Guard Lexie Brown pushes the ball upcourt during the Terps’ 94-46 win over Pittsburgh on Feb. 6, 2014.
When the Terrapins women’s basketball team steps onto the floor at the Xfinity Center on Saturday night in a scrimmage with Goldey-Beacom College, the five starters will look a lot different than a season ago. The No. 10 Terps will be without three former seniors who started every game last season — three-time ACC Player of the Year Alyssa Thomas, center Alicia DeVaughn and guard Katie Rutan.
Guard Lexie Brown is the only returning Terps player who started more than half of the Terps’ games a season ago.
So while Saturday’s bout with the Lightning won’t count toward the team’s record, it will provide coach Brenda Frese her first opportunity to test a new starting lineup.
“It’s starting to really evolve, I feel like, in terms of what that lineup is going to look like,” Frese said during media day Oct. 21. “The unknown is more from your freshmen and where their consistency level is going to lie.”
Aside from Brown at point guard, Frese could go a number of ways at the remaining four positions. Guard Laurin Mincy, the Terps’ lone senior, figures to take a spot in the backcourt, given her experience. Mincy started nine games last season and finished with the third-most minutes of any returning player.
Guard Shatori Walker-Kimbrough, who averaged 17.3 minutes per game — slightly more than Mincy’s 17.1 — provides another strong option. Despite playing solid minutes last season, the then-freshman came off the bench in all 35 of her appearances, so it would be a new role for her.
Frese has other backcourt options, too. Junior guards Chloe Pavlech and Brene Moseley both have more experience than Kimbrough-Walker and will have a chance to battle for minutes. And regardless of who starts, Saturday will be the first chance for the backcourt players to test themselves against an opponent this season.
“Coming in, it is going to give a lot of people a lot more opportunities to showcase what they can do,” Mincy said.
The frontcourt is an even bigger question mark. The Terps will be without Thomas and DeVaughn, who combined to average 26.4 points and 16.3 rebounds per game last season. Centers Brionna Jones and Malina Howard both appear capable of taking on larger roles after combining to start 25 games last season. For Frese, though, who is getting minutes on the interior will depend on who is pulling down boards.
“Whoever can exert themselves on the court in the rebounding area is going to be on the floor,” Frese said.
Frese’s decision to value rebounding could land several frontcourt players in more prominent roles than they held last year.
Junior forward Tierney Pfirman could earn a starting job if she demonstrates a similar rebounding prowess as she did last season. While averaging 13.3 minutes, Pfirman pulled down 3.7 boards per game, the second-most of any returning player, behind Jones.
Plus, freshman forward Aja Ellison has displayed promise in practice, according to her teammates.
“[Ellison] is a beast on the boards,” Mincy said.
The 6-foot-3 freshman missed her senior year with a foot injury, though, so she might not be ready to make an impact right away.
Still, Frese has plenty of options for her starting lineup, and she will have her first chance to test them Saturday.
“I love building teams every year,” Frese said.
