Oct. 31, 2006
To on-lookers and the experts, it seemed that Maryland winning the national championship in 2006 was ahead of schedule. To the Terrapins, the timing was just right. At the same time, this team is also not satisfied.
Maryland won the national championship with no seniors in the starting lineup and was immediately identified the early favorite to repeat. Receiving No. 1 ranking in several preseason magazines and polls, the top eight scorers and rebounders return in 2006-07, including all five starters. The Terps' inside-outside game the Terrapins from last year, plus their running style of play, had them boasting the second-highest offense and the top-rebounding margin in the country. The "defending national champions" look similar to last year's squad, with the addition of only one freshman and two transfers. But the Terps are not "defending" anything. High expectations will be placed on the Terrapins and opponents will be looking to knock off the reigning champions, a very different role than the one they had last year when they were "hunters." The question will be, how will the Terrapins handle it?
"We won the championship last year. Every team starts the season with a clean slate, so I don't see it as defending anything," said fifth-year head coach Brenda Frese. "There will be new challenges - are we hungry enough; did we spend enough time in offseason training; are we ready for the expectations? It's exciting and we welcome the challenges."
After several years of fielding young and inexperienced teams, Frese now has an experienced core, most of which have national championship rings and have played in multiple NCAA Tournaments. Despite only two seniors on the squad, seven of the eight returnees started nearly half of the 38 games played last year. Frese and her staff are now in the enviable position of returning 98 percent of the offense and 95 percent of the rebounding.
"The type of schedule we played last year, going 34-4, playing in the No. 1 conference in the country and going 6-0 in overtime ... all those things make you better. The experience of going through six NCAA Tournament games and playing in the title game is going to help them continue to gel and make us a better basketball team."
Familiar names are back on the Maryland roster, including the program's first All-American since 1989, Crystal Langhorne. One of only two seniors, three-time All-ACC performer Shay Doron has been the cornerstone of the Terrapin lineup since she arrived on campus. Laura Harper bounced back from an Achilles' tendon injury suffered her freshman year to be the Final Four Most Outstanding Player last year.
Freshmen sensations Marissa Coleman and Kristi Toliver are now sophomores and have become household names in just one season. Coleman was the ACC's Rookie of the Year, while Toliver will be remembered for making "The Shot," the dramatic three-pointer that sent the NCAA Championship game into overtime.
Ashleigh Newman and Jade Perry, members of the stellar recruiting class which included Langhorne and Harper, have been significant contributors the last two seasons, each providing "highlight reel" moments of their own, while senior Aurelie Noirez is one of the team's tri-captains.
The Terrapins are not only loaded with experience but also rich with talent and depth. Four were selected to the preseason Wade Trophy Watch list, the Women's Basketball Coaches Association's (WBCA) national player of the year award, the first time in the history of the honor four players from the same team were named to the list.
In addition, Frese boasts another top-10 recruiting class this season. The additions of transfers Sa'de Wiley-Gatewood and Christie Marrone, along with true freshman Emery Wallace bolstered the recruiting class to earn a top-10 rating for the third-consecutive year.
The Terrapins also had solid performances in the classroom. Led by Doron, a CoSIDA Academic All-American and an Academic All-ACC honoree, six players earned 3.0 or better grade point averages during the spring semester. Langhorne was also tabbed an Academic All-ACC pick, while earning a spot on the CoSIDA Academic All-District 2 team.
GUARDS
Maryland lost just one wing player in Charmaine Carr from the rotation, but the Terps return four guards with championship experience, not to mention two more transfers who have come to College Park from power conferences.
In her first game as a Terrapin, Shay Doron tied the NCAA record for most free throws in a game. Three years later, playing in her 100th-career game, she is standing with her teammates as a national champion. Doron has been a staple in the starting lineup, becoming only the second player in school history to be named All-ACC three times.
"Shay is a special player. She was the first to believe in our vision of what could be accomplished at Maryland," said Frese of Doron. "As her role on the team has evolved, she has truly developed into a strong leader and is the glue of the team."
Marissa Coleman and Kristi Toliver did not act or play like freshmen last season, shining in some of the biggest moments of the year.
Coleman, the second-straight ACC Rookie of the Year from Maryland, was the only freshman in the league to be named All-ACC, earning a spot on the second team. Her versatility on the court is apparent, ranking in the top 10 in the league in seven different statistical categories, also becoming one of the nation's top three-point threats. She played nearly every position on the court for the Terps and, in the Final Four, she posted back-to-back double-double games.
