Entering last season, the Terrapins women’s basketball team was in a clear state of rebuilding. A year later, the Terps might be poised to compete for a national championship.
Even with no seniors on last season’s roster and four freshmen playing significant minutes, the Terps put together an impressive 24-8 campaign, making it to the NCAA Tournament’s second round and finishing the season ranked No. 16.
With last year’s relatively inexperienced cast of players leading the team to such success, the Terps are prepared to continue returning the program to national glory this season. The Terps were ranked No. 11 in a Sporting News preseason poll in September, and their talent and experience give them everything they need to rejoin the game’s elite programs.
“When you look back to last season, I thought we took tremendous steps as a young team to get back to the level that we’re used to being at,” coach Brenda Frese said at the team’s annual Media Day. “I’m really pleased to be able to come back again from our offseason and talk about the strides we’ve made even further from last year.”
The experience the young Terps team gained last year will likely be one of the biggest factors in their success this season. The team returns all but four of its players from last season, giving the Terps a roster flush with talent and experience.
Along with its core group of returning impact players, the Terps will also regain the services of sophomore guard Laurin Mincy and redshirt freshman Whitney Bays, both of whom missed significant time with ACL injuries last season. The team also adds true freshman point guard Brene Moseley.
“It’s great to have so much experience,” Frese said. “To see where we’re at, we’re so much further ahead now six practices in, our players know what to expect and the level of intensity is a lot higher.”
But perhaps the biggest addition to this year’s Terps team will be something the team had none of last season: seniors. Center Lynetta Kizer and guards Kim Rodgers and Anjale Barrett will all be playing their final seasons in College Park this year, and while they have already played large roles for the Terps, their presence as seniors on and off the court gives the Terps something Frese said the team lacked last season.
“You can try to give your team a sense of urgency, but until you’re a senior, you don’t understand it,” Frese said. “You can already tell with our three seniors and their voice in the locker room; they can see the end. They know how many practices, games, what’s left. It’s going to be very powerful for our team to have their leadership.”
After two straight Elite Eight appearances in 2008 and 2009, the Terps have fallen somewhat out of the national spotlight, flaming out with a WNIT berth two years ago and failing to make it past the NCAA Tournament’s second round last season. But with a lofty preseason ranking and strong core of players, it looks as if the Terps are ready to reclaim their place among the nation’s best.
“I expect us to get back where we were and go a little bit farther,” Kizer said. “Just having another opportunity to have a shot at it is going to be a lot of fun. I expect us to do some good things this year.”
vitale@umdbk.com
