, you know, big networking coaching convention, things like that. Had the opportunity to help in a workout with Diana Taurasi, who was at the Final Four at the time. And I mean, she was 40 years old, literally 40 years old, and almost like, you know, at the top of her game. And I was like, I just like gave that away so easily. Um, after seeing somebody like this doing it for so long and how much she loves the game and that was like my idol growing up, too. So, I was like, I just don’t want to play.

I don’t know what that looks like. You know, I have this extra year. I’m not sure if I could use it. I had already started my master’s at Clemson. It was a two-year program. So, then it was like, okay, what’s what are like actually like some real next steps with this? Um, so that’s kind of how I came into getting with Coach Butler of like here’s what I’m thinking. No idea if it’s possible. What do you think about this? But it was more like just staying on the same path of like I’m going to get my degree. I’m going to finish this out. I’m not like it’s I don’t know that it would have been a like a transfer portal thing.

I have no idea. I was obviously like not educated about this at all. Just kind of was like I still want to play. I love college basketball. Like this is how I want to do it. And and that’s kind of how that came about. And so what was it like going from kind of being not like their boss, but you’re definitely a level above like the players and then to go back to playing with them. Yeah. No, it was definitely an adjustment. There was definitely a bit of a curve there. And I remember talking to who was the another fifth year at the time, Ben at Clemson for five years, Amari Robinson, and being like, “Is this like weird?

Like do you guys like hate me? Like are we is this like not a good idea?” and she’s like the salt of the earth person and she’s like it’s weird like it’s going to be an adjustment but like I think it’s a good thing and and you know we’re happy to have it be this way. So I think that gave me a little bit of reassurance too but it was definitely an adjustment period of like going from that role into like being teammates with them. Yeah. So what would you take away from GA from playing your time at Clemson that you still like have applied throughout your coaching career?

Yeah. Um, you know, I think I got to see different styles. Obviously, I played for Coach Rico for four years to see, you know, her style and and a little bit differently of of Butler’s style, obviously working under her and then playing for her, of different ways to balance things and attack things. So, I I think that’s what I would say of like just getting a different experience of like there’s multiple different ways to do things um and get a good result. of whatever that looks like as a player or as a GA of like what I was able to glean from how she ran her program and and the way that she interacted with the players or to the way she ran an offense and and things like that.

So there was different things schematically that that we did that I was able to kind of take bits and pieces from as well. And then you decided not you came out from Diana Taurasi like I want to play again and then how do you decide to not play professionally after that as well? Yeah. Yeah. It was all kind of wacky. Um to be honest with you, but I I think then I was like, “All right, I got my taste of it.” My brother had been overseas for three years maybe now at that time. And um I just didn’t think that that was going to be for me.

I was just like, I got to be honest with myself. I got to think about like if I’m in another country by myself, not knowing anybody, like how am I actually going to handle that? Um, and so for me, I guess I just made the decision that maybe that wasn’t going to be the best thing for me. Again, leaning back on the fact that like I know that I want to coach and that coaching is still an option for me. Um, that I just kind of leaned into that again instead of maybe taking a leap of uncomfortability and putting myself in that situation that maybe I should have.

Um, but had just leaned back on what I knew I wanted to do for sure. Yeah. So, your first year as an assistant at Western Carolina, can you just talk a little bit about that experience and maybe your biggest takeaways? Yeah, experience. Like that’s like the number one word. We um Jonathan Tsipis, who took the head coaching job, actually was the head coach at Wisconsin at the time that was recruiting me. So, that’s where all kind of that prior relationship came and how I even landed that job. But, it was just gaining experience. I got a chance to do everything. We had a really young staff starting out um with myself and then one of my colleagues who had just got done being a GA.

So it’s like okay we’re like unexperienced and unexperienced one unexperienced two for the first few months on the job. And it’s like okay we got to like figure it out. I think that was like the best thing that could have ever happened to me of like having to figure out okay how do you talk to these people? How do you talk to the academics people, the compliance people, the equipment? I mean, I was in charge of ordering our equipment and like handling the designs and doing that stuff and the recruiting piece of it. Now I got to go on the road and like like book a travel and like stay in a hotel by myself.

