Speaker 1: Welcome to Good Game with Sarah Spain, where we're unclear
Speaker 1: whether we're supposed to celebrate Saint Patrick's state the weekend
Speaker 1: before when Chicago dies the river green and parties in
Speaker 1: the streets, or the actual day of on Monday, when
Speaker 1: the river is still sort of greenish and Chicago wins
Speaker 1: are once again partying in the streets. As a good
Speaker 1: Irish girl, I guess I'll have to do both. It's Friday,
Speaker 1: March fourteenth, aka Pie Day, so while we usually celebrate
Speaker 1: you orange.
Speaker 2: Slices, treat yourself to a.
Speaker 1: Slice of something a little sweeter today, and maybe test
Speaker 1: out your math knowledge while you're at it. See if
Speaker 1: you could beat my record of memorized digits after the
Speaker 1: decimal three point one, four and amount. On today's show,
Speaker 1: we'll be chatting with marilynd women's basketball head coach Brenda
Speaker 1: Freeze about leading the Terps to their first national title
Speaker 1: in six speed dating in the transfer Portal, era, to
Speaker 1: squad's Big Ten rivalry with Ohio State, and how her
Speaker 1: team's feel and headed into the NCAA Tournament. Plus buzzer
Speaker 1: beaters and overtime magic and Ode to Potatoes and your
Speaker 1: new favorite swag. It's all coming to right after this
Speaker 1: welcome back slices. Here's what you need to know today
Speaker 1: in college hoops, there were a couple wild endings in
Speaker 1: conference tournaments on Wednesday night. First, the Montana State Bobcats
Speaker 1: downed in state rival Montana fifty eight to fifty seven
Speaker 1: at Boise's Idaho Central Arena in the Big Sky Championship
Speaker 1: now effectually known as starch Madness. Thanks Idaho, a last
Speaker 1: second put back layup by Merra Dykster at the buzzer
Speaker 1: was the Differencedykster had ten points in the game, and
Speaker 1: teammate Esmerelda Morales led all scorers with twenty five points.
Speaker 1: The win was the cherry on top of a near
Speaker 1: immaculate season. Montana State won the Big Sky regular season
Speaker 1: title outright, dropping only one of their eighteen conference games. Then,
Speaker 1: the Bobcats became the first team in Big Sky Tournament
Speaker 1: history to post two wins by margins of more than
Speaker 1: thirty points over Northern Colorado and Idaho State. With the
Speaker 1: championship victory, Montana State earned the Big Sky's automatic bid
Speaker 1: to the NCAA Tournament, and we'll make an appearance there
Speaker 1: for the fourth time.
Speaker 2: In program history.
Speaker 1: We'll link to the footage of Dyster's game winner in
Speaker 1: our show notes so you can watch the final sequence
Speaker 1: for yourself. Over in the Mountain West Conference, the San
Speaker 1: Diego State Aztecs clinched an automatic bid to the Big
Speaker 1: Dance via a seventy two to sixty eight triple overtime
Speaker 1: win over the Wyoming Cowgirls, the first three OT championship
Speaker 1: game in the history of the conference's tournament. The Cowgirls
Speaker 1: entered the contest the number two seed and the Aztecs
Speaker 1: were the number four seed, but it was the Aztecs
Speaker 1: who punched their ticket to the NCAA Tournament for the
Speaker 1: first time since twenty twelve.
Speaker 2: Wyoming never led in OT.
Speaker 1: Veronica Cheffe led San Diego State with twenty four points,
Speaker 1: and three of her teammates also reached double figures to
Speaker 1: the NWSL, where the regular season gets under way tonight.
Speaker 1: If you missed yesterday's show, we included a full team
Speaker 1: by team preview ahead of my interview with Chicago Stars
Speaker 1: goalkeeper a Lissa there. We also have a little update
Speaker 1: on the status of Chicago Star Mallory Swanson, though the
Speaker 1: update is really that we don't have an update On Thursday,
Speaker 1: the team confirmed that she won't be playing in the
Speaker 1: season opener tonight against the Orlando Pride, with head coach
Speaker 1: Lauren Donaldson saying, quote to me, it's a week to
Speaker 1: week thing. I kind of just give her space and
Speaker 1: let whatever happens happen. We can't do much about our
Speaker 1: situation right now because that's her space. We just want
Speaker 1: her to be happy and the club is behind her
Speaker 1: end quote. The club announced in January that the star
Speaker 1: player would be missing the start of training camp due
Speaker 1: to personal reasons, and that they were fully supportive of
Speaker 1: her decision. We're sending our best to mal and hoping
Speaker 1: to see her back on the pitch whenever she's ready.
Speaker 1: In pro vibes, It's week ten of the Love season
Speaker 1: and players are in Houston this weekend for three matches
Speaker 1: at the Fort Ben County at the Center. The first
Speaker 1: match is tonight and it's a duel between the league's
Speaker 1: top two teams, Love Atlanta and Love Houston at eight
Speaker 1: pm Eastern. Atlanta is nine and two overall and Houston
Speaker 1: six and five, but the Texas squad has the two
Speaker 1: players with the most points thus far this season. In
Speaker 1: opposite hitter Jordan Thompson and outside hitter Jess Mrzik this
Speaker 1: weekend's action, there will be only three weeks left before
Speaker 1: the Love Finals get started on April tenth. We'll link
Speaker 1: to the remaining regular season schedule and ticket links in
Speaker 1: our show notes. There's also PVF action tonight and over
Speaker 1: the weekend. We'll link to that schedule in our show
Speaker 1: notes as well. And we've got Beach Vibes news. The
Speaker 1: Association of Volleyball Professionals aka the AVP, the biggest and
Speaker 1: longest running professional beach volleyball tour, has a new TV deal.
