How Do You Get To Carnegie Hall St. Pete Times Forum? Practice, Practice, Practice!

Sunday was a beautiful Indian Summer day in our nation's capital -- clear blue skies, 80 degrees -- so where did the BasketCases spend the afternoon? Inside Comcast Center, of course, watching the Terps . . . practice. All of Coach Frese's practices are open to the public, but every October, she invites the Rebounders (booster club) to attend a specific practice. Today was that day, and after Coach B had put the team through its paces for three hours, she introduced the team and her staff to their best fans. From the BasketCases' perspective, the Terps looked incredibly focused and sharp for this early in the season. It's no secret that they are not happy with how last season ended, and are determined to have a very different ending this year. And that takes practice.

All together now.

Part of the practice consisted of an intra-squad scrimmage. That's rookie Drey Mingo on the left guarding Jade.


Coach B (shown here with her brain trust . . . including the most senior member of her staff, Erica Floyd, with newbies Diane Richardson and Daron Park) unveiled a new piece of furniture at the end of the bench, designed to allow her to coach and be pregnant all at the same time. Whether the NCAA will allow this during games remains to be seen.

Anything you can do, I can do better, I can do anything better than you.

Coach B asking the officials how far she can wheel her new chair around the coaches' box under the new NCAA rules without being Tee'd up.


Billy (Fennelly), I am making you Head Coach of the Scout Team today. Now, make your Dad proud!

Most of the practice consisted of an officiated scrimmage against the Scout Team. The Scout guys were definitely bigger this year. (Preparing for Courtney & Ashley Paris? Could be.)



Freshman Marah Strickland, one of the three newcomers who is not injured . . . but hardly a newcomer to the Terps' family -- her sister Marche previously played for Maryland.


Freshman Kat Lyons, another newcomer who is healthy . . . and who has an unselfish attitude and a sweet outside shot.

Drey Mingo, the third of the healthy freshmen . . . and definitely a force to be reckoned with!


Is this really our last year? (Please, say it ain't so!)

Sometime during the summer, one of the Rebounders started counting down the days until the Terps' first game. The numbers were in triple digits, and it seemed as though that day would never come. But here we are now, in single digits finally -- and are we ever looking forward to Halloween night!

Photo Credits: DC BasketCases