Women's basketball hosts first exhibition game
Coach Brenda Frese could have opted for a closed-door scrimmage against a Division I foe to prepare her young and inexperienced team for the upcoming season. That would have allowed the Terrapins to work on specialized situations and make mistakes in private.
But Frese chose to play two exhibition games at Comcast Center instead, against Division II Bowie State (Wednesday, 7 p.m.) and Division III Catholic (next Tuesday, 7 p.m.). Why?
"I wanted our players to have to play in front of fans and put on uniforms and be official," Frese said. "Some players are gamers, and some players, when the lights are turned on, go the opposite way. We absolutely, as a team, need to find out where every player ranges in that scope of it."
The Maryland women didn't have that concern last season, when they won 31 games and swept the ACC regular season and tournament titles. But this season, they have nine freshmen and sophomores on their 10-player roster, and lots of questions.
Who will join sophomore center Lynetta Kizer, the lone returning starter, in the starting lineup? Can redshirt senior Lori Bjork, a transfer from Illinois, provide some of the three-point shooting that Kristi Toliver (graduated) and Marah Strickland (transferred) used to deliver? How will freshman point guard Dara Taylor, a McDonald's all-American, and freshman forward Diandra Tchatchouang, a French national team player, make the adjustment to college basketball? Has the team defense improved?
"For us as coaches, it's fun trying to figure out who you're running sets for, who's your best [option] with the shot clock winding down, who's your best inbounder," Frese said. "We're constantly learning and we'll be learning throughout the season."
What are you looking forward to seeing when the Terrapins play Bowie State?
By
Camille Powell
|
November 4, 2009; 2:21 PM ET
| Category:
Women's basketball
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Posted by: imterpsfan2 | November 4, 2009 6:50 PM
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I am really excited about Dara Taylor. I think she has the potential of being as good as anyone that's put on a uniform for Maryland women's basketball.