As the Terrapin women’s basketball team left the Comcast Center floor Feb. 6, the young squad’s potential appeared limitless.
That night, mere months after entering the season rife with questions and doubts that had left them outside of preseason top-25 polls, the Terps won their seventh consecutive game, a resounding 29-point victory over NC State.
The Terps’ momentum, faded fast. After losses in their next two games, the team sputtered down the stretch, losing three of its final six regular-season games before early exits from both the ACC and NCAA tournaments.
While the Terps were visibly disappointed with how and when their season ended — a blowout loss to regional rival Georgetown in the second round of the NCAA Tournament — better days appear to lie ahead. Despite a roster that featured no seniors and a rotation that leaned on four freshmen for regular contributions, the Terps were able to win 24 games this season. And with its entire roster set to return next season, the team’s road to redemption after last season’s WNIT trip may be nearly complete.
“I evaluate the jump we made a year ago with this team and the addition of new players,” coach Brenda Frese said. “If we can make as big of a jump next season, it’s exciting to think about our future.”
The Terps’ roster did take a hit in their March 22 loss to Georgetown when forward Diandra Tchatchouang went down with a torn ACL. But the recovery of versatile forward Whitney Bays, who sat out this season as a medical redshirt after a knee injury, and the addition of incoming freshman point guard Brene Moseley will add to the team’s depth and help cover for Tchatchouang’s absence as her knee recovers.
With those additions, and the growth Frese expects from her current squad in the offseason, the Terps believe they’re on track to return to national-title contention.
“Not all teams have the luxury to say that they’re bringing their whole team back,” guard Anjale Barrett said. “We improved last season; we had a goal. Next year, we’re looking for big things. … We have the opportunity to become contenders.”
For those lofty aspirations to be realized, though, the Terps have plenty to improve on.
The team often struggled with ball-handling and consistency, losing its way for long stretches at a time and digging itself into holes on the scoreboard.
But with the Terps’ level of talent and a two-week trip to play five games in China in June, the Terps have the potential to build on their successes.
That burden again may fall largely on this season’s freshman class. While ACC Rookie of the Year Alyssa Thomas emerged as the team’s offensive spark, more consistent play from guards Laurin Mincy and Natasha Cloud and forward Alicia DeVaughn could push the Terps to another level.
“I think from freshman to sophomore year, you oftentimes see the biggest jump in confidence and play,” Frese said. “All of them had to come in and had to contribute right away. They were fearless.”
The team clearly had hoped for a better postseason result this year. But if the Terps, who earned a No. 4 seed in this year’s NCAA Tournament, can harness the energy that led them to lopsided victories over top-10 teams in Duke and North Carolina while improving their output on the floor, national-title contention wouldn’t be out of the question.
But just as Frese has credited this season’s success with grueling offseason commitment, she sees next season’s prospects as dependent on another summer of preparation.
“If every player comes back improved in one area, we’re going to be a tremendous team,” Frese said. “But that’s in the players’ hands. They determine the outcome.”
cwalsh@umdbk.com
