Guard Marah Strickland and forward Drey Mingo are the future of the Maryland women?s basketball team, but also might be its present.
Strickland, a Towson Catholic graduate, and Mingo, a native of Atlanta, have impressed Coach Brenda Frese throughout the preseason and are expected to see significant playing time during their freshman seasons. Strickland and Mingo appear to be the best of the team?s five-freshmen class, which includes Anjale Barrett, Kat Lyons and Kim Rodgers. Maryland returns redshirt freshman forward Emery Wallace, who missed last season with a knee injury.
Frese also hinted that Strickland could even break into the starting lineup to replace the graduated Shay Doron, who played for the WNBA?s New York Liberty this past summer.
Maryland, which went 28-6 last year, opens the season against Princeton at the Comcast Center on Nov. 9 in the first round of the Preseason National Invitational Tournament.
“Marah Strickland and Drey Mingo have shown in the preseason and early practices that they want to come in and contribute right away,” Frese said. “Shay brought such leadership and her presence will be felt here for a long time to come. I feel like the example she set while here was passed down to the players still here.”
The 6-foot Strickland, a McDonald?s All-American selection last year, averaged 22.1 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.4 steals per game as a senior. The 6-foot-2 Mingo averaged 20 points, 11 rebounds and 3 blocks a game last year for the Marist School in suburban Atlanta.
“Everything is going really well for me so far in practice,” Strickland said. “We?ve had to do a lot of work, but it?s also been a lot of fun.”
Strickland said she has learned what it takes to make a smooth transition to the collegiate game from the team?s veteran players ? forwards Crystal Langhorne and Laura Harper and guards Kristi Toliver and Marissa Coleman ? who keyed the team?s run to the NCAA title in 2006.
“All of the veteran players on the team have been very encouraging to the younger players,” said Strickland, whose sister Marche played at Maryland from 1999-02. “We have such great leaders on this team and I?m learning so much from them already.”