Like I hadn’t like really done any of like that kind of stuff and I was like, “Oh, this is like really adulting.” So I got to do a lot of things as a graduate assistant and get my feet wet in a lot of different areas. And then that carried me into that assistant coaching position of like I literally have to do a little bit of everything, including still playing in practice and and then, you know, going out on the road, talking to recruits, you know, finding different ways to, you know, help our team. So, um, I think just that experience is the biggest thing that I’ll I’ll carry with me that I was able to gain in in so many different areas.

I wouldn’t say that maybe I got really good in one area from there. It was like literally everything that I just had to learn how to do. Like the learning was at an all-time high and still obviously learning to this day. But um in that sense, like really having to figure it out. We asked if you had a welcome to like Michigan, welcome to Division I basketball. Do did you have a welcome to coaching moment? Um yeah, if you’d give me a second. I did this thing early on in my career where I would like journal after. Um, so I got to read one of these entries, right?

Planning the workout. Okay. May 17th was my first recruiting weekend. Um, and I was so excited. Like I was like so gung-ho. Like at the gym 8:00 a.m. till 9:00 p.m. no problem. Had my schedule lean like planned out. I was like I And then realizing like, okay, this maybe isn’t like I might be like okay at this. Like I feel pretty confident. I wasn’t like a chicken with my head cut off. I wrote, “Been here since 8 a.m. It’s now 8:00 p.m. and I’m still having so much fun.” But I remember on this road trip home, I had a lot of driving um happened.

So, we were in the mountains of of western North Carolina and we had to, you know, get the rental car and drive here and drive there. And I wrote this big long thing about how I was so excited for more and I met new coaches and everything like that. And then 7:00 p.m. on the last day on my way home, I spewed GAs all over me. And I used like my personal card to pay for the GAs when I was like supposed to use like the company card. It was like a whole thing. That was like, okay, I was like got hired like in May and then a week after I got hired, I had to go recruiting.

So that was like you are like you’re doing it now. So it was like I was on this high of like oh my gosh, I can do this. It’s good. And then I’m like not doing it the right way and spilled GAs all over myself. Had to like drive home with GAs all over my clothes. o I would say that was like you’re back down to earth a little bit. Welcome to earth. Yeah. But I would say that was being thrown onto the recruiting trail, you know, right off the jump of literally being a week on the job was probably my like welcome to coaching.

This is a big part of what you do now, so figure it out. So you you get one year at Western Carolina and then Coach Rico calls. How was the process of going back to Michigan and and getting that assistant coaching job? Well, actually I drove from North Carolina to South Bend to watch you guys play at Notre Dame in the tournament was how um and then came on the bus and talked to the team and all. Yes. Like wow, this is like, you know, I missed this part of it. Um, and then yeah, obviously caught up with Coach Rico after and she’s like, you know, we might get get be getting this spot.

What do you think about coming back? And I was like, nah, I’m not ready for all that. Like, I don’t don’t think I can do it. Like, sorry. Like, like I just talked about all the experience I was gaining. I was like, I don’t I’m not ready for Michigan. Like, that’s like my, you know, in my mind, that’s like my endgame. Like, Michigan is like that’s like my dream, like where I would want to end up coaching. And then she’s asked me to do like right now. I’m like I got I got lots to do. I’m not like I don’t want to be like three years not playing into like playing like I gotta be like ready when that woman comes like it’s got to be like I’m at this level you know.