Toliver stepped into the limelight in the postseason after going through a challenging season which included injuries. Her inspiring performance in the Elite Eight, scoring a career-high 28 points while suffering a stomach flu the night before, and her clutch 3-pointer over Duke's Alison Bales, who stands a foot taller than Toliver and was one of the biggest shots in NCAA Tournament history, showed what the then-freshman was capable of.
"The biggest thing Marissa and Kristi brought with them was high level of confidence," said Frese. "Both played with tremendous self-assurance, night in and night out, and displayed how much they wanted to take the big shots, they wanted the pressure. It really feeds in the consciousness of the rest of the team."
Ashleigh Newman also record one of the biggest moments of the season. Newman is the team's top defender, assigned to the opponent's top player on a nightly basis. She is also a three-point threat, hitting the nearly half-court shot at Carmichael Auditorium, sending the game into overtime, eventually handing North Carolina its first loss of the season.
New to fans are Christie Marrone and Sa'de Wiley-Gatewood, who will get a chance to play in a Maryland uniform after sitting out the season because of NCAA transfer eligibility rules. Both helped to prepare the Terps for their title run in practices.
Marrone already has one year of ACC playing experience, coming to Maryland after one season at Virginia Tech. She adds another three-point threat to the Terps' strong outside-shooting presence. She had three more seasons of eligibility remaining.
Wiley-Gatewood becomes eligible at the end of the fall semester after transferring mid-season last year and will have one-and-a-half seasons of eligibility remaining. Gatewood was a highly sought-after recruit who was named 2004 Parade High School Player of the Year in her final prep season. Coming to Maryland from the University of Tennessee, she brings with her great court vision and the experience of playing in the powerful Southeastern Conference.
"Marrone's outside shooting is a key addition," said Frese. "The way she shoots the three will draw defenders out, really opening up the floor. Sa'de's playing experience and toughness of playing in the SEC is invaluable. Her style of play and unselfishness, plus her overall attitude is a perfect fit. She is going to be an exciting player to watch."
POSTS
There is also an incredible amount of depth, talent and experience in the post. Led by Crystal Langhorne, the Terrapins will, once again, be one of the top frontcourts in the nation.
Langhorne put together another outstanding campaign, earning All-American honors, the first for Maryland since 1989. She already brought with her an impressive scouting report, but winning the championship just motivated her to continue to improve. Already among the top players in school history, Langhorne has spent time on her range and free throw shooting in order to improve consistency in those areas.
"The way Crystal can score in a variety of ways and rebound, separates her from any of the low-post players in the country," remarked Frese. "Anytime you challenge Crystal to improve, she does. She is never satisfied and continues to work on her game to become a more complete player."
Laura Harper's story could not have been written any better. A year away from basketball, playing only nine games of her freshman campaign because of a torn Achilles' tendon, Harper ends her sophomore campaign as the Final Four's Most Outstanding Player. A long and mobile athlete, she is the team's emotional leader and turned in one of the top shot-blocking performances in school history. The combination of Harper and Langhorne, along with the other post players, helped the Terrapins lead the nation in rebounding margin.
"The evolution of Laura as a player came together at the right moment, with all the hard work she put in to return from her injury paying off," said Frese. "She spent most of the season returning to form, regaining her timing, her rhythm and her confidence. But she grew into a complete player and it was tremendous to watch it unfold in the NCAA tournament."
Jade Perry also proved she could step up and play at a high level. Perry had one of the best tournament performances on the team, earning a spot on the All-ACC Tournament second team. The team's physically strongest players, she had 18-point effort against the Tar Heels in the conference champions, 14 of those coming in the first half.
"Jade made a significant impact all season and was counted on and will be continued to be counted on over the next two years. Jade she gives us a different look in the post, in terms of her power and strength."
Having played the 3 and 4 spots on the floor, along spending time at both guard positions, Coleman also finds herself in the mix with the posts. Her versatility cause problems in the post because of 6-foot-1 frame and athleticism make her another force to reckon with.
Emery Wallace is the lone newcomer on the team and is coming off an ACL injury she suffered prior to her senior campaign in high school. She has also had suffered a knee injury in the preseason. Once back on the court, she is another long post player who brings outside shooting capabilities.
Watching the program unfold in four short seasons has even surprised Frese. However, it was not totally unexpected. Luring prized recruits to College Park who bring with them a winning mentality and unselfishness, Frese and her staff put together a team that was bound to turn things around and become one of the top teams in the nation.
