Dishin & Swishin 11/14/13 Podcast: Brenda Frese & the Maryland Terrapins are finally healthy and eyeing the Final Four
Good health is such a fleeting thing in sports. Take a look at the Connecticut Huskies. One minute they are taking care of third-ranked Stanford, the next they are getting ready to take on two top 15 teams in Maryland and Penn State down two key contributors, Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis and Morgan Tuck. If this sounds familiar, it should. Last year Maryland was preparing for a big matchup with Connecticut with eight players, having lost point guards Laurin Mincy and Brene Moseley to knee injuries that ended their seasons.
Maryland heads into this year’s meeting with the Huskies healthy. It is a luxury that coach Brenda Frese is not used to, but certainly happy about. Last year’s squad overcame those injuries and more to reach the Sweet Sixteen, with All-American Alyssa Thomas playing every position at various times, even handling point guard responsibilities at 6-2.
The experience strengthened Thomas’ overall game and developed skills she needs to become the next Maryland entry into the WNBA. The other benefit is that players like Chloe Pavlech, Alicia DeVaughn and Katie Rutan were forced into prominent roles that will help them even more this year, as they are joined by both the returning injured players and a strong freshmen class.
Coach Frese returns to Dishin & Swishin this week to talk about the 2013-14 Terrapins. A regular guest on the podcast, Frese is always informative and insightful, and willingly shares information on all facets of the team’s growth and development, schedule and performance.
Topics covered with Frese include:
- Maryland’s performance through two games and the prospects for the season
- The adjustment to the “points of emphasis” and the amount of foul calls
- Adapting and adjusting your game plans for an opponent as strong as Connecticut, that suddenly loses an All-American for this game
- The process of melding returning and new players into a cohesive unit
- This year in the ACC, Maryland’s final year, the strength of the conference and Maryland’s schedule
- Thomas, the All-American, and her future in the WNBA
You will not want to miss Friday night’s battle in College Park between Maryland and Connecticut. The game will air nationally on ESPNU at 6 p.m. ET.
Enjoy the podcast!