So I was so nervous and that confidence I used to pull out the air that was like gone. I was like uh-uh I can’t do that. And then having more conversations with her and her being like listen like you’re going to be okay. You’re going to figure it out. we have people that are going to help you. Like you’re going to still gain tremendous experience. Like let’s like revisit this. And then when I actually like slowed down and got myself off the cliff of like that’s like way too much for me, it was like you’re right. Like why wouldn’t I want to go do this at the place that I love, my alma mater where I played and learn from, you know, some of the best, absolute best, most experienced people in this business.

um there’s no better way to to get your start in coaching than than by learning from them. So that’s when it all made it feel a little bit better. So awesome. Was what’s the biggest difference other than like the talent level obviously from coaching at a mid major to like a Power Four? Yeah, I think just the responsibilities change a little bit too. Um and obviously now in today’s age in NIL, I would say that’s the biggest difference. We were putting packages together at Western Carolina trying to figure out like how can we make this work at a school where women’s basketball is not getting x amount of dollars.

Here it’s a little bit different of like yeah this is a bigger piece of of what we’re doing throughout the recruitment process and in our in our daily jobs of the fundraising piece of it and the connections and the network building and dealing with agents and all that that type stuff. I’d say right now that’s probably the biggest difference. If you could say one thing that you like most about coaching, what would it be? One thing I like most about coaching. For me, it’s like somebody like, you know, Macy Brown last year of like working with her and like seeing so much of myself in her and the end of the season that she had.

That for me was like, wow. Like like that’s why you do it. That’s probably how people felt with me. like this is like what you do to this is why you pour into somebody and that’s my favorite part is like actually like spending the time and pouring into somebody the way that I was poured into to then see them have that success. So it’s really all of it in that sense but that moment when you see somebody like that light bulb click or that really good thing happen for them that’s like kind of what makes it worth it. Yeah that’s awesome. That’s a good segue because I was just about to ask you, we’ll go coaching first and then recruiting maybe, but how like your experience playing at Michigan and knowing what it takes, like how has that gone into how you coach the players or how you try and help them the best that you know how?

Yeah. No, I think that’s helped a lot of like knowing the expectations of what the standards of this program are, what the culture is built on, and and how that’s supposed to be lived out. you know, being here for four years and and our class having a big role in kind of shaping that. So for me, it’s like, okay, how can I teach them of what that’s supposed to look like, how it looks, how it sounds to be a great leader. Um, so in that sense, that would be the biggest part that I feel like I can help them and have an impact on them.

Of course, still learning all of the skill development and things like that, but the intangible things about Michigan with our team is is kind of what my career was built on. So trying to share that with them. And then how do you do that when you’re talking to kids that you’re recruiting? Like what are your I guess what are the things that you try and tell them like that that you value the most from your time at Michigan and your time there now. Yeah. I mean I think um obviously this is fun for me because I’m super biased about this place. So like I’m like I tell them I’m like I chose here like you should choose here now.

Like just everything that you’re going to get. It’s the reasons I named at the beginning of why I didn’t leave. Michigan women’s basketball is in a different place than it ever was. But Michigan itself, it’s such a privilege and an honor to go to this university and the connections that you’re going to make no matter what you want to do will carry you wherever you want to go. And I think trying to reiterate that impact to people. The impact that this block M has is is really easy for me to talk about because I got to experience it for myself for four years. Um so I think you know using that of and how great Ann Arbor is.

like I love Ann Arbor. I was like I even before I knew I was coming back to Michigan, I feel like I always told people like I would raise family in in Michigan. Like I would love to go back there someday. So um I think just that of like the whole package that Michigan is is is what I try to sell to them cuz there’s there’s going to be times where, you know, basketball maybe not going so well for people. What else are you going to pour your time into? Where else are you going to find that? In Michigan, it’s a place of excellence. You’re going to be surrounded by that every day and pushed in more ways than you can count.

I just have one more. I don’t know if if Maddie has more, but um you got to experience like the expectations and the pressures as a player coming in on a really good team with a lot of expectations on the team. How are you experiencing that as a coach and helping the girls that are now feeling that kind of pressure and expectations? Yeah, I think feeling that as a coach too of like the girls that we have on the team now, they raise that level. they challenge us as coaches of like how can we get better and and where are areas that we can get better in to help our team get even better.

