Building a roster is difficult. Maryland women’s basketball coach Brenda Frese knows the struggle.
Frese attacked the transfer portal in the offseason. She vowed to correct the issues that contributed to her team’s first-round exit in the 2023 NCAA tournament.
Though the coach brought in the players she needed, there was still the job of acclimating her new additions and the few returners into one cohesive group.
A nearly 4,500-mile journey to Croatia provided that opportunity. It led to a more unified ensemble of players, contributing to the Terps’ perfect start to the campaign.
“Ten of our 15 players are new, so we spent this summer getting really comfortable with one another both on and off the court,” Frese said.
Maryland took an 11-day summer trip to the country in the Balkan region of Europe, where it practiced and played exhibition games.
Maryland defeated two teams from different towns in Croatia. It topped Zagreb All Stars, 82-34, and All Star Split, 92-53. The pair of dominant wins allowed new players, like forward Christina Dalce and guard Sarah Te-Biasu, to get their first action in Terps’ jerseys.
[No. 11 Maryland women’s basketball staves off late Syracuse comeback, earns 84-73 road win]
The time spent off the court helped connect the team. Between the two contests and hours of practice, the team embarked on multiple excursions.
They ziplined through the mountains on their fourth day of the trip and “bonded over fear,” according to Arkansas transfer guard Saylor Poffenbarger. Some players opted to jump off the ledge alone, while Poffenbarger and Virginia transfer Mir McLean did the terror-inducing ride together.
The group spent another outing on a catamaran cruise through the Pakleni Islands. The day brought them closer than any other day on the trip, multiple players said.
Everyone played their favorite songs, letting their own distinct personalities come out through the music choices, Poffenbarger said. Players danced on the boat and invited some of their teammates to join, while others sang karaoke to songs like “I Will Always Love You.”
Guard Bri McDaniel said Te-Biasu was one of the funniest during the cruise, and that her infectious personality came out that day. Poffenbarger mentioned that learning about everyone’s different charisma helped her get to know her teammates on a “different level.”
[Bri McDaniel is playing a pivotal bench role for Maryland women’s basketball]
“That was like a family cookout for me,” McDaniel said. “It was amazing.”
All seven transfers came from different programs with contrasting play styles. Now they’re all playing as one group.
The Terps have already notched two wins on the road. They’ve scored 80 or more points against two quality nonconference opponents in Duke and Syracuse, even staving off late comeback attempts against the pair of ACC foes.
Maryland also erased an eight-point deficit — its largest this year — in an 11-point win over the Orange on Wednesday.
The Terps’ connectedness developed in the months before the season was needed to ensure a positive start to the season. It will be necessary to compete in high-leverage games deeper into the campaign, too.
“We just lean on each other, and that’s what we need to do late in the game,” McDaniel said. “And this is preparing us for later in the season.”
