Many coaches of championship teams will say one of the hardest things to do in sports is repeat.
Maryland coach Brenda Frese is a believer in that as well. However, she knows that not too many coaches are placed in a better position than she is to lead the Terps to a second straight national title. The Terps return more than 97 percent of their scoring from their 34-4 team that defeated Duke in overtime for the NCAA title.
In addition, Maryland will have the services of two transfers to complement a roster that loses only two players from last season. The transfers ? guards Christie Marrone and Sa?de Wiley-Gatewood from Virginia Tech and Tennessee, respectively ? join a team that alreadyincludes All-American forward Crystal Langhorne (17.2 ppg, 8.6 rpg), forward Marissa Coleman (13.8 ppg, 8.1 rpg) and guards Shay Doron (13.4 ppg, 4 apg) and Kristi Tolliver (11.6 ppg, 4.4 apg).
Marrone sat out last year and is eligible to play immediately, while Wiley-Gatewood must sit out until December. Also new to the team is incoming freshman Emery Wallace, a 6-foot-2 forward from Hidden Valley High School in Roanoke, Va. Demauria Liles (Riverdale Baptist) also signed with Maryland but did not qualify academically.
“It?s exciting to realize that we have our top seven scorers back,” Frese said. “But, we still know that we can get better and have to treat this season like any other season.”
Langhorne said she expects next season to be a challenge as Maryland is now the team everyone wants to beat.
“We?ll be older and more experienced next year, but we still have to be prepared,” Langhorne said.
Frese said she continues to be amazed that Maryland is now mentioned in the same conversation with schools that are considered among the top in the nation.
“You always dream about building the next dynasty,” said Frese, who has an 84-45 record through her first four years at Maryland. “I always felt there was the resources to reach such a level at Maryland.”
MARYLAND NOTES
» Maryland recently promoted Jeff Walz from assistant to associate head coach. He is credited with helping recruit, among others, Langhorne and Coleman, the last two ACC Rookies of the Year.
» Doron was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America women?s basketball team as the criminology and criminal justice major boasted a 3.7 GPA. Also, Doron and Langhorne were named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District 2 team. Langhorne has a 3.3 GPA.
