When the Maryland women’s basketball team takes the court for its season-opening game against UMass Lowell on Sunday, freshman center Jenna Staiti isn’t likely to be one of the five starters.
That is, unless the Terps and River Hawks agree to a slight rule change.
“If it was a half-court game … she’d be in our starting lineup right now,” coach Brenda Frese said.
Staiti, the tallest player on the roster at 6-foot-6, was the No. 16 player in the country coming out of high school, according to ESPN. But in an attempt to have an impact this season, Staiti used the preseason to adjust to the game’s speed and focus on getting down the court in transition.
“In the beginning, it was hard,” Staiti said. “I was running down the court like, ‘Whoa, everything’s so fast-paced.'”
Staiti struggled in early practices. She had trouble moving up and down the court and adjusting to playing with a shot clock. Frese said the speed of playing at the college level was the hardest part for Staiti, especially due to her height.
To minimize this issue, Staiti put in extra work with strength coach Lanie Deppe.
“Oh gosh, she can think of anything,” Staiti said. “We can be on the treadmill, court sprints, we do ropes. Like, anything.”
The team said her dedication is paying off. They’ve already seen results from Staiti based on Deppe’s strength and nutrition programs.
“I know sometimes she’s just like, ‘Forget this, this is hard,'” senior guard Shatori Walker-Kimbrough said. “But she has really, really pushed through. She’s probably our most improved new player.”
That work ethic has endeared Staiti to her new squad.
During the team’s exhibitions against Bluefield State and Mary Baldwin, the bench was the loudest when Staiti had the ball or made a play. She scored last-second layups to end the first half of both games, prompting her teammates to mob her as she tried to return to the locker room.
“They’re definitely helping me, just coming onto the court and slapping me with the towel, jumping on me,” Staiti said. “It definitely boosts my confidence.”
In those exhibitions, Staiti showed her size makes her a matchup problem inside if teams don’t have enough height to put on her.
Across the two games, Staiti scored 42 points, grabbed 16 rebounds — half of which were offensive — and blocked four shots. She shot 20 of 25 from the field.
“We have great size on this team so we need to be able to have that on the glass,” Frese said after beating Bluefield State. “Huge area for us, [and I’m] glad to be able to see the strength.”
As Walker-Kimbrough said, Staiti is “different,” based purely on her size.
When the Terps step on the court for their 29 regular-season games, they will never face a player listed as taller than Staiti. In just three of those contests, their opponent will have a player matching Staiti’s height.
But her stamina and how she reacts to the game’s speed will determine the amount of playing time she’ll get. When she gets to where she needs to be in those areas, Frese said, she will be “pretty incredible.”
“I’ve seen her improve immensely,” freshman guard Destiny Slocum said. “It’s crazy how I’ve seen someone’s game develop over just four months of being here. I can’t even imagine how she’ll be in four years.”
