COLLEGE PARK, Md. – The Maryland men's and women's basketball programs welcomed a large media contingent Tuesday for their annual media day at the XFINITY Center.
Head Coach Brenda Frese
On this year's freshman class:
"It's obviously an exciting piece, this year's freshmen. When you talk about them, the things that come to mind for me are, they're fearless, they're workers and they're extremely competitive."
On the seniors:
"We will be lead by our two outstanding seniors in Shatori Walker-Kimbrough and Brionna Jones. They've had so much success and they've pushed themselves throughout their careers, so we will be pushing them along the way. As always, we want to send them out the right way."
On the schedule:
"We will have a nice blend of games in the non-conference, which is nice for our seven new players to get used to each other. I love seeing how the season unfolds and who fills what roles for us. It's all part of the process."
Senior Center Brionna Jones
On how going to Italy as a team during the offseason helped them grow as a team:
"I think it definitely helped build chemistry between us and the new players coming in. Then, just giving us time to rep plays and rep defense will make us better going forward."
On how she's helped freshman Jenna Staiti acclimate to the program:
"Every day in practice I just tell her little things that I do and things to look for in the flow of the game and just help her along in whatever she needs."
Senior Guard Shatori Walker-Kimbrough
On the mark she wants to leave at Maryland:
“I just want to leave better than how I came in. Coach always says to leave a legacy and leave this place better than how I found it. We have some goals set for this year but we're going to stay focused on playing one game at a time."
On the high expectations for the team and if she feels pressure to lead:
“We're just going to focus and rely on our work ethic. Each and every day coach tries to push us individually and as a team. I'm just focusing on the little things and I think those little things will take us where we want to go. We're trying to get our freshmen rolling and get the chemistry right and I think we'll be fine.”
On her message to this year's freshman class:
"Basically just to be comfortable. They chose to come to Maryland for a reason. I tell them just to keep doing what they're doing and everything will be good."
On if they can use last year's early exit in the NCAA Tournament as motivation:
"Definitely. We're working on and off the court so that we can progress and be in the tournament longer. We're going to do what Maryland does, which is defend, rebound, and run. We're going to keep doing that and it will help us progress."
On the message from the older players:
“The first thing they told us was to not look too far ahead but also to not look in the past. They told us to stay in the moment. Time goes by so fast and we're taking that message and just taking things day by day.”
On her role with the team:
“I know my role right now is to just be ready when my number is called. Whenever it is, whether it's starting or coming off the bench, I just have to be ready for it.”
On the team chemistry before the season:
“I think it's pretty good. I think after our first couple of games we'll be rolling. Our chemistry is great right now so I can only imagine what it's going to be come conference time.”
