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BIG TEN CONFERENCE WOMEN'S MEDIA DAYOctober 16, 2014Brenda FreseCHICAGO, ILLINOIS THE MODERATOR: Now joining us is Maryland head coach Brenda Frese. We'll start with an opening statement. COACH FRESE: Well, first of all, it's really, really nice to see everyone and definitely look forward to being able to get to know each and every one of you a lot better. We are obviously really, really excited about our first season here in the Big Ten and I'm really looking forward to the upcoming year. When you talk about the experience that we were able to be able to get going to a Final Four, having our second, third and fifth leading scorers last season be freshmen, Lexie Brown and Shatori Walker‑Kimbrough and Brionna Jones, to know we have them for three more seasons is really exciting. I think this year's team will be by far one of the most athletic teams we've had in my 12 years at Maryland, just our team speed, being able to get up and down the floor the way we like to play in terms of transition, and I think we're going to be able to do a lot of great things defensively in the full court as well as in the half court. But I know for me personally being able to come back in the Big Ten, having grown up in Iowa and know the Big Ten Conference extremely well, having coached at Minnesota for a season, I can't wait, I can't wait to be able to get back and play against the great competition. I have so much respect for the coaches in this league, what they've been able to accomplish, as well as going into these different venues again with the fan base and the crowds that our players are going to get to play in front of. So we're really looking forward to this upcoming season. Q. Coach, you lost an All‑American. You can't replace the numbers she gave you, but she gave you a lot of leadership too. Who do you expect to pick up the on‑court leadership that you got from Alyssa? COACH FRESE: She really did. I think where we've really been fortunate at Maryland is we've had a lot of players whose names and numbers have gone into the rafters. So I think when you're talking about starting your 13th year, the standard has kind of really been set. When you talk about from a leadership end what Laurin Mincy and Brene Moseley are giving us as a fifth‑year senior and redshirt senior for Brene, they're really giving us tremendous leadership. It's really been by committee. We're really challenging this entire team, our sophomore class, to really step up. Q. You were in the league with Minnesota 14 years ago; now you're coming back to the league. Do you see anything from the outside looking in as the league has changed in any way in styles of play or depth or anything like that? COACH FRESE: No question. The league has really changed. And first and foremost it starts with the coaches. A lot of new young coaches that have really improved in terms of from a recruiting end, with just great talent, great depth. The league has become more athletic. I think you have so many different styles of play in the Big Ten. So I think just when you talk about the competition we're going to face every night, I think the depth of the conference is really, really strong. Q. On a personal level, what's it like for you now to come back to the league? I know you're not going to come to Iowa this year to play, but just to be back and be close to home, at least once or twice a year? COACH FRESE: It's funny, the first thing I looked at was to see if we were going back to Iowa this year. But, no, I'm really, really excited. You know when you get to be my age and mother of twin boys, it's really exciting as you get older to be able to bring your family back to where you grew up and be able to have your relatives, aunts and uncles, family members to be a part of it. I think that's what makes it so special is now 14 years later I get to bring our team back, bring my family back in front of so many people and be able to share with family and friends. Q. I think most coaches would agree that being a preseason favorite is a much different position than being not in the pack. Have you had any discussions with your players about what unique challenges being the favorite might bring this season, or have you had to talk to them about it at all? COACH FRESE: We just found out today in terms of where the rankings were at. But I think for us we have talked about the target on our back, coming off a Final Four. And I do think our players understand the expectation and the standard when they come to Maryland and it's something that we really welcome. We want to play and get everyone's best shot. We want to play against the best possible competition that we can play against. We really try to embrace it. Q. What do you think the biggest difference is going to be for the team competing in a different conference, or will there be any kind of change in how you want to play? COACH FRESE: One of the biggest differences I think for our players will be going into so many venues with the attendance and fan base. I know it's prepared us when we've been in the Big Ten‑ACC Challenge, being able to go to Purdue, being able to go to Nebraska and seeing the fan base that takes place at so many of these phenomenal programs. So I think that will be a unique element. I mean, we've always had in the previously in the ACC the biggest fan base. And so now we'll be seeing that when we go on the road. So that will be a lot of fun to be able to play in front of so many fans. Q. Are you going to miss playing against some of your traditional rivals from the ACC, are you going to try to maybe schedule them in non‑conference games now going forward? COACH FRESE: You know, I'm not going to miss going on the road to Duke and Carolina, to be quite honest. I always enjoyed having them at home but not going on the road there. So from that end, those home games were always a lot of fun. But I think the biggest thing that happens in any conference as I've been a part of is you do create your own rivalries, and there's going to be nothing different when you talk about in our conference. I mean, when you look at the proximity of Rutgers and Penn State for us, those are going to be great environments. And then obviously we're going to build when we go on the road so many great rivalries in this conference. So it's just great competition. I think at the end of the day your players, your team, your coaches, you want to play against great competition, and we're going to be doing that. Q. Coming off the Final Four appearance how much confidence did that infuse into the team? You talked about your second and third and fourth leading scorers returning, but everyone else, how have they changed because of that experience? COACH FRESE: I think the most impressive thing, having come off a National Championship team in'06 and then the Final Four this past year, is the mentality of this team coming off of a Final Four. I think sometimes when you have great success as a young person, you can get satisfied and you can feel like you've arrived. This team has a different mentality. I mean, you would have thought that we didn't have a successful season. They want more. And I think that's really exciting as a coaching staff and program when you've developed the mentality that we want to accomplish even more this season. THE MODERATOR: Thank you. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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