'Tis The Season of Fastbreaks & 3-Pointers

Hey, how is everyone doing? The time has come for my initial blog entry for the 2007-2008 season. I will be here through March and hopefully April as the Terps try to make a return trip to the Final Four. The 2006 National Championship is now eighteen months behind in the rearview mirror, and after the disappointing end to last year, the Terps are re-focused and poised to be a powerhouse.

Before I talk about the team, I want to make sure everyone knows that I at least have some credibility. This is my second year covering the team for WMUC, as this year I will be the crew chief and main play-by-play voice of the women's basketball crew. I will be attending practices, games and whatever other event that pertains to Maryland women's basketball in order to give you, the reader, the inside scoop.

Let us move on to the team. Last year ended with a bitter 89-78 loss to the hands of seventh-seeded Mississippi in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Terps went into the tournament last year as a favorite to make a return trip to the Final Four, but they hit a bump in the road against Ole Miss, falling behind big early and were not able to complete a valiant comeback. With that being said, the Terps come into the new season locked and loaded to erase the bad memory of last March. Shay Doron, the Terrapin leader for the past four seasons, and now a member of the WNBA's New York Liberty, will of course not be around, but the Terps have plenty of firepower returning. Those returning players and a highly-touted freshman class have Maryland ranked as preseason #1 in the ACC and #4 in the country.

Crystal Langhorne, a member of multiple preseason player of the year watch lists returns to anchor the inside game for the Terps. Crystal is on pace to become the all-time leading scorer in school history. Last year she averaged almost 15 points per game, and averages 16.5 for her career as a Terrapin. Much like Doron was, Langhorne has been a staple of the Terrapins under Brenda Frese.

Laura Harper, the 2006 Final Four MVP, is back for her senior year, and is ready to continue her upward trend of fantastic play. Her points per game average may have been lower last year than her two previous years (her freshman year was cut short by a torn Achilles' tendon), but she has seen rapid improvement in her defense and all-around court game. The fact is she does not need to be a big-time scorer with Langhorne next to her in the frontcourt. These two players feed off of each other and when one is down, the other will step up. There is no real way to neutralize both of these players in a single game, and that is a fact.

Marissa Coleman, now coming into her junior season, is also a Wade Trophy candidate (like Langhorne). Coleman has a tremendous ability to ball-handle, run the offense and be an explosive scorer. Her defense has become a big part of her game as well since first stepping onto the Comcast Center floor. As a freshman she may have been looked upon to just score, but now as a junior, she may be the Terps' best defensive stopper.

Junior Kristi Toliver may be the key to the Terps' chances on making a run to Tampa for the Final Four. Over the summer she attended "Point Guard College" to brush up on her skills of running the offense. The early returns are good. She is known for "The Shot" against Duke in the 2006 National Championship game, but she is ready to make some more memories this season. Toliver, a proven scorer and also a Wade Trophy Candidate, may be expected to defer on her shot at times in order to keep the offense of the others around her rolling.

After what I like to call the "Fantastic Four," the Terps have a solid core of players that are very capable of putting up the big numbers. Senior Sa'de Wiley-Gatewood will be looked upon to pick up some of the slack left behind by Shay Doron. Unfortunately she is still recovering from off-season surgery, which may slow her down. Ashleigh Newman is a tough defender and can consistently hit the open jumper. Jade Perry is automatic with her elbow jump-shot, and can bang with the best down low. Christie Marrone can light it up form behind the arc if given the opportunity (and she may get her chance with Wiley-Gatewood missing time). Emery Wallace, who redshirted last season, will be looking to make an impact in her first season on the floor as a backup along the frontcourt.

Then we come to the freshman class: Marah Strickland, Drey Mingo, Kat Lyons, Anjale Barrett and Kim Rodgers. They are a talented group that I will delve more into in my next entry. Along with freshman talk, I will also look back at the Terps' one-and-only exhibition game of the season (against the best team they will play all year long) as well as look forward to their opener in the WNIT Tournament against Princeton.