Jan. 7, 2006

By DAVID GINSBURG
AP Sports Writer

COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP)

- When she hired Brenda Frese to coach the Maryland women's basketball team in April 2002, athletic director Debbie Yow figured it would be several years before the Terrapins could compete for the national championship.

At the time, Maryland had gone a decade without winning a game in the NCAA tournament.

The Terrapins finished 10-18 in Frese's first season, further evidence that a major rebuilding effort was required to turn around a once-proud program that had not added to its eight Atlantic Coast Conference titles since 1989.

Much sooner than expected, Frese is staging a revival on the College Park campus.

The Terrapins are No. 6 in The Associated Press poll, their highest ranking in 13 years. Their 14 victories have come by an average of 33 points, and the youthful squad made an even better impression in its lone loss - an 80-75 setback against No. 1 Tennessee in which Maryland had the ball with five seconds left and trailed by one point.

"The team is ahead of schedule, there's no question about that," Yow said. "Brenda's ability to land top-five recruiting classes back-to-back makes all the difference. To think that they're this talented - and this young to boot - bodes well for us."

The roster has two seniors: backups Angel Ross and Charmaine Carr. With a starting lineup comprised of three sophomores, a freshman and junior guard Shay Doron, Maryland has relied on a pressing defense and a balanced offense to blow away the opposition.

The Terrapins are deep in talent, but Frese is most impressed by the unselfish fashion in which they've meshed on the court. Six players are averaging in double figures, led by Doron and freshman guard Marissa Coleman, both of whom are contributing nearly 17 points a game.

"I think we've played at a tremendously high level. I love where we're at, I love the chemistry of this team," Frese said. "They're extremely coachable, and they want to be the best."

And Frese, by almost every account, is an extraordinary coach. Soon after she finished her first season at Minnesota, leading the Gophers to a 22-8 record in the biggest turnaround in Big Ten history, Frese became a sizzling commodity.

"What we didn't count on was that, in the midst of our recruitment of her, she was named Associated Press national coach of the year. That was not a lot of help for us, because then Ohio State, Florida and a couple of other programs became very interested," Yow recalled. "We just reminded her that she was our No. 1 choice before all that ever occurred. I think that meant something to her."

Frese, 35, signed a contract extension in 2004 that binds her to Maryland through 2010. There is a $500,000 buyout clause should she decide to coach at another institution or in the WNBA.

For now, Frese is focused on finishing what she started. After that rocky first season, the Terrapins have gone 18-13 and 22-10, twice reaching the second round of the NCAA tournament. The goal this season is to win the ACC title and earn at trip to the Fleet Center in Boston, site of the Final Four.

"We're right on schedule, except we didn't expect to lose to Tennessee," Doron said. "We're a confident team. We know we can play with the best of them. We proved that really early and we've gotten a lot better since then."

The Terrapins will be tested at home Sunday against No. 2 Duke, which has beaten Maryland 12 consecutive times since February 2000. After toying with the likes of Furman, George Mason and other overmatched foes, the Terps welcome the challenge.

"We know what's ahead," Frese said. "I don't want this team to be surprised or unprepared."

The rest of the league had better be ready for the Terrapins, who could get even better when freshman point guard Kristi Toliver sufficiently rebounds from a leg injury that has sidelined her for much of the season.

Toliver is nearing a recovery, good news for a team averaging 18 turnovers a game. Maryland had 21 against Coppin State last month and still won 69-38.

"This is the most talented team they've ever had, top to bottom," said Coppin coach Derek Brown, whose teams have lost in College Park on an annual basis since 1998. "They're very adequate underneath and probably the best in the country at the forward position. If Doron and Toliver can hold it together at the point guard spot, I think they'll go a long way."

To the Fleet Center in April?

"With all those freshmen and sophomores, that might be asking a bit much," Yow said. "The talent is there, but they need to mature. Let's just see how far they can go."