Welcome to The Diamondback Sports Digest. Every week, we send you a rundown of the latest Maryland athletics news.
Maryland men’s and women’s basketball kick off their seasons Monday night. In this week’s newsletter, we’ll get you up to speed with everything you need to know about the 2024-25 Terps.
Bounce back seasons in store?
Both squads underperformed last season relative to pre-season expectations — Brenda Frese’s group fell in the NCAA tournament first round, the earliest exit in Frese’s tenure, while Kevin Willard’s team failed to reach the Big Dance.
With additions from high school and the transfer portal, both coaches aim to improve on last season’s results. Willard brought in five transfers and two freshmen while Frese welcomes 10 new faces.
Expectations are high for each group as they look to quickly integrate their additions.
Both coaches expressed optimism about their team’s roster additions at their respective media days. They shared visions of deep, versatile rosters with that play with pace and defensive aggressiveness.
A highly-touted freshman
Five-star big man Derik Queen’s arrival was the biggest story of the men’s team’s offseason. The Diamondback covered Queen from every angle the past few months.
We started with a look into the past with a story on Queen’s history with forward Julian Reese. The Baltimore natives overlapped for one year at St. Frances Academy, dominating the Baltimore Catholic League en route to a 15-1 record. Their reunion gives Maryland renewed hope.
Queen has focused on conditioning since he arrived on campus. Basketball performance director Kyle Tarp created an individualized plan for Queen to improve in core areas such as body weight, body fat and BMI.
Queen said he feels the best he ever has physically. Willard said Queen has lost 17 pounds ahead of his first collegiate campaign.
We also took a deep dive into Queen’s past and what drove him to return home after three years in Florida. Above all else, he’s envisioned himself playing on the Xfinity Center floor. He’ll do so for the first time tonight.
A revamped roster
Frese was busy over the offseason, bringing in a melting pot of freshmen and transfers to supplement her best returning players.
She plugged holes in the backcourt with reigning Atlantic 10 Player of the Year Sarah Te-Biasu and first-year guard Kyndal Walker. Freese added size and length in 2024 Big East co-Defensive Player of the Year Christina Dalce and Saylor Poffenbarger, ranked seventh in the country in rebounds last season at Arkansas.
It might take time for the Terps to gain chemistry with all their new faces, but they won’t have much wiggle room to ease into the season. Maryland faces two early tests in back-to-back games against No. 11 Duke and Syracuse. The Terps narrowly defeated the Orange last year, 83-81.
Best Bits
- South Florida men’s basketball transfer Selton Miguel’s lengthy collegiate journey is culminating at Maryland, where he hopes to leave his mark and become a pro.
- Women’s basketball freshman Ava McKennie is following in the footsteps of her older brother and former Terps football player Ellis McKennie.
- Men’s basketball doesn’t expect Ja’Kobi Gillespie to solely replace Jahmir Young, but the Terps still have high hopes for the Belmont transfer.
- Here are four key takeaways from women’s basketball’s pair of exhibition games.
- We answered fans’ biggest questions about the men’s team ahead of opening night.
This week’s schedule
Women’s basketball
- Maryland at UMBC on Monday at 7 p.m. (ESPN+)
- Maryland vs. Coppin State on Thursday at 6 p.m. (B1G+)
Men’s basketball
- Maryland vs. Manhattan on Monday at 7 p.m. (B1G+)
- Maryland vs. Mount St. Mary’s on Friday at 8 p.m. (BTN)
