Terps Hold Women's Basketball Media Day At Comcast Center
10/16/2003 8:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Oct. 16, 2003
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Members of the media came out for Maryland Women's Basketball Media Day on Thursday afternoon at Comcast Center. Head coach Brenda Frese addressed the media before moving to the arena floor with her team for interviews.
The Terps and their coaches met with media for newspaper, radio and television interviews.
Here's what Coach Frese had to say at her press conference.
Opening Statement:
"It is hard to believe that we have gone through one full season here with our staff and our team as we enter our second season of Maryland women's basketball. One of the things I am really excited about first and foremost is us coming off our best preseason, not only for me here at University of Maryland, but in every job I have been apart of. I feel confident of where we are from our preseason conditioning. Our players are in the best shape they have ever been in. What you are going to see as that continues is that their confidence will continue to grow. You can already see the confidence that is building within the team and in each of them individually now that they have been able to get themselves in great shape. They are going to be ready to do battle and compete right when they step out on the floor."
On her first recruiting class:
"We are very excited about the two Parade All-Americans that we were able to sign in our very first recruiting class. In less than six months on the job, we were able to sign Kalika France and Shay Doron. Those two names are going to have an immediate impact on our program."
On Kalika France: "Kalika was someone that we wanted to be able to recruit locally. She comes to us with national honors being a Parade All-American. She comes to us from Bishop McNamara High School. She is just a winner in every sense of the word. She is a lefty, off-guard, and will really help us fill the void of Terri Daniels and Renneika Razor."
On Shay Doron:
"Shay Doron is from Christ the King High School. When you mention that high school, it says she comes from the likes of Chamique Holdsclaw and Sue Bird. She obviously knows, like Kalika France, what it takes to have a winner's mentality and will bring that to the team. We are really excited that she plays multiple positions. She can go point guard or off-guard, and she gained valuable experience this summer playing on the Israeli national team. Shay is originally from Israel and she came over to the United States about two years ago. She is really committed and dedicated to making her game better and has an opportunity to make a big impact on the collegiate level."
On Aurelie Noirez:
"Aurelie is a 6-2 post player from France. Fortunately for us, my assistant coach Jeff Walz, with his contacts and his networking, was able to secure us, late in the signing period, a post player that is going to give us a lot of depth, a lot of size and a lot of experience. She was a member of the French National Team. You are going to see big things from her as she learns and transitions into our system."
On Alli Spence:
"Alli is from Old Dominion University and unlike most transfers she will become eligible immediately for us. She is someone who is going to give us, as a junior, a lot of experience. Alli is a true point guard and will be able to help us immediately. When she went to Old Dominion, she was on the CAA All-Rookie team her first season there."
On C'Vette Henson:
"C'Vette is an invited walk-on from Annapolis High School. She is another person on our team who will take about a year to learn our system, but has a huge upside and will add a lot of depth to our program."
On the addition of the new players:
"Obviously we will have to blend the new faces with the experience that we will have with our seven returners."
On Vicki Brick:
"Vicki Brick is coming back for her fifth season. She is all geared up and ready to go and will be a great leader for us as a senior."
On Delvona Oliver:
"She has come back in the best shape of her life and we expect big things from Del right from our very first game. She has got the confidence behind her and knows what to expect."
On Chrissy Fisher
"After being named to the All-ACC freshman team, Chrissy has got tons of confidence. She has gotten herself in shape. And Angel Ross has really done a lot in the weight room, in terms of bulking up and getting strength that she will need."
On recruiting and the team's schedule:
"We really feel like with recruiting we got the job done. We had the chance to sign two Parade All-Americans. We will continue to do that this fall as you will see as we get ready for the National Letter of Intent. There are a lot of recruits that are coming here to campus and see what special things we have going on at Maryland. If you look at our schedule now, early on, it is set up for success. We did that for a reason. We wanted these new young faces to come in and build their confidence. We are excited about the fact that our first five games will be at home. Our non-conference schedule is very competitive; probably a little too competitive for where we are at right now, but it will definitely get us ready for ACC conference play."
