Fun Again

Basketball hasn't been much fun in a while. (That’s hardly news to our readers.) But now, thanks to some exciting news out of College Park, we have a very good reason to smile again . . . finally.

As a couple of our readers reported in the comments to our previous post, 6’3” Malina Howard, the #1-ranked post player of the high school class of 2012, has verballed to Maryland. Malina, who’s ranked the #7 player overall in that class, tweeted yesterday, “It’s official I am a terp.” And the BCs – not to mention every other Terps fan who’s paying attention – couldn’t be happier.

If, in the last month or so, one of Malina’s teachers back in Twinsburg, Ohio had asked her to write one of those “What I did on my summer vacation” essays, the BCs have a pretty good guess how Malina’s would begin: I donned the red, white and blue uniform of USA Basketball, traveled to Puerto Montt, Chile, and helped win a gold medal for the United States of America in the FIBA U19 World Championship. Not a bad summer, all things considered.

Welcome, Malina! If only we didn’t have to wait another whole year to see you don the red, gold and black of Maryland! However, with Lynetta Kizer scheduled to graduate this coming spring, Malina’s arrival couldn’t come at a better time.

Though Malina’s considered an exceptional talent, she isn’t the only reason the BCs are smiling. The recruiting class of 2012 (that Coach B and her staff have worked relentlessly to assemble) is shaping up to be something very, very special. Maryland has already received verbal commitments from the #22 overall player in that class, 6’2” Forward Tierney Pfirman (from Pennsylvania), and from the highly-ranked (4-star) PG, Chloe Pavlech (another Ohio native). And don’t forget that Katie Rutan, a sharp-shooting 5’8” guard who transferred from Xavier to Maryland this year, will be eligible to play starting in the fall of 2012.

The talented 2012 newcomers will be playing alongside some very terrific veterans – Tianna Hawkins, Alyssa Thomas, Alicia DeVaughn, and Laurin Mincy, to name a few. All of those vets will still be on board during the 2012-13 season. A promising mix of youth and experience! And, looking ahead to the fall of 2013, Coach B has already received verbals from Alexis (“Lexie”) Brown, the #2-ranked PG in the class of 2013, and A’lexus Harrison from Digital Harbor, MD, the #14-ranked forward in that class.

The BCs were already excited about this year’s Maryland team (including the debut of Brene Moseley and Whitney Bays’s return to the court). Maryland Madness on October 14th! The team’s annual open practice for the Rebounders on the 16th. And then, the coming of the Messiah on November 1st! We can’t wait. But now, as great as we expect 2011-12 to be, we know it’s just going to keep getting better.

Great university. Great city. Great facilities. Great fans. The Best coaching staff. Is it any wonder all these phenomenal young ladies are attracted to this Great program? No. But the BCs are sure happy that they are.