Duke Sets The Bar And Maryland Says Thanks
April 3, 2006
BOSTON (AP) - Maryland coach Brenda Frese figures she owes Duke and coach Gail Goestenkors a big thank you - for a couple of reasons.
On the eve of their all-ACC matchup in Tuesday night's NCAA championship game, Frese said Duke helped her program by setting a standard for others in the league to try to match. She also said two of her players, freshman Marissa Coleman and sophomore Crystal Langhorne, are better for having played for Goestenkors on the U.S. under-19 team last summer.
From 2001-04, Duke won the ACC regular-season and tournament championships every year. The Blue Devils also won regular-season titles in 1998 and 1999 and the tournament in 2000.
"I love where we're at and how we're peaking and the kind of confidence we're playing with, but Duke has set the bar in our league," Frese said Monday.
"They were the ones winning the titles, winning the championships and because of it, they have made us a lot better and have made this Maryland team have to step up and play at an amazingly high level as well."
Coleman and Langhorne played on the team that Goestenkors guided to a gold medal in the world championship for that age group. Langhorne became one of the team's captains.
"They really respected playing for her," Frese said. "Gail is a tremendous coach. I know they learned a lot. I think it really got Marissa prepared for college. So, nothing but positive things for them spending the time with Gail."
It also was a positive experience for Goestenkors - to an extent.
"With Crystal, she would make a great play and I would be on the sidelines cheering, `Yay, Crystal,"' Goestenkors said. "And then I would be going, `Oh my God,' because I knew I had to play against her three more years."
Relax, Coach. After Tuesday night, it'll be only two more years.
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TAKING IT TO DAD: At 6-feet-7, it should be no surprise that Duke center Alison Bales is the tallest member of her family.
But she could always count on getting a good run from her father when they played 1-on-1 in the driveway at their home in Dayton, Ohio. Charles Bales checks in at 6-4 and played football at TCU.
"He'll always tell you he was a basketball player in a football player's body," Bales said.
Bales wouldn't admit to beating her father regularly in those games. But Dad didn't have an easy time, either.
"It got to a point where we were real competitive," she said. "Then we stopped playing so much in the driveway because I was always going to practice and games. But he kept teaching me post moves. He's still one of my top coaches."
Charles Bales must have laid a good foundation.
His daughter has improved her scoring average each season and has put together a couple of big games in the NCAA tournament, including 22 points and nine rebounds against Southern Cal and a 15-point, 13-rebound performance against Connecticut in the regional final.
But Bales' biggest contribution might be the imposing presence she brings to Duke's defense. She has blocked a record 27 shots in the NCAA tournament this season and has 48 blocks in the NCAAs for her career. That's also a record.
"When you're going into the lane and you want to make a layup, whoever's going in there has to realize that Ali is in there," teammate Mistie Williams said. "She's in your brain before the game even starts."
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WHAT'S IN A NAME?: To her Maryland teammates, Crystal Langhorne is "The Franchise," a moniker she quickly dismisses. Yet the Terrapins will argue that she's earned it.
"We all call her that anyway, we don't care," forward Laura Harper said. "It's funny, though. She's the most unselfish player ever. She's not cocky. She's just starting to show emotion this year."
And she's been filling up the stat sheet
The sophomore post player is averaging 17.4 points and 8.6 rebounds a game. She dominated inside against top-ranked North Carolina in the national semifinals Sunday and now has the Terps playing for the program's first NCAA title.
Forget "The Franchise." The talented Terrapin wants just to be known as a team player.
"They give me a lot of respect," Langhorne said, "but I don't like the nickname."
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STILL PLAYING: The college season is over for LSU stars Seimone Augustus and Sylvia Fowles, but they've still got some games coming up.
Both are joining the U.S. team that will play in a tournament in Australia as part of the preparation for the world championships in Brazil later this year.
Fowles, a sophomore, will leave with the team on Tuesday. Augustus, a senior, could be the No. 1 pick in Wednesday's WNBA draft, so she won't fly out until Thursday.
USA Basketball is trying several combinations of players before picking the 12-member team in June. The world championships start Sept. 12 in Sao Paulo.
LSU lost to Duke 64-45 in the national semifinals Sunday night.
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RATINGS GAME: The overnight television ratings for the national semifinals were mixed.
Maryland's victory over North Carolina in the opening game had a 1.8 rating on ESPN, a network spokesman said. That's down slightly from the 1.7 for Baylor-LSU at last year's Final Four.
A rating of 1.0 translates into about 900,000 households.
Duke's victory over LSU in the second game had a 1.7 rating, down from the 2.3 for Tennessee-Michigan State last year.
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SOMETHING TO FLIP OVER: Ozzie Smith, take note.
If Duke wins the championship game, point guard Lindsey Harding plans to show off another skill.
"I took gymnastics for years," Harding said. "I told everyone if we win, I'll do back flips up and down the court."
