2024-25 Team Preview: Maryland
The Terps signed one million good transfers, can they spark a return to form?
My goodness me, this WNBA Finals?!?!?!?!?
Game 3 between the New York Liberty and Minnesota Lynx was much like the other two, as it involved a large-scale comeback effort and was a complete and total banger.
This time around it was the Liberty, off the back of an all-time clutch shot by Sabrina Ionescu, who finished off a double-digit comeback with a huge road win to take the 2-1 series lead. This series has been so fantastic: Exciting finishes, big comebacks, star talent taking over, key role players making huge contributions, it’s fantastic hoops.
Game 4 in Minnesota is tomorrow (Oct. 18) at 8 p.m. Game 5, if necessary, is 8 p.m. Sunday. WATCH THEM.
Last Preview:
Overview
257-46. That was Maryland’s overall record entering last season since joining the Big Ten in 2014-15. That is an average record of 29-5 per season.
The Terrapins have been the top dog of the Big Ten over these nine years, and it’s been up to the rest of the conference to keep up or to pass them up. Teams started to do it in the post-COVID seasons. Maryland had just one season with more than five losses in its first seven years in the Big Ten (2017-18), then had years with nine and seven defeats in 2021-22 and 2022-23, respectively.
Yes, we are looking at more than FIVE LOSSES IN A SEASON as a metric to decide which Maryland seasons have been down ones. That is the level of success Brenda Frese has created here, and it’s what made 2023-24 feel like a real stunner.
The Terps had double-digit defeats for the first time since they were an ACC team in 2009-10. It’s the most losses a Frese team has had since her first year with the program in 2002-03. And yet, the “worst” Maryland team in more than 20 years was one that beat Ohio State by 21 in the Big Ten Tournament, made the NCAA Tournament and very nearly advanced to the Round of 32 before Audi Crooks completely took over for Iowa State.
“Worst” is in quotes for a reason. The record would make the argument for it, but this Maryland roster was plenty talented before facing a multitude of season-ending injuries that significantly limited the rotation in the back-end of the year. The Terps also had a specifically challenging non-conference schedule which, on top of the brutal Big Ten slate, made for one of the hardest schedules in the country.
There are plenty of rationales you can make for how Maryland got to 14 losses, but this team also did have its flaws. The defense was the clear one, and the Terps were much worse at defending with their quick pace than they had been in prior seasons. Maryland was middle of the pack as a rebounding team, which actually felt like a victory for a unit that did not have a true big playing significant minutes. There’s also the three-point shooting, which was very good, but not utilized often: Maryland ranked 324th in three-point rate (21.7%), or the rate of scoring attempts (shots or free-throws) that were from behind the arc.
It was such a fascinating team to try and figure out last year. The talent within the roster was clear, and it shined through at various points in the season. But it was also a team full of rangy guards and wings without a true interior presence, but also without multiple high-volume deep shooters. I would have loved to see what this Terps team does at closer to full strength, and I don’t think that team loses 14 games, but I’m also not surprised there were more pitfalls than usual on Maryland’s road back to the Big Dance.
Here's last year’s Maryland roster, sorted by Her Hoop Stats win shares:
Departures
Maryland is a team a little more used to large roster shifts — there have been 14 total departures over the last two seasons — but losing nine members of last year’s team is still significant.
Jakia Brown-Turner was a great one-year portal add that helped the Terps continue their impressive NCAA Tournament streak. She was their best rebounder and a reliable scoring option around the tenured stars.
Both Brinae Alexander and Lavender Briggs were two-year transfer additions that brought much-needed three-point shooting to the lineup which will be missed. Briggs was one of those crucial injuries, as she did not play any games in March for the team.
All three of those exits hurt, but were due to eligibility. Maryland’s four transfers out, outside of Faith Masonius, may not have been large contributors last season, but could be troubling losses down the line. Riley Nelson is a five-star prospect who showed flashes of potential last season, but suffered a season-ending injury in January before we could see more of that development. She should be an excellent player when healthy, and I’m curious to see how much that shows up immediately for Duke.
Summer Bostock and Hawa Doumbouya saw less opportunity as first-year players, but are also interesting prospects to note. Bostock had some big numbers in Canada before heading to the Terps, and Doumbouya’s size at 6-7 means she could be utilized as an interior weapon if the development hits.
Finally, Masonius entered the portal after five seasons in Maryland. It felt like a send off for a player that has been so, so rock solid in her role for this team. She averaged between 6.4-6.9 PPG on 47.8% shooting or better for four straight years, and was a reliable plug-and-play option that Frese appeared to have a lot of trust in.
Returning Players
In 2023-24, Maryland often felt like it would go as far as Shyanne Sellers and Bri McDaniel could take them.
Sellers has been one of those players for the Terps for two seasons now. She had a slight dip in efficiency last season, but was an improved rebounder and facilitator as she became the point guard for this team and did it quite well. A season like last year that asked so much of what Sellers can do should only make her 24-25 campaign that much more special.
McDaniel was as X-Factor and Spark Pluggy as a player could be last year, and I mean that positively. Her energy is 99th-plus-percentile and it leads to some real magic when the shots are falling, which they often were for McDaniel in her sophomore season. Sometimes that fire could go awry, as both McDaniel and Sellers struggled with fouls last season, but the amount of juice the second-year guard could bring to a lineup is massive and I hope that continues to be the case.
Allie Kubek is the other returnee with sizable minutes, and her move over to the Terps from Towson was a successful one. Her scoring went down in more of a complementary role, but she also ignited her efficiency, shooting over 52 percent, both overall and from deep. This, of course, includes the Iowa State game where Kubek was 10-of-12 and 7-of-8 from three in a 29-point masterclass. If Kubek can up the three volume and shoot in the same stratosphere as she did last season, she will continue to be a huge piece of the rotation.