"All the credit of the success of this program goes to the hard work of the coach staff, the players and the support staff. We've been able to build upon each class we've been able to sign. Never in my wildest dreams did I think we'd be able to win a championship in four short years."
Frese continued, "When you rebuild and watch it unfold, there is no timetable. It's based upon your players and what they believe. Last year's group obviously believed they could win it all. They believed in themselves and in their teammates' abilities. When you have that kind of mentality, special things can happen and that's what separated last year's team with most teams out there."
SCHEDULE
The road to the Final Four will not be an easy one as Maryland's schedule features 18 teams that earned postseason bids last year, including 15 NCAA Tournament teams. Playing in the tough ACC conference which features three of the four Final Four teams, makes the road a challenging one. The reigning national champions can also expect-near capacity crowds on many stops along the way.
"This is one of the more challenging schedules we've had," said Frese. "What you see is what you get with the ACC. The No. 1 conference in the nation, any team can win on any night. This conference continues to improve from top to bottom."
The Terrapins take a trip to Ashleigh Newman's hometown to face her former high school coach Rick Insell for a tough opener at Middle Tennessee State on Nov. 10 to open the season. The Blue Raiders have pulled off first-round upsets in two of the last three the NCAA Tournaments.
Maryland debuts the new squad in front of the home crowd on Nov. 12, hosting George Mason. The game will be particularly exciting as the Terrapins reveal the championship banner on that afternoon.
A three-team tournament keep the Terrapins at home for the BTI Classic, Nov. 17-19, with the Pac-10's Arizona and NCAA Tournament participant TCU traveling to the area. George Washington makes its first trip to Comcast Center to play the Terps for the first time since 1994. The Colonials is a top 25 team and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season, as well.
The Terps enjoy time at the beach and the weather in the Bahamas after the Junkanoo Jam over the Thanksgiving holiday, Nov. 24-25. The first day pits Gardner-Webb with the Terps, with the teams playing either the SEC's Mississippi or the Big Ten's Northwestern on the second day.
Maryland faces Marshall on Nov. 29 on the road, then returns home for matchups between UC-Santa Barbara on Dec. 2 and Siena on Dec. 4.
A three-game road trip begins with a trip to Frese's home state when the Terrapins play at Northern Iowa on Dec. 6. Back East, the Terps will travel to Harper's hometown of Philadelphia to face top-25 opponent Temple on Dec. 10. The road trip concludes with a bus trip to Loyola in Baltimore, Md., on Dec. 21.
After a short break for the holidays, Maryland hosts the annual Terrapin Classic on Dec. 29-30, with UNC-Greensboro, Liberty and Marist.
Back-to-back games against NCAA Tournament teams begins with the ACC opener against NC State on Jan. 3 at home, followed by a nationally televised contest on CBS against the Big Ten's Michigan State on Jan. 6, who advanced to the Sweet Sixteen last year and lost to the Terrapins in the Paradise Jam. The game on CBS is the first of nine regular-season televised contests, including five nationally televised games.
Miami hosts the champs on Dec. 10, followed by the NCAA title game rematch at Duke on Jan. 13, the first of two matchups against the Blue Devils, who visit Comcast Center on Feb. 18. Both of games will be on Fox Sports Net.
Back home, Maryland faces long-time rival Virginia on Jan. 19 and Wake Forest on Jan. 21, before facing North Carolina. The Terps were the only team in the nation to beat UNC last year, winning two of the three meetings. The only regular-season matchup between the teams will be on Jan. 28 in Comcast Center on ESPN2, sandwiched between road contests at Clemson (Jan. 25) and Georgia Tech (Feb. 1).
Boston College and Virginia Tech, both teams who made the NCAA Tournament, travel to battle the Terps on Feb. 4 and Feb. 8, respectively. BC upset last season's No. 1-seeded Ohio State to advance to the Sweet Sixteen.
Trips go to UVA to close out the home-and-home slate on Feb. 11 and an ESPN2 game at Florida State on Feb. 15 leads up to the home matchup against Duke. The regular-season winds down with a road matchup at Boston College on Feb. 25.
The Terps will be looking for their first ACC Tournament title since 1989 when the event tips off on March 1 and runs through March 4 at the Greensboro Coliseum.
Maryland has never made back-to-back trips to the Final Four and is hoping to do that in 2006-07. The "Road to the Final Four" begins on March 17-20, with the regional tournamenta taking place March 24-27. The 2007 champion being crowned on April 1 and 3 in Cleveland, Ohio.
