I never thought it was a hindrance. I thought it was chicken***t.takes her team to Louisville and beats Boneyard darling Jeff Walz
I guess everyone was right about the preseason schedule being a hindrance
I actually think most here like Jeff, but we do rag him on his scattershot recruiting - my feeling is that in the last couple of years he has finally begun winning the battle for top 10 talent so he needs to start being a bit more selective in his recruiting. When you are trying to get there, you take any talent that you can get through the door and try to make it 'stick' and/or 'fit', but once you start getting the Durr quality, you want to be more selective. It is the transition period for him, but he still seems like a kid in a candy store with his offers.My complaint with Brenda was that she was running up scores against awful Division II opponents
for no reason.....are you saying that Maryland's good play is the result of that tactic? Also, Jeff Walz is no Boneyard darling from what I've read here over the past months......I think most believe he is a nice guy, pretty good coach and an extremely aggressive recruiter .....most comments here revolve around his many, many scholarship offers to many, many players..and those comments usually contain sarcasm of one form or another.......
Won at #7 Louisville
A good victory no doubt. I've never said they weren't a good team. My complaints were never about the regular season. My complaints then as now is about how to prepare a team FOR THE NCAA's. By playing cupcakes AND playing in an only fair division she is doing her team a disservice. It has proven to be true the last few years and Frese is on course this year to do the same. Nothing has changed. And also let's be clear. Louisville is an undersized and flailing team right now. Maryland was supposed to beat this team.
but UConn also smacks Top 5 ranked team... they dont fold during March MadnessI think Frese has proven she's one of the better coaches in the country. Her teams have overachieved the last three years and she quietly has done a very good job of developing talent. Toliver, Coleman, Thomas, SWK, and Jones are all examples of players who became much better over their careers at Maryland. A lot of times her teams have a "hit or miss" quality, and in big games you don't necessarily know which team will show up, but Maryland is one of the only teams with the talent and ability to upset Uconn.
I'm also not sure why Brenda received a lot of criticism for scheduling a weak Division II team. At least her OOC schedule is solid and she plays in a good conference. I'd be harsher on a good team that only schedules cupcakes for OOC--who cares about exhibition games? Is winning by 50, 60, or 70 really that much more more noble than winning by 100+? One could make the same argument that Connecticut runs up the score against lesser teams and could be "unsportsmanlike" in any of their games they win by 40+ points.
I think Frese has proven she's one of the better coaches in the country. Her teams have overachieved the last three years and she quietly has done a very good job of developing talent. Toliver, Coleman, Thomas, SWK, and Jones are all examples of players who became much better over their careers at Maryland. A lot of times her teams have a "hit or miss" quality, and in big games you don't necessarily know which team will show up, but Maryland is one of the only teams with the talent and ability to upset Uconn.
I'm also not sure why Brenda received a lot of criticism for scheduling a weak Division II team. At least her OOC schedule is solid and she plays in a good conference. I'd be harsher on a good team that only schedules cupcakes for OOC--who cares about exhibition games? Is winning by 50, 60, or 70 really that much more more noble than winning by 100+? One could make the same argument that Connecticut runs up the score against lesser teams and could be "unsportsmanlike" in any of their games they win by 40+ points.
As usual many people are missing the point here. We are not UConn and play in the AAC. We play in the Big 10 with many solid (but not great) teams. Maryland don't need to schedule 10 top 20 teams in OOC. They have four decent/above average teams on their schedule, a fifth game against a team who won a tournament game last year (on the road against Duquesne) plus 8 soft teams. Maryland don't "need" to play 6/8 top 25 teams. They get enough competition in the Big 10. The reason why Maryland won two games by 126/129 point was partially because of the poor competition but in reality Maryland actually has a really good team. Kentucky men basketball team won their exhibition game by over 100 points. Maryland's bottom 5 playersith us Boneyarders (the last players on the bench) are Sarah Myers, Jenna Staiti, Kiah Gillespie, Brianna Fraser and Blair Watson. You have three McDonald's All Americans and a state of Georgia POY. Odds are they will destroy all Div.2 or Div 3 teams.
As usual many people are missing the point here. We are not UConn and play in the AAC. We play in the Big 10 with many solid (but not great) teams. Maryland don't need to schedule 10 top 20 teams in OOC. They have four decent/above average teams on their schedule, a fifth game against a team who won a tournament game last year (on the road against Duquesne) plus 8 soft teams. Maryland don't "need" to play 6/8 top 25 teams. They get enough competition in the Big 10. The reason why Maryland won two games by 126/129 point was partially because of the poor competition but in reality Maryland actually has a really good team. Kentucky men basketball team won their exhibition game by over 100 points. Maryland's bottom 5 players (the last players on the bench) are Sarah Myers, Jenna Staiti, Kiah Gillespie, Brianna Fraser and Blair Watson. You have three McDonald's All Americans and a state of Georgia POY. Odds are they will destroy all Div.2 or Div 3 teams.
