Column: The impact of Laila Phelia and other key players entering the transfer portal for Michigan women’s basketball

The Wolverines could be losing their leading scorer.

The Michigan women’s basketball program could be without its leading scorer next season as multiple outlets reported earlier this week that junior guard Laila Phelia has entered the transfer portal.

In 33 games last season, Phelia averaged 16.8 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game while shooting 42.3 percent from the field, 32.1 percent from three and 80.1 percent from the free throw line. Phelia scored 20 points or more 12 times this past season, including scoring a season-high 30 points when Michigan needed it most, as she led the Wolverines in a comeback win over Indiana to improve their at-large resume and essentially secure a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

For her efforts last season, Phelia was named to All-Big Ten first team by both the coaches and media, and she became the the 31st Wolverine to reach 1,000 career points with the university, with her currently sitting at 1,243 career points.

The Wolverines often counted on Phelia in the clutch this past season, and she delivered more often than not.

“She’s just a great playmaker for us,” head coach Kim Barnes Arico said after Phelia led Michigan with 21 points in a home loss to Michigan State . “We’re confident just putting the ball in her hands at the end of the game

Phelia entering the portal doesn’t necessarily mean she is leaving Michigan; players enter the portal and return to their initial school all the time, with it recently happening with George Washington III with the men’s program. Still, Michigan potentially losing arguably their best player would be a tough blow for the program.

As is the case with a lot of the college basketball world right now, the Wolverines have undergone a lot of turnover and could lose a lot of key contributors. Michigan’s second-leading scorer, Lauren Hansen, declared for the WNBA Draft after one season in Ann Arbor. As Taylor Daniels with The Michigan Daily reported , several other players from last year’s squad have entered the portal, including Chrya Evans, Cameron Williams, Elise Stuck, Taylor Williams, and Taylor Woodson.

When you factor in Elissa Brett, an Australian sharpshooter out of college eligibility, the Wolverines could be without eight of their top ten scorers from last season. If everyone currently in the portal leaves — which is certainly not a guarantee — the only starter returning from last season would be junior guard Jordan Hobbs.

Phelia was set to be one of the best players in the Big Ten entering her senior season, where she would undoubtedly have been in a lead scoring role as she was this past season. It’s important to note that she does have a “do not contact” tag on her name according to Talia Goodman with The Next Hoops ; we can’t rule out Phelia returning, but if she leaves, she’ll be incredibly tough for Michigan to replace.

Replacing Phelia’s scoring alone, let alone her leadership, consistency in the clutch and solid on-ball defense is no small feat. Barnes Arico has a busy offseason ahead of her with all this potential turnover.

Michigan has not been afraid to use the portal itself, with KBA landing Hansen and key bench player Greta Kampschroeder — the latter of which being the program’s first McDonald’s All-American — and the Wolverines will likely be active there yet again.

We also can’t forget that the Wolverines have the highest-ranked recruiting classes in program history coming to Ann Arbor, headlined by five-star guards Syla Swords and Olivia Olson , who were both recognized as All-Americans (Swords first team, Olson honorable mention) by MaxPreps earlier this week . We’ll have more on that class as the offseason progresses, but those new additions and a solid young guard in freshman Macy Brown gives the Wolverines a solid group of young players to build off of.

KBA and her staff will be hard at work over the coming weeks, likely talking to the players from last year’s roster in the portal while recruiting transfers that can bring experience to what may be a very young roster.

There may be a lot of new faces on the Michigan women’s basketball team next year, but Barnes Arico is in this for the long haul. The winningest coach in program history signed a contract extension through the 2027-28 season back in November and has built a steady program that has now been to six consecutive NCAA tournaments, including an Elite Eight appearance in 2022.

Potentially losing Phelia would be a tough blow for the Wolverines, but reloading will be easier with the talented class coming in.

“(I’m) excited for the future of our program,” Barnes Arico told Maize n Brew after Dusty May’s introductory presser . “We’ve signed one of the best classes, and (I’m) excited to start thinking about next season.”