Bluefield State coach Todd Fong walked off the court at Xfinity Center on Nov. 2, undeterred by the 129-point loss to the Maryland women’s basketball team his team had just suffered.
He shook coach Brenda Frese’s hand and watched as she gave his son a hug.
“Winning doesn’t always mean scoreboard, if you know what I mean,” Fong said. “I wish we were more competitive, don’t get me wrong … But I want to teach my girls that this is a good experience.”
Every year, Division II and III basketball teams flock to top-tier Division I programs for unofficial exhibition games entering the regular season. The Big Blues traveled about 350 miles from West Virginia to College Park only to lose, 146-17.
But for Fong, the game meant more than the box score.
“I want to teach these girls, ‘Don’t be afraid to live life’… If I can instill that in these young ladies, then they’ll be quality mothers, wives, CEOs, human beings,” he said. “A setback prepares you for a comeback.”
The contest underscored the vast differences between a program of Maryland’s stature and Bluefield State’s — a school of about 2,000 students.
Per NCAA rules, a Division I school can host as many as two exhibition games before the regular season, but they must be played against Division II and III talent. The games often result in blowouts that ease powerhouse programs’ transitions into the new season.
Maryland’s affair with Bluefield State made national headlines for its lopsided score. The game proved polarizing in a sport that is accustomed to little disparity.
Though records obtained by The Diamondback show Maryland paid Bluefield State $3,000 in advance of the matchup, Frese and Fong iterated money didn’t play a central role in the game’s organization.
“That’s really not why they come in — it’s not about that,” Frese said.
She stressed the importance of Fong, a Southern Maryland native, bringing his team to his home state.
Frese has been close with Fong after the two met on the recruiting circuit. Fong said the Maryland coach told him to contact her if he were to ever coach a women’s college team to arrange a game.
The Bluefield State coach praised Frese for her role in organizing the contest, which was agreed upon about a year ago.
“This is a game that she doesn’t have to play,” Fong said. “As honorable and classy a lady as she is, she sent me to the right person to arrange that.”
Fong emphasized how grateful he was for the professionalism Maryland exhibited in hosting the Big Blues.
“We had an opportunity to be treated like royalty; they treated us with class and honor,” he said.
“With D-II and D-III opponents, they know what they’re walking into,” said Frese, who is in her 15th year guiding the Terps. “They want the experience of playing at Xfinity, playing in front of a crowd, the experience of this court. Usually, it’s not about the score.”
Frese likened the experienced of playing at Xfinity Center to that of a professional arena.
Bluefield State doesn’t travel with a trainer or a sports information director and, per Division III rules, is not allowed to have any players under scholarship.
Frese said Maryland tried to give Bluefield State as many amenities as it could.
Having a locker room attendant, for instance, might seem commonplace for a Power 5 program. For Bluefield State though, one Maryland employee’s graciousness was especially well-received.
“The gentleman that stood outside of our locker room the entire game held the door for my ladies,” Fong said. “He held the door for me.”
“I try to interact with all the guests and treat them with the respect and courtesy they deserve,” said Richard Allen, who’s been a Terp Host for 10 years.
Allen is also from Southern Maryland, which catalyzed the duo’s interaction. The two each worked as high school teachers in Charles County.
The Big Blues were surprised with their postgame pizza, too, which Allen safeguarded after it arrived at halftime.
“I follow the ‘Maryland Way,'” Allen said.
It was a gesture Bluefield State didn’t overlook.
“Nobody ever saw him the entire game, but he was there guarding the entire locker room, maintaining that professionalism,” Fong said.
Fong stood by his decision to play Maryland, regardless of the score.
“No one died from it,” he said. “The girls may have got their egos bruised but sometimes, everything doesn’t go your way.”
“If you want to play us, just play us,” Fong added with a determined tone. “Tell ’em to come at us.”