Emily Fisher and Emma Chardon are the other returnees, and while Chardon has maintained a spot toward the back-end of the lineup, Fisher could see a rise in minutes next year. She played 33 games as a true freshman and was starting to seem some larger spans of play off the bench during Big Ten games later in the season.
I have waited this long to talk about Maryland, meaning I must be pretty dang high on this team. But this is a group that lost nine players from last year’s roster — a roster that already had the program’s worst record in 21 years. So, how are we here?
Incoming Players
Dear reader, I have no words for the witchcraft done by the Terps this offseason. Maryland already had a great trio of freshmen entering the fray, and then it went beyond nuts in the portal.
Nine players out, TEN players in. Let’s talk about them.
Maryland’s Magnificent Seven
Christina Dalce — Simply one of the best offensive rebounders in the country. She’s a solid interior scorer, but is a menace on the glass and has been Top 15 in the nation in total blocks two straight seasons.
Amari DeBerry — A three-year player at UConn that never broke through as a key member of the rotation, but is a former five-star, Top 15 prospect with plenty of size and potential to try and crack.
Mir McLean — Also played at UConn, but was a significant piece of Virginia’s starting lineup when healthy. Has had injury struggles and did not play at all in 2023-24, but has been a dominant rebounder (10th in NCAA with 16.7 rebounds per 40 minutes) and tremendous interior scorer.
Isimenme Ozzy-Momodu — Some gaudy numbers at the NJCAA level make Ozzy-Momodu someone to keep an eye on this season. It may be a transition season, but it could pay off big.
Saylor Poffenbarger — Poffenbarger is, you guessed it, among the very best rebounders in the country at her position. She is also someone who can stretch opponents out with her three-point shooting which should bring some needed perimeter presence to the team. Worth noting Poffenbarger is the third get here that has some UConn experience (played freshman season there).
Kaylene Smikle — A biased perspective from someone who primarily watches this conference, sure, but Smikle could end up being the largest get here. She has superstar potential written all over her, and she proved capable of huge things during her time with Rutgers. I am so excited to see how she performs around this much talent.
Sarah Te-Biasu — Speaking of players I am excited for! Te-Biasu was a monster at VCU, an extremely efficient scorer mixed with some aggressive defense that made her a Top 40 player in the country in win shares. She is also doing it all at 5-5. One of my most anticipated additions to the Big Ten.
Takeaways from this group? Well for one, I’m going to guess rebounding and interior defense were some major keys for the offseason, because the Terps went and got just about every excellent rebounder they could. They also got extremely established talent, with some great high-ceiling forwards in DeBerry and Ozzy-Momodu who may surprise.
It’s such a supremely excellent haul, and it is especially great to add to Sellers and McDaniel’s skillsets.
Three first-year players also enter the fray, and if any can establish themselves early, there’s plenty of opportunity to earn a role as everyone gets acclimated. Kyndal Walker is an in-state get and Maryland’s highest-rated freshman, and I’ll be curious to see if she can make an impact this season. It’s clearly a deep roster, but there are chances at the guard position if Walker’s deep ball or passing stands out.
Ava McKennie and Breanna Williams enter the program with the Maryland Build, aka they are 6-2 and appear to have plenty of versatility. Williams was a monster in Montana, but also had a knack for finding her teammates despite being so impressive, something that could translate very well early. McKennie was a solid scorer and rebounder, but was extremely active as a defender, an area the Terps are looking to improve in plenty.
It’s hard to see a path to any of these players getting huge minutes in the rotation, but it’s also difficult to figure out exactly what Maryland looks like overall. That could mean it takes just one fantastic preseason camp to get into the rotation.
Outlook
Projected Starters
Shyanne Sellers - G
Sarah Te-Biasu - G
Bri McDaniel - G
Kaylene Smikle - G
Christina Dalce - F
Projected Big Ten Finish: 3rd
Maryland has been the gold standard of Big Ten women’s basketball for nearly all of its decade in the conference, and it feels like one good-not-great season made everyone forget that.
The Terps struggled at times last year, but that group battled through it and still made the NCAA Tournament. I think it’s a year of experience that will make players like Sellers, McDaniel and Kubek that much stronger going into this season with all the talent coming in to surround them.
I never want you to hold me to these projected starting lineups, but I especially don’t want to be held to it here. I have NO idea which five players Frese is going to start on Game 1, and I think in this instance that works to Maryland’s benefit. This team has *so* many good players and so many ways it can choose to play the rotation. This roster has excellent scorers, elite rebounders, much-improved defenders and a solid assortment of shooting scattered throughout. It also has a few less-proven players that could surprise and be true difference makers.
Some teams make me feel confident in how much I know about them and what they are going to do. I’m confident in Maryland because of how little I can prepare for what they are bringing this year. Brenda Frese is the master at making the talented pieces work, and one injury-riddled campaign won’t make me change my tune on that.
Despite all the rebounders, there is a lack of top-end size outside of the 6-6 DeBerry. This could be a matchup concern, but I also think the eight players listed at 6-2 and 6-3 give the Terps enough length, while also making it extremely versatile. I am also curious if there’s more three-point emphasis or if Frese continues to focus on an interior scoring game.
There’s an inherent risk in choosing a team with 10 new faces to be this good, and yet I am confident that Maryland is going to be a real problem in this new Big Ten anyway. There’s simply too much talent and too solid a foundation to make me think this team won’t at least make it to the Sweet 16 with a ceiling that’s, in my opinion, another weekend ahead of that.
Photo Credit: Maryland Athletics
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