When the women’s basketball transfer portal opened March 18, Maryland coach Brenda Frese got to work. Frese and her staff made phone calls and watched film of prospective players while prepping for postseason opponents.

Maryland’s season ended four days later with a first round NCAA tournament loss to Iowa State. With a plethora of open roster spots heading into the offseason, Frese pursued the portal. She added seven transfers and three freshmen.

Frese watched with pride as her revamped roster lined up at Monday’s media day.

“For us, it was [about] being able to go after where we felt we had some deficiencies last year,” Frese said. “The fact that we were able to bring in so much talent and so much depth, players that come from winning cultures, just continues to uphold your standard.”

After the roster overhaul, the Terps are seemingly starting from scratch. But Frese expects the group to evolve as it spends more time learning the system and gaining repetitions.

Maryland allowed more than 73 points a game last season, the second-worst mark in the Big Ten. Rebounding and defensive depth were key factors Frese addressed.

“With 10 new faces, you’re really trying to learn who’s your best inbounder, who’s your best at the top of the press, who’s your best rebounder, who’s going to be great in late game,” Frese said. “Those are going to be things that evolve throughout the season.”

The additions of Christina Dalce, Isimenme Ozzy-Momodu and Amari DeBerry offer complimenting skillsets and added size.

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Dalce, a 6-foot-2 Villanova transfer and the 2024 Big East co-Defensive Player of the Year, serves as a cornerstone to a new defensive attack.

“[We’re] bringing that intensity, that work ethic from our previous schools here, and finding a way to make it all blend together,” Dalce said. ““We all are gonna work hard and we all have that ‘dog’ mindset.”

The arrival of guards Sarah Te-Biasu and Kyndal Walker provides improved perimeter ball movement in newly defined roles. Their presence will help set up enhanced scoring looks across the rotation.

Te-Biasu won Atlantic 10 Player of the Year at VCU. Walker, a freshman, is the reigning Washington, D.C., Gatorade High School Player of the Year. She averaged 16 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.7 assists in high school and was ESPNW’s No. 36 recruit in the class of 2024.

Having designated facilitators alleviates the ball handling pressure off Shyanne Sellers, Bri McDaniel, Kaylene Smikle, Saylor Poffenbarger and others, which lets the primary scorers thrive in off-ball roles.

“I think that’s gonna open up the floor,” Poffenbarger, an Arkansas transfer, said. “Having point guards that can get themselves and other people open is going to be super special.”

Maryland finished top 20 in NCAA scoring last season with an average of 77.9 points a game in a lightning fast offense. Frese wants to continue that trend with the highly-touted newcomers.

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Smikle, a Rutgers transfer, was named to the 2023 All-Big Ten Second and All-Big Ten Freshman teams. With an average 17.3 points across the past two seasons, she supplies the Terps with instant offense — helping to fill the scoring void left by Jakia Brown-Turner and Brinae Alexander.

A summer trip to Croatia first familiarized the group with one another. While gaining comfortability has been a gradual process, the team’s chemistry is rapidly building.

Last season, just six of Maryland’s players were juniors, seniors or graduate students. The 2024 class boasts 11 upperclassmen — a veteran-heavy team that may prove instrumental in long-term success.

“When those tough games come, you can’t buy experience,” Sellers said.

A melting pot of freshmen, transfers and veteran returners could set the Terps apart from the field. While this new-look roster is still finding its identity, Maryland’s equipped with the tools and talent necessary for a bounce-back year.

“Everyone’s so determined and everyone wants to win, everyone’s so competitive,” Ozzy-Momodu said. “And I love that because I’m competitive myself.”