So for us it’s like how can we get them to rise to the occasion of this is the new standard of Michigan women’s basketball and this is where we’re at and you know hearing that two seat gold and and going to the Elite Eight again like that was like absolutely incredible and now it’s like okay we had we were able to retain such a core group like now it’s like now we’re here like it’s not like this anymore like this experience has to take us this way and that’s going to be a bumpy uncomfortable road at times but I think that’s where I can come in and kind help them stay the course and feel that confidence that we have in them and and just reiterate those this is what it’s going to take.

Yes, we are uber talented but what is the difference you know that we saw between an Elite Eight team and a Final Four team and and this is the gap right now. So right now you know even starting in the summer it’s like how can we work to close that gap 100%. All right, now we have Wait, gotta get the good lighting. OLIPOP rapid fire questions for Danielle. I sent Danielle home with an OLIPOP and she came to visit me this weekend, so she already drank it, but the vibes are 10 out of 10. Yeah, good. What you got there? Cream soda. I have cream soda.

What do you have? I got orange cream. So, and Danielle, what do you have this weekend? Root beer. Root beer. All right. Uh, Danielle, first question. Favorite flavor of OLIPOP? Difficult, but gonna have to go with root beer. That’s a good one. Okay. Top three restaurants in Ann Arbor. Oo. Okay. Here we go. Monti, Black Pearl, no tie. That’s a good list. Um, favorite game you’ve coached in? Wow. This year there was a lot. Um, I would have to say the Louisville game um this year in the Sweet 16 was top tier for so many reasons. But you guys were on fire that game. So that was fun.

Okay. Favorite game you played in in a block M jersey. Favorite game I played in block M jersey would have to be I would say that Tennessee game. That was like one because like we won obviously, but two just like the experience of that and like wow, Michigan just beat Tennessee. You have a favorite game that you personally just remember being like wow that just felt so good. You know what I’m saying? Yeah. Um [sighs and gasps] I don’t know. There was there uh there’s too many to think. No, I know. I just feel like there’s a lot of games that maybe I was always really hard on myself that maybe I didn’t feel like I did great in or like in a games that I there was a lot of times and Maddie you know this well too like I would play really well but then we didn’t win so I can’t like pick that was one is my favorite you know we had a great battle against Northwestern which I ended up having like one of the games of my life like carrying like all making these crazy shots but and we ended up winning.

But that would have been the one. If we would have won that one, that would have been pretty cool. Um, hardest class you’ve taken at Michigan. Ooh, math. Freshman year, 100%. Math 105, pre-calculus. Only C I’ve ever gotten. Fair enough. Michigan math is different. Michigan math. I forgot about that. Um, favorite study spot. I feel like I used to hang out at the AC a lot. So, in one of the study rooms at the AC, I feel like I had a lot of good times, a lot of good laughs, but also like some good lock in, too. Best Michigan sporting event you’ve been to other than basketball?

I would say football game against Notre Dame, pouring down rain, parka, poncho, all the things. And we put up 44 points on Notre Dame. It was something crazy. But that was like the coolest. I’d never stayed at a football game for the entirety until that game. It was your sophomore year. It was 2019. Yeah, I I remember that game. We went and sat in the hot tub afterward cuz it was so Yes, we did. We had to defrost. Thanks, Danielle, for joining us. Yeah. Thank you guys for having me. This was awesome. obviously so honored to have been teammates with you all, but um thankful that you guys are now my lifelong friends and so cool that you guys are doing this and thank you for doing it and representing Michigan women’s basketball so well and being able to highlight our stories.

Of course wait favorite freshman you’ve taken under your wing? Jordan. Bro, you’re just saying she didn’t take you under her wing. I Jordan was the most difficult one. Yeah. And now you’re my favorite under my wing. Jordan didn’t want to be under my wing at first. Jordan didn’t want to be under wing. Smuggle her under there. Yeah, I was going to head. I was a brat fresh freshman year for all the viewers and then I turned it around. But look here now. You weren’t that bad. All right. Well, thank you guys. Love you. Thank you, D. Appreciate you. Bye. Bye, Doug. Thanks. If you like this kind of content, please like, share, follow, and subscribe.

And as always, go blue.]