Rec’ing on…Frese Puts Doubters on Ice

NCAA national championship: Maryland 78 – Duke 75 (OT)

University of Maryland
Women’s BasketballThat score has been the sort of thing I’ve been waiting to see for a very long time. I first got involved with the Maryland Women’s Basketball Program around the time when they went to their first Final Four in the early 80s. I spent the better part of the 80s being around, and at times being a (small) part of the Maryland Women’s Basketball family.

Almost a quarter of a century has passed, and now Maryland has finally won a national championship in basketball. This despite the fact that the team never garnered the respect that I thought they deserved. I know that Coach B (Brenda Frese) echoes the same feeling. When the weekly rankings would come out, Maryland would get leapfrogged by other teams. Sure, the team was still highly ranked, but it only moved up when a number of teams faltered–only finally garnering a legitimate top ranking after beating Duke in the ACC tournament. Along the way everyone talked or wrote about UNC, Duke, Tennessee, Oklahoma, etc. Barely a mention for the players under the shell.

Even so, these players believed. Their coach believed. I believed. And now….nyah, nyah, nyah…WE WERE RIGHT! TOLD YA SO! TOLD YA SO!

As for the game…well, I have to admit that I was disappointed with the effort the Terps gave in the first half. That they were only down by ten was something of a break. But the second half…this was the kind of basketball game everyone had been hoping for. Two evenly-matched and talented teams going head-to-head. When Toliver launched and made that 3pt shot at the end of the half to send the game into OT (almost echoing their first win over UNC), I finally felt some relief. After all, all season long with the Terps, "Overtime is our time."

I didn’t take any chances, of course. Juju to juice the mojo. Had to. And they won.

Good juju.

So…while I didn’t get to go to Boston, that doesn’t mean that my duties as a fan ended with the final buzzer. Clearly, I have some championship merchandise to buy. But before I go and do the web shopping thang, I just have to say…

FEAR THE TURTLE!!!
RAISE HIGH THE BLACK AND GOLD!!!
GO MARYLAND!!!