Coach Brenda Frese called it “a phenomenal luxury” to have three freshmen point guards on Maryland women’s basketball’s media day.

The sentiment was unusual for Frese, who hasn’t started a freshman since Angel Reese in 2020. Frese, in her 24th year, hasn’t even played many true point guards recently, but was ready to hand the spot to a newcomer in 2025.

That left Lea Bartelme, Kyndal Walker and Addi Mack all in competition to play the point. Walker, a redshirt freshman, seemed most likely to slot in since she’s spent a year in Frese’s system, but Bartelme brought six years of international experience that gave her an edge.

Frese had seemingly locked Bartelme into the starting spot through four games, but the plan was derailed when the Slovenian tore her ACL Nov. 13. Frese said it was going to force her other underclassmen “to step up and grow a little faster.”

Mack got the start in the first game without Bartelme after earning consistent minutes off the bench.

Mack’s style is extremely fast-paced. She uses her speed to get through defenders and to the net. The Minnesota native has also proven herself as a facilitator, racking up 14 assists on the season. She earned national freshman of the week honors Nov. 18 when she averaged 15 points across two matchups.

[Led by Oluchi Okananwa, Maryland women’s basketball rallies to beat George Mason, 84-62]

“Being the point guard for one of the top-10 teams in the country, you really have to be able to manage a team,” Mack said. “I think I’ve really grown in that area.”

Mack’s biggest advantage at the point is her natural scoring talent. She’s averaging 12.2 points a game — second-most on the Terps’ roster — and can get a bucket from anywhere. Against Princeton, the 5-foot-9 guard hit a reverse layup under the net over three Tigers defenders.

While Mack’s scoring talent shines, Walker’s has faltered. She shot 2-for-14 in her first five games, and 11 of her 16 points came from the free throw line.

But Walker improved when she got consistent court time. With Mack unavailable against Bethune-Cookman, Walker shot 5-for-7 and scored a career-high 13 points. Her 31 minutes more than doubled her then-season average.

“I worked hard this summer to make sure my conditioning was high-level for whenever my team needed me,” Walker said Thursday.

[Maryland women’s basketball thrashes Bethune-Cookman, 95-49, despite limited guard play]

Walker was one of the most coveted point guard recruits in the 2024 class. The local four-star averaged 16 points and 2.7 assists her senior year, but a hand injury forced her to redshirt the 2024-25 season.

While averaging fewer points than Mack, Walker’s drawn a high number of fouls, leading the team in free throw attempts. She’s also registered 12 steals, second-most behind Saylor Poffenbarger.

“She commanded the offense like we needed her to be able to do,” Frese said Thursday. “That’s what we’re going to need out of her.”

The strong performance earned Walker a second start against George Mason, even with Mack available. Walker scored five points in 13 minutes, while Mack posted 12 points in 21 minutes.

As Frese continues to shift rotations, both freshmen should be ready on any day to command Maryland’s offense.

“I think what makes it really special is they’re all different in their own way,” Frese said. “That’s similar to kind of how this roster is built.”