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2006 NCAA Champions 2006-07 Maryland Basketball 27 Sports SEASON OUTLOOK To on-lookers and the experts, it seemed that Maryland winning the na- tional championship in 2006 was ahead of schedule. To the Terrapins, the GUARDS Maryland lost just one wing player in Charmaine Carr from the rota- timing was just right. At the same time, this team is also not satisfied. tion, but the Terps return four guards with championship experience, Maryland won the national championship with no seniors in the start- not to mention two more transfers who have come to College Park from ing lineup and was immediately identified the early favorite to repeat. power conferences. Receiving No. 1 ranking in several preseason magazines and polls, the In her first game as a Terrapin, Shay Doron tied the NCAA record for top eight scorers and rebounders return in 2006-07, including all five most free throws in a game. Three years later, playing in her 100th-career starters. The Terps’ inside-outside game the Terrapins from last year, plus game, she is standing with her teammates as a national champion. Doron their running style of play, had them boasting the second-highest offense has been a staple in the starting lineup, becoming only the second player and the top-rebounding margin in the country. The “defending national in school history to be named All-ACC three times. champions” look similar to last year’s squad, with the addition of only one “Shay is a special player. She was the first to believe in our vision freshman and two transfers. But the Terps are not “defending” anything. of what could be accomplished at Maryland,” said Frese of Doron. “As High expectations will be placed on the Terrapins and opponents will be her role on the team has evolved, she has truly developed into a strong looking to knock off the reigning champions, a very different role than Crystal Langhorne leader and is the glue of the team.” the one they had last year when they were “hunters.” The question will Marissa Coleman and Kristi Toliver did not act or play like freshmen be, how will the Terrapins handle it? last season, shining in some of the biggest moments of the year. “We won the championship last year. Every team starts the season Coleman, the second-straight ACC Rookie of the Year from Maryland, with a clean slate, so I don’t see it as defending anything,” said fifth-year was the only freshman in the league to be named All-ACC, earning a head coach Brenda Frese. “There will be new challenges – are we hungry spot on the second team. Her versatility on the court is apparent, ranking enough; did we spend enough time in offseason training; are we ready for in the top 10 in the league in seven different statistical categories, also the expectations? It’s exciting and we welcome the challenges.” becoming one of the nation’s top three-point threats. She played nearly After several years of fielding young and inexperienced teams, Frese every position on the court for the Terps and, in the Final Four, she posted now has an experienced core, most of which have national championship back-to-back double-double games. rings and have played in multiple NCAA Tournaments. Despite only two Toliver stepped into the limelight in the postseason after going through seniors on the squad, seven of the eight returnees started nearly half a challenging season which included injuries. Her inspiring performance in of the 38 games played last year. Frese and her staff are now in the the Elite Eight, scoring a career-high 28 points while suffering a stomach enviable position of returning 98 percent of the offense and 95 percent flu the night before, and her clutch 3-pointer over Duke’s Alison Bales, who of the rebounding. stands a foot taller than Toliver and was one of the biggest shots in NCAA “The type of schedule we played last year, going 34-4, playing in the Tournament history, showed what the then-freshman was capable of. No. 1 conference in the country and going 6-0 in overtime … all those Shay Doron “The biggest thing Marissa and Kristi brought with them was high level things make you better. The experience of going through six NCAA of confidence,” said Frese. “Both played with tremendous self-assurance, Tournament games and playing in the title game is going to help them night in and night out, and displayed how much they wanted to take the continue to gel and make us a better basketball team.” big shots, they wanted the pressure. It really feeds in the consciousness Familiar names are back on the Maryland roster, including the of the rest of the team.” program’s first All-American since 1989, Crystal Langhorne. One of Ashleigh Newman also record one of the biggest moments of the only two seniors, three-time All-ACC performer Shay Doron has been the season. Newman is the team’s top defender, assigned to the opponent’s cornerstone of the Terrapin lineup since she arrived on campus. Laura top player on a nightly basis. She is also a three-point threat, hitting the Harper bounced back from an Achilles’ tendon injury suffered her fresh- nearly half-court shot at Carmichael Auditorium, sending the game into man year to be the Final Four Most Outstanding Player last year. overtime, eventually handing North Carolina its first loss of the season. Freshmen sensations Marissa Coleman and Kristi Toliver are now New to fans are Christie Marrone and Sa’de Wiley-Gatewood, who will sophomores and have become household names in just one season. get a chance to play in a Maryland uniform after sitting out the season Coleman was the ACC’s Rookie of the Year, while Toliver will be re- because of NCAA transfer eligibility rules. Both helped to prepare the membered for making “The Shot,” the dramatic three-pointer that sent Terps for their title run in practices. the NCAA Championship game into overtime. Marrone already has one year of ACC playing experience, coming to Ashleigh Newman and Jade Perry, members of the stellar recruiting Laura Harper Maryland after one season at Virginia Tech. She adds another three-point class which included Langhorne and Harper, have been significant con- threat to the Terps’ strong outside-shooting presence. She had three more tributors the last two seasons, each providing “highlight reel” moments of seasons of eligibility remaining. their own, while senior Aurelie Noirez is one of the team’s tri-captains. Wiley-Gatewood becomes eligible at the end of the fall semester after The Terrapins are not only loaded with experience but also rich with transferring mid-season last year and will have one-and-a-half seasons talent and depth. Four were selected to the preseason Wade Trophy of eligibility remaining. Gatewood was a highly sought-after recruit who Watch list, the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association’s (WBCA) was named 2004 Parade High School Player of the Year in her final prep national player of the year award, the first time in the history of the honor season. Coming to Maryland from the University of Tennessee, she brings four players from the same team were named to the list. with her great court vision and the experience of playing in the powerful In addition, Frese boasts another top-10 recruiting class this season. Southeastern Conference. The additions of transfers Sa’de Wiley-Gatewood and Christie Marrone, “Marrone’s outside shooting is a key addition,” said Frese. “The way along with true freshman Emery Wallace bolstered the recruiting class she shoots the three will draw defenders out, really opening up the floor. to earn a top-10 rating for the third-consecutive year. Sa’de’s playing experience and toughness of playing in the SEC is invalu- The Terrapins also had solid performances in the classroom. Led able. Her style of play and unselfishness, plus her overall attitude is a by Doron, a CoSIDA Academic All-American and an Academic All-ACC perfect fit. She is going to be an exciting player to watch.” honoree, six players earned 3.0 or better grade point averages during the spring semester. Langhorne was also tabbed an Academic All-ACC pick, Marissa Coleman while earning a spot on the CoSIDA Academic All-District 2 team. 28 • 2006-07 Season Preview 2006-07 Maryland Basketball 1 Team ing 15 NCAA Tournament teams. Playing in the tough ACC conference POSTS which features three of the four Final Four teams, makes the road a There is also an incredible amount of depth, talent and experience in 2006-07 challenging one. The reigning national champions can also expect-near the post. Led by Crystal Langhorne, the Terrapins will, once again, be capacity crowds on many stops along the way. one of the top frontcourts in the nation. PRESEASON “This is one of the more challenging schedules we’ve had,” said Frese. Langhorne put together another outstanding campaign, earning All- POLLS “What you see is what you get with the ACC. The No. 1 conference in American honors, the first for Maryland since 1989. She already brought LINDY’S the nation, any team can win on any night. This conference continues to with her an impressive scouting report, but winning the championship just 1. MARYLAND improve from top to bottom.” motivated her to continue to improve. Already among the top players in 2. North Carolina The Terrapins take a trip to Ashleigh Newman’s hometown to face her school history, Langhorne has spent time on her range and free throw 3.

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