None of the Maryland women’s basketball players knew quite what to expect Wednesday when coach Brenda Frese instructed her team to meet in the locker room lounge. They just knew she had something to tell them.

Without explanation, Frese had seniors and All-Big Ten performers Shatori Walker-Kimbrough and Brionna Jones speak about playing internationally last summer. With USA Basketball, Walker-Kimbrough traveled to the 2015 Pan American Games and Jones went to the World University Games.

Then, the players watched a video, and the phrase, “Maryland representing USA,” came on the screen.

“I’m thinking ‘Oh, Bri and Shatori are about to represent our team again this upcoming summer for USA,'” guard Ieshia Small said. “I’m like ‘I’m so happy for them.'”

Small found out moments later that Walker-Kimbrough and Jones’ upcoming graduations would leave them as the only two players on this year’s roster not competing abroad for the Terps next summer when Maryland represents the U.S. at the 2017 World University Games in Taiwan. The tournament runs from Aug. 19-30.

The “priceless” unveiling, Frese said, left her players with a range of emotions about this unique opportunity.

“‘Wait,’ I said. ‘This is not true,'” Small recalled. “I was just, like, so excited about the whole experience. … I literally almost burst into tears.”

Frese said she was surprised and shocked when she heard the Terps were selected. They’ll be the second women’s college basketball program to ever represent their country at this event. UNC Charlotte did so, placing sixth in 2007, and there was also a U.S. team comprised of Big 12 players in 2003.

The United States International University Sports Federation selected the Terps for this opportunity but was not available for comment. It hired Basketball Travelers to oversee all of the U.S. teams.

For women’s basketball, Basketball Travelers executive director Nels Hawkinson said the decision to choose the Terps accounted for timing, past performance, recruiting and attendance.

Because the World University Games take place later next summer than in years past, many programs, including Connecticut, were out of consideration because the players would miss too many classes, Hawkinson said.

Full team evaluation isn’t common because USA Basketball usually sends a team comprised of the best women’s college basketball players from programs throughout the country. Each player must be between 17 and 28 years old have to be less than a year removed from school.

But since past World University Games occurred about a month earlier in the calendar, Hawkinson said the timing for the multi-sport event could have factored into USA Basketball’s decision to not send a team in 2017.

“It’s pretty late for USA Basketball to put together a group of athletes, and even coaches, because they’ll miss … the early workouts with their teams,” Hawkinson said.

That opened the door for a college program to represent the country, and the Terps, who finished 31-4 last season, are excited to take advantage. After the announcement, Small said she had a hard time finding a member of the Terps top-ranked freshmen class who wasn’t crying.

Sophomore forward Kiah Gillespie said 6-foot-6 center Jenna Staiti had a “terrified” look on her face when she heard the Terps would again be going abroad to compete.

Maryland traveled to Italy from Aug. 5-13 last summer for the program’s first foreign trip in a decade.

“It was something like she had never seen before,” Gillespie said about Staiti. “Kind of like it’s too good to be true at the moment.”

Small and Gillespie, though, admitted their trip to Taiwan will be different than when they visited Florence, Milan, Lake Como and Rome for two games in eight days.

That was a learning experience, Small said, and now the Terps will prepare for the World University Games with one goal in mind.

“We’re trying to win a gold medal.”