NCAA Women's Basketball Championship: First Round - Holy Cross vs Maryland

Thursday, March 16, 2023

College Park, Maryland, USA

XFINITY Center

Maryland Terrapins

Coach Brenda Frese

THE MODERATOR: Thanks for joining us, everyone. We're joined by Maryland Head Coach Brenda Frese.

Q. It's been a long season at this point. What's kind of one last message before you kind of start the postseason, you know. You guys have been through so many battles throughout the year. What's one last thing you say to the group before you get this party started?
COACH FRESE: I don't know if there's one last message because I think you are not going to change who you are at this point. So it's just continuing to be us I think is the most important thing. And you know, I think the thing we focus the most on these last couple weeks is fine tuning the details, understanding that it can come down to a possession where it's a communication piece on the defensive end, a box-out on the glass. So just kind of really fine tuning the details.

Q. Obviously the transfer portal is a pretty big part of college sports right now. It's been a big boost to your team this year. When you were looking at which players to bring in, how much did you have your specific style of play in mind when you were overhauling the roster?
COACH FRESE: The transfer portal is, you know, a part of our game, and I think you can see over the last couple of years we've had a lot of success within the portal. I think it's important -- our staff does a tremendous job kind of vetting through it. Where we need to know who the kid is and like you said, whether they fit our style of play. And that's really important, being able to score the basketball, being able to run, getting out in our transition game, being able to rebound. So a lot of different pieces and factors that go into it. And, you know, I think it's a job our staff does extremely well.

Q. So, you know, in earning the No. 2 seed you guys obviously have home court advantage. Kind of talk about how much it may mean to you and this team to open the tournament -- open up the tournament early against a home crowd?
COACH FRESE: Yeah. You know, it's a really important priority. That's what all teams try to work for is that home court advantage. And rightly so. The fact that you can kind of keep your routine, sleeping in your own beds and having your fans, you know, with the energy that our fans bring to the table. I think we also recognize that the number in front of your name being a home seed, hosting on your campus doesn't guarantee you a win. And so I think just understanding that we've got to do the work for the 40 minutes within that game, but also understanding that we have a tremendous opportunity to utilize our fans to bring a lot of energy for us.

Q. You guys were able to mix up so many different defenses throughout the year, even throughout singular games. How beneficial is that? How does that come into play now when you are playing different teams and you can -- you got so many different looks in your tool bag that you can use at any given moment?
COACH FRESE: I think it makes us a difficult scout when you are going back and watching film on us. I think it's a credit also to our players that they have allowed us as a coaching staff to be able to scheme and scout different teams based on personnel and style of play. So this team has done it better than most, and it's a big advantage when you can change up defenses on your opponent.

Q. It's been a pretty big year for the Big 10. I think you have four teams in the top three seed lines. Is there a sense of solidarity wanting the league to do well in this tournament and how important is it for the conference to follow-up the regular season you had?
COACH FRESE: Of course this time of year after you have been beating each other up all season long, you are all Big 10 and you want each and every team to move through the brackets as far as possible. So credit -- I thought the schedule -- the conference really prepared us for now to see so many teams are hosting and, like you said, top seeds is, you know, a great thing to be able to see. But now just understanding that each and every team has to, you know, continue to use what we did during the conference slate and take this into this tournament.

Q. It seems as if Holy Cross really wants to grind the game. Play slow. Rebound. Try to maybe force you into a couple mistakes you wouldn't normally make. And obviously you like to get out, rip and run, transition, that type of thing. When it's two stylistically matchup, as the favorite do you try to maybe make them play your way, or do you try to dominate in the way that they want to play?
COACH FRESE: I think both staffs and styles of play, you want to dominate the way you play. And that's the exciting thing when you match up against anyone, is you want to see who can win out. I don't see us wanting to lend to their style of play. I'm sure they don't want to lend to ours. So that's the beauty of the game. And putting the 40 minutes together and seeing who is able to, you know, outlast the other.

Q. How do you not let it get bogged down in terms of game style? Is it really trying to get out and push it especially? What's your plan?
COACH FRESE: Yeah. I think both ways. Defensively you need to be really really good with who you are. And then on the offensive end, you need to value the basketball. If you're turning the basketball over, that's going to lend to a team and their strengths. So it's just valuing the basketball.

Q. [Inaudible question].
COACH FRESE: I'm really excited for those three. They have had a tremendous year for us. It's a big reason why we are where we are today. That energy that we're getting out from all three of them off the bench, you know, again, it's starter minutes. They are coming in and they are so valuable to our team, with their defense, with their offense, with their rebounding. And you know, it's critical. But excited for all three of them in this tournament. And to be able to showcase what they are able to do.

