Maryland hosts a team from Kazakistan on Friday, Nov. 6 before opening the regular season with UNC Greensboro at Cole Field House at 2 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 14. The regular season opener is an afternoon prelim to the top 10-ranked Maryland men's team vs. Western Carolina at 8 p.m.
The Terps were 15-13 a year ago, 7-9 in the ACC, in their 27th varsity season. Weller guided her troops to the ACC semifinals after an upset win over No. 9-ranked NC State in the quarterfinals. The winner of an unprecedented eight ACC championships, Maryland missed a bid to the 1998 NCAA Tournament. The Terrapins fell to Purdue in the NCAA Midwest First Round in 1997.
Duke, who claimed its first-ever regular season ACC women's title in 1997-98, was picked to repeat this season on the strength of its 13 returning players, including all five starters. Second in the voting was Virginia, followed by defending tournament champion North Carolina, Final Four participant NC State and tournament finalist Clemson. Florida State was sixth, Georgia Tech was chosen eighth and Wake Forest ninth.
Virginia's DeMya Walker was tabbed the preseason player of the year. Georgia Tech's Niesha Butler earned mention as the preseason rookie of the year.
Four regional TV games dot the latter half of the conference schedule with Maryland appearing on television once weekly beginning Jan. 21 at Georgia Tech, through the end of the regular season. The Terps host Virginia on Feb. 8 in the only TV appearance at Cole Field House.
BROWN AND GIBSON OUT EARLY
The Terps will take on the early part of the 1998-99 schedule without returning starters Kelley Gibson and Tiffany Brown.
Gibson, the team's lone senior, team captain and Maryland's leader in assists (4.3) and blocks (0.6) last season, re-tore the ACL in her right knee during preseason workouts. It marks the third of her five seasons that injury to one knee or the other has resulted in missed action. She hopes to return for games in early January.
Brown is academically ineligible for the fall semester, and hopes to return for the Terps' non-conference date with Rutgers on Dec. 22. Brown is the Terps' leading returning scorer from 1997-98, averaging 7.3 points per game. She also is Maryland's career 3-point field goals leader after just two seasons.
BEST CLASS SINCE '85-86
Not since the freshman campaign of current pros Deanna Tate and Olympian Vicky Bullett has Maryland welcomed a freshmen class with as much promise. The Terps boasted seven freshman out of 15 players in 1985-86, compared to six out of 12 on this season's roster.
The '85-86 team finished 17-13 overall and just 6-8 in the ACC, but rebounded to win the sixth of Chris Weller's eight ACC tournament titles. Maryland fell to Ohio State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
NOT JUST FRESHMEN, (VERY) LOCAL TOO
Maryland's bumper crop of freshmen includes a quartet of local stars that come widely regarded by local and national publications. Ije Agba, Rosita Melbourne, Ginji Perry and Deedee Warley all prepped at D.C.-area high schools and received All-Met honors by the Washington Post.
Melbourne arrives as potentially the best post athlete during Weller's tenure and was a highly regarded recruit nationally.
Perry was the All-Met Player of the Year in 1996-97. All played their high school ball within 20 minutes of the Maryland campus.
WHO ARE THE NEWCOMERS?
Ijeoma Agba (6-0, Fr., Rockville, Md.)
Defense-minded forward from nearby Wheaton High ... can play both "3" and "4" positions ... versatile, blue-collar worker expected to be an aggressive rebounder.
Cara Ferris (6-1, Jr., Pensacola, Fla.)
Junior college product expected to contribute maturity as well as provide steady play on the floor .... can play swing and power forward positions ... should play a starting role on the Maryland perimeter ... good offensive player and passer, very consistent.
Marija Ilic (5-11, Fr., New Belgrade, Yugoslavia)
European freshman who prepped at Ocean City High in New Jersey ... skilled shooter who will play a perimeter role.
Rosita Melbourne (6-3, Fr., Washington, D.C.)
One of the most physically talented recruits Chris Weller has ever brought onto the College Park campus ... a raw talent ranked among the nation's top 40 freshman players ... exceptional quickness, leaping ability and shot-blocking capability.
Ginji Perry (5-11, Fr., Hyattsville, Md.)
Versatile and talented guard prospect who should see immediate time at both guard slots ... a poised, all-around talent who can score and excels as a ball-handler ... plays a role similar to senior Kelley Gibson ... Washington Post All-Met Player of the Year two seasons ago.
March Strickland (5-9, Fr., Kingston, Mass.)
Perimeter shooter who should find a spot in Terps' guard rotation early ... earned three Media Day votes toward 1997-98 ACC preseason rookie of the year ... very heady player who could be one of Maryland's top scoring threats as a freshman ... Massachusetts' state scoring champion as a junior and senior ... averaged 31.0 points as a senior ... three-time league MVP and honorable mention prep All-America by USA Today.
Deedee Warley (6-1, Fr., Fort Washington, Md.)
Very physical presence inside and out who should help in increasing Maryland's rebounding efforts in 1998-99 ... could find a starting role in the Terp lineup and can create a difficult matchup on Maryland's perimeter ... also an excellent offensive player who has great skills and can even shoot the "3".
RADIO/TV SCHEDULE
Campus radio station WMUC (650-AM and 88.1-FM) carries 13 home Maryland women's basketball games this season beginning Dec. 2 vs. Western Michigan.