And perhaps you are missing our point. A roster with that many AA and state player of the year & a team contending for a national championship should not have a schedule that include these teams:As usual many people are missing the point here.
Her forcing her team to beat those Div II teams like a drum during pre-season was a disgrace. As a player on her team I would have just run the clock out each time I got the ball. Of course I have always been someone who respects others... most of the time. I lost 90 percent of the respect I had for her because of that action. Big surprise that a top 5 team can "destroy" a Div II or Div III team. To have that little respect for the opponents tells me all I need to know about her. I'll get off my soap box so others may continue.As usual many people are missing the point here. We are not UConn and play in the AAC. We play in the Big 10 with many solid (but not great) teams. Maryland don't need to schedule 10 top 20 teams in OOC. They have four decent/above average teams on their schedule, a fifth game against a team who won a tournament game last year (on the road against Duquesne) plus 8 soft teams. Maryland don't "need" to play 6/8 top 25 teams. They get enough competition in the Big 10. The reason why Maryland won two games by 126/129 point was partially because of the poor competition but in reality Maryland actually has a really good team. Kentucky men basketball team won their exhibition game by over 100 points. Maryland's bottom 5 players (the last players on the bench) are Sarah Myers, Jenna Staiti, Kiah Gillespie, Brianna Fraser and Blair Watson. You have three McDonald's All Americans and a state of Georgia POY. Odds are they will destroy all Div.2 or Div 3 teams.
You are right, I stand corrected. Walz so often plays 4 guards I'd forgotten their roster has two ladies at 6'4" and two at 6'3". His team certainly doesn't play big.Undersized? Louisville has 6 players 6'2 and above.
And again as last year and the year before, having so many good players while playing "strawman" teams didn't prepare them for the championships. What it prepared them for was an early exit. There is a saying that says doing the same thing over and over while expecting a different response is a sign of insanity.And perhaps you are missing our point. A roster with that many AA and state player of the year & a team contending for a national championship should not have a schedule that include these teams:
UMASS Lowell
Maryland Eastern Shore
Mount St. Mary's
Niagara
UMBC
Towson
Saint Peter's
Loyola (Md.)
Cupcakes is too kind a word for this schedule!
And perhaps you are missing our point. A roster with that many AA and state player of the year & a team contending for a national championship should not have a schedule that include these teams:
UMASS Lowell
Maryland Eastern Shore
Mount St. Mary's
Niagara
UMBC
Towson
Saint Peter's
Loyola (Md.)
Cupcakes is too kind a word for this schedule!
Again you are missing the point. Your conference is average at best. Frese consistently schedules a rash of cupcakes. All of this over the last few years has proved to be fatal during the most important part of the season: the NCAA's. The Terps have folded in the championships these last few not for lack of talent, but lack of preparation. And now Frese has a young team which by the way was her best recruiting year ever. This from the women who complained, in a thinly disguised statement about UConn, (and I paraphrase) that when you get the best recruits winning easy. Last year Frese came to town and played one game on one night against UConn and played well. Then folded again once the music started. You'd think she'd have changed her prep a bit, but clearly not at all. Well, it's put up or shut time. Mulkey saw the light and scheduled a tough OOC while playing in a far tougher conference. Louisville is taking it on the chin now but this will pay dividends down the road, again in a tougher conference. Texas as well. Instead it seems Frese has chosen the easy path to the Dance where she'll again be a wallflower.As usual many people are missing the point here. We are not UConn and play in the AAC. We play in the Big 10 with many solid (but not great) teams. Maryland don't need to schedule 10 top 20 teams in OOC. They have four decent/above average teams on their schedule, a fifth game against a team who won a tournament game last year (on the road against Duquesne) plus 8 soft teams. Maryland don't "need" to play 6/8 top 25 teams. They get enough competition in the Big 10. The reason why Maryland won two games by 126/129 point was partially because of the poor competition but in reality Maryland actually has a really good team. Kentucky men basketball team won their exhibition game by over 100 points. Maryland's bottom 5 players (the last players on the bench) are Sarah Myers, Jenna Staiti, Kiah Gillespie, Brianna Fraser and Blair Watson. You have three McDonald's All Americans and a state of Georgia POY. Odds are they will destroy all Div.2 or Div 3 teams.
Mulkey saw the light and scheduled a tough OOC while playing in a far tougher conference. Louisville is taking it on the chin now but this will pay dividends down the road, again in a tougher conference. Texas as well. Instead it seems Frese has chosen the easy path to the Dance where she'll again be a wallflower.
Did they cut the women's team travel budget?And perhaps you are missing our point. A roster with that many AA and state player of the year & a team contending for a national championship should not have a schedule that include these teams:
UMASS Lowell - Boston area
Maryland Eastern Shore - Maryland (duh)
Mount St. Mary's - Maryland
Niagara - Upperstate New York
UMBC - (University of Maryland - Baltimore County)
Towson - Baltimore, Maryland
Saint Peter's, Jersey City, New Jersey
Loyola (Md.) - Baltimore, Maryland
Cupcakes is too kind a word for this schedule!