Faith Masonius, Abby Meyers, Diamond Miller

Q. This can be for any. Start with Faith. What's the vibe around the team right? You guys work all season long to get to this point and it's finally here. You guys sound very cheery from the hallways. What's the vibe just like in the locker room?

FAITH MASONIUS: I think coming in today everyone is kind of, you know, it's like a realization moment. You know, it's coming full circle. We have been working since the summertime and we're finally here in March in the best time of the year. Being able to get our gifts today. We got all this nice stuff. And it's kind of coming, it's lock-in season. And it's coming full circle. For a lot of people on the team it is their first time being in March Madness. It's exciting. Everyone is really excited to get to practice and get locked in on film. Everybody has good vibes all the way around.

Q. When you play in the Big 10, obviously a very physical league. You kind of get used to teams, that type of thing. And now you get into this tournament setting and you are playing teams from all over the place: Boston, essentially Arizona, teams across leagues, across the country. You're getting national officials. What do you expect to maybe change from the Big 10 league and how you play to now these tournament games? Is there any difference, and what would that be?

ABBY MEYERS: You know, I think that if anything, that's to our advantage. We have been playing bigger, physical, more talented clutch teams. And that's not to discredit any, you know, mid-major or whatever team that we're going to face. They are going to bring their A-game just like we're going to bring our A-game. The biggest thing for us is to not kind of look back. To appreciate and be grateful for our journey and how much work we've put in. But I think right now, as Diamond always says, it's a new season. So we have to take what we've learned, the lessons we've learned and just the overall connection that we've made as a team throughout the entire year and just apply it to this game, play our game, stick to our fundamentals and come in, as Faith said, locked in and as prepared as we can be.

Q. For any of you guys. All of you guys up here are seniors. From your first time being in the NCAA Tournament to now, reflect on that and how you guys have grown and just the vibes and emotions for the tournament from your first.

DIAMOND MILLER: Yeah. It's kind of crazy how fast four years goes by. And when you're in the midst of freshmen, sophomore, even junior year, you kind of feel like this is forever. I need to get out of here. And when you're a senior it kind of just goes really quickly. So, you know, just because the way we ended last year, I think it puts a lot of fire in our hearts because we're really excited for what we could do this year. And obviously do better than what we did in the past. So we got a little fire in us, so it's very exciting to see what we can do.

ABBY MEYERS: Yeah my freshman year actually for the NCAA Tournament we went to NC state and the first round we played Maryland. It's a weird switching sides kind of moment. We lost by 20. But it was, you know, it kind of just -- it's also a really cool thing where my freshman year when we knew we were going to lose by the end of the fourth quarter and I just saw my seniors get subbed out, walking to the bench crying and hugging their teammates, as a freshman at that time I was almost like, I'm going to miss these guys but also I'm so glad I'm not in their position. I can come back next year and keep playing. Now I'm that senior, and this is officially my last year. And, you know, there's a different feeling approaching each game. This could be your last collegiate basketball game ever. Because of that, there's almost just this, like, increased intensity that, you know, for me, I want to bring my best game for this team. And if anything I've learned it's any team can be a unicorn team. Any team can be the best -- just this amazing team coming out from the blocks, so we have to be as prepared and as ready mentally, physically as possible.

FAITH MASONIUS: I think for me, looking back on all the years going to the NCAA Tournament freshman year, obviously got cut a little short from COVID, which is kind of that year was taken away from, I mean, Diamond and I -- that year would have been ours.

DIAMOND MILLER: We actually would have won. I don't know what happened to Princeton. We actually would have won it. At least fought them for it.

FAITH MASONIUS: Yeah. That would have been a deep run for us. And I think the past two years, I mean, yeah we made Sweet Sixteen, but it was short-cutting for our liking. But this year we're coming back spitting fire like dragons on the court. And just coming out really excited for what we can show people. Getting that 2-seed means a lot, and it's showing the work that we put in from the summer to off the court, on the court, in the classroom, and just moving forward we want to come out and play our best basketball, and we're really excited.

Q. Diamond, you know, kind of going off the question I asked earlier. When you get to get out of the Big 10 a little bit. Teams aren't seeing you for a second, even third time with Iowa. How excited are you to kind of get out of it and maybe have a little scouting tendencies, get to the Euro-step a little easier.

DIAMOND MILLER: I feel like everybody the scout is going to be the same. You know, even from our perspective, watching scout on film and playing them in real life, it's two different -- sometimes you know this girl is a shooter and you see on film, you can be like, oh yeah, she has a quick release. But you don't really know how quick it is until you are live in action. You know, I think it's a fair game for everybody. Just they can scout out but they don't know how we actually play in person, and we're going to scout them too. It's an even playing field for everybody. It makes it a lot more interesting, put it that way.