The Terps appear on four regionally televised games. All four games fall during the ACC season beginning with a Jan. 21 date at Georgia Tech. Subsequent dates include Maryland at Duke on Feb. 1, Virginia at Maryland on Feb. 8, and Maryland at NC State on Feb. 15.
MARYLAND'S PROBABLE STARTERS
Player (G/GS) Ht. Yr. Hometown PPG RPG APG Notes
G 20 March Strickland (0/0) 5-9 Fr. Kingston, Mass. --- --- --- 2-time Mass. scoring champ
F 33 Cara Ferris (0/0) 6-1 Jr. Pensacola, Fla. --- --- --- Transfer from Pensacola JC
F 34 Deedee Warley (0/0) 6-2 Fr. Ft. Washington, Md. --- --- --- 1 of 4 local freshmen
F 32 Antonieta Gabriel (17/2) 6-0 Jr. Virginia Beach, Va. 0.5 1.4 0.1 17 games, 2 starts last year
C 55 Branka Bogunovic (36/23) 6-8 Jr. Zemun, Serbia 6.9 4.3 0.1 56.8% shooting in ACC
TERPS BY THE NUMBERS
1
Maryland's scoring defense led the Atlantic Coast Conference last season with an average of 60.2 points allowed per game. The Terps allowed just 59.4 in ACC action.
3
Only three classes of players under Chris Weller have failed to participate in at least one Sweet Sixteen appearance.
4
Kelley Gibson led the Terrapins and was fourth in the ACC in assists last season with 4.3 per game.
6
Maryland welcomes six freshmen to its 1998-99 roster. It is the most freshmen to grace a Maryland roster since seven in 1985-86.
7
Tiffany Brown buried a Terrapin record seven 3-pointers in Maryland's rousing upset over North Carolina last year on ESPN2.
8
The Terps have captured an unprecedented eight ACC championships.
9
The number of teams on the 1998-99 Terrapin schedule that qualified for last season's NCAA Tournament.
14
The number of games on the 1998-99 Terrapin schedule against participants in last season's NCAA Tournament.
40
The ranking bestowed upon Terp freshman Rosita Melbourne as the 40th-best women's freshman in the country, by Athlon's College Basketball Preview Magazine.
56.8
The shooting percentage posted by 6-8 Serbian center Branka Bogunovic during 16 ACC games last season.
200
The number of victories Chris Weller has posted against foes currently in the Atlantic Coast Conference, pre-dating the advent of the ACC women's basketball championship in 1978.
On losing Kelley Gibson and Tiffany Brown in early games:
"Kelley [Gibson] hurt her knee prior to our preseason and will be out until at least early December. She's hoping for a return late in that month. It's a shame for her, really, because it was the first time in her five years at Maryland that she had prepared for back-to-back seasons without injury. She was excited, and really prepared for her final year. She worked hard all summer and really is becoming a leader for our program. One of the by-products of this is her competitive spirit, her competitive edge. She was looking so forward to making her stamp on our program and being a leader with all our new players. Even since the injury, she has become more determined than ever. She is growing in confidence with the way she feels about our program. She's becoming an outstanding captain even on crutches. The other setback is Tiffany Brown who has to spend a little more attention on her academic priorities. She is ineligible until her grades come up at the end of the semester."
On the strong return of Branka Bogunovic:
"Branka worked hard all summer and came back really ready to go. Branka showed tremendous improvement the last two seasons and especially the latter half of last year. But we still couldn't play her more than a few minutes at a time because her stamina was so lacking. She has worked hard, really hard, and has dedicated herself to becoming the player that she can be. She is playing with the hope of competing at the next level. Branka ran a 6:47 mile a couple of weeks ago, and for a 6-8 girl her size, that speaks volumes. She really has gotten ready to play and we're hoping she can really become an effective player in the post. We couldn't play her more than two minutes at a time last year because she couldn't keep pace. She is keeping pace, now, and actually pacing and pushing our young players. She devoted her whole summer to playing and being a significant player in the ACC."
On six freshmen:
"We're young, but I have to say this is the strongest class to come [to Maryland] in the last 10 years. They're all very gifted, but they're not there yet. We have some national calibre players."
On early approach with such a young team:
"We're just trying to learn basic skills. We want to teach our tough man-to-man defense like we always play, but we're very basic on offense. We're basic. We are learning to play and learning to play together. We're trying to instill a very team-oriented approach. Not many outstanding freshmen come to college and aren't concerned with scoring. We are working on team, playing together and increasing intensity. This is probably our strongest recruiting class in ten years [since 1985-86 class including Vicky Bullett and Deanna Tate]. We are so young, but we can't panic over winning games at the beginning. This year we have to learn to play basketball and learn to play in the ACC. We have to get better before we start worrying about winning. Our '85-86 team got killed the first time around the ACC and got close the second time around. We kept getting better, and by the third time around, we actually won the conference tournament. That was incredible. It was awesome and nobody expected it. I am NOT making that prediction for us this year, that we'll do that again, but we're taking the same approach. We'll take some lumps early, but we're going to learn to play, play hard and play together."
On Tennessee being a model program around the country:
"They have to be [considered the premier program in the country]. There's no doubt. I understand that they've even become a self-sustaining program and that's awesome. That's outstanding. I hope it puts pressure on everybody in the country to perform at that level and put more money and attention into women's basketball. Everybody needs to take note of what they've done. It's fantastic and I hope it stands as an example for other programs to follow. It shows that women's basketball really can be successful."