Speaker 1: Per report by Brian Steinberg in Variety, a package of
Speaker 1: regular season games will air on CBS Sports Network leading
Speaker 1: up to Big CBS airing the AVP League Championship on
Speaker 1: August third. The CW will also broadcast Saturday night matches
Speaker 1: beginning Memorial Day and ending Labor Day. The AVP is
Speaker 1: such a great live experience I've been going for years.
Speaker 1: Super exciting that fans will be able to watch from
Speaker 1: Afar on TV now as well on the ice. After
Speaker 1: reviews by the PWHL Player Safety Committee, the league announced
Speaker 1: consequences on Tuesday for a couple of incidents. In a
Speaker 1: contest between the Toronto Scepters and Minnesota Frost on March ninth,
Speaker 1: Toronto defender not A Fast was fined two hundred and
Speaker 1: fifty dollars for cross checking Frost forward Kendell coins Schofield
Speaker 1: in the head with the shaft of her stick. The
Speaker 1: contact wasn't penalized during play, but she has been fined.
Speaker 1: It's the first fine Fast has gotten in the PWHL.
Speaker 1: Say that five times the first fine Fast is gotten. Additionally,
Speaker 1: Minnesota forward Britta curl Salem was suspended one game for
Speaker 1: an illegal check to the head on Scepters defender Megan
Speaker 1: Carter that earned curl Salem her second one game time
Speaker 1: out of the season. Coin Scofield scored an overtime of
Speaker 1: that game to lift Minnesota to a two to one win,
Speaker 1: and at present, the Scepters and Frost are number two
Speaker 1: and number four in the league standings, respectively. The squad's
Speaker 1: match up again on March thirtieth. There are also two
Speaker 1: PWHL games this weekend, so we'll link to the schedule
Speaker 1: in our show notes. Two unrivaled basketball where ahead of
Speaker 1: playoff weekend, the Three on three League has announced its
Speaker 1: first end of season award winners that includes first team
Speaker 1: honorees Ifisakallier of the Lunar Owls, Chelsea Gray of ROSEBC
Speaker 1: and Kaylea McBride of the Laces and Second team honorees
Speaker 1: Skyler Diggan Smith of the Lunar Owls, Ryan Howard of
Speaker 1: the Vinyl and Angel Reese of ROSEBC. Recipients of the MVP,
Speaker 1: Defensive Player of the Year, and Coach of the Year
Speaker 1: awards are still to come. Unrivaled playoffs get underway on
Speaker 1: Sunday with the semi finals. The first matchup is between
Speaker 1: number two seed ROSEBC and number three Laces BC, followed
Speaker 1: by top seed Lunar Owls BC against number four seed
Speaker 1: Vinyl BC. Rose has been a bit of a dark course.
Speaker 1: The team dropped four of its first five Unrivaled games,
Speaker 1: but a surge in the later half of the season
Speaker 1: has earned producer Mishas squad an eight and six record
Speaker 1: and a spot in the Brief Big Dance. Notably, Kalia Copper,
Speaker 1: who is averaging nearly seventeen points per game, has not
Speaker 1: played for Rose since February seventh while rehabbing an injury.
Speaker 1: The league's last player update indicated that she would return
Speaker 1: quote toward the end of the Unrivaled season end quote.
Speaker 2: We're at the end, so we'll see if she suits up.
Speaker 1: Meanwhile, Lace's BC started the season on fire, going four
Speaker 1: to one in the first five games, but ultimately injuries
Speaker 1: hit Four of their six originally rostered players Alyssa Thomas,
Speaker 1: Kaylea McBride, Tiffany Hayes, and Kate Martin all injured at
Speaker 1: one point or another. The league even made the tough
Speaker 1: decision to cancel one of the team's games. Relief players
Speaker 1: were signed so the Laces could keep playing, but there's
Speaker 1: no doubt it had an effect on their performance and chemistry.
Speaker 1: They ended the regular season seven and seven and on
Speaker 1: a two game winning streak. Their last loss was against
Speaker 1: Rose on March eighth, onto the Lunar Owls, who have
Speaker 1: all but run through the rest of the field, finishing
Speaker 1: with only one loss in fourteen games to ROSEBC in
Speaker 1: late February. Unrivaled co founder Nafisakalier is the anchor for
Speaker 1: the squad and leads the whole league at twenty five
Speaker 1: point seven points per game. The club's in pretty healthy
Speaker 1: all season and enters the semis as a clear favorite
Speaker 1: and last but not least Vinyl BC up and down
Speaker 1: regular season for this club, they finished five and nine
Speaker 1: one bright spot. Ryan Howard and Deerica Hamby have been
Speaker 1: one of the most dynamic duos in unrivaled Offensively, both
Speaker 1: are top five in the league in scoring, averaging upwards
Speaker 1: of forty points per game combined. Their team's played off hopes.
Speaker 1: We're in jeopardy up to the last night of regular
Speaker 1: season action and they have a tall task in front
Speaker 1: of them against.
Speaker 2: The Hoodi Hoo Crew.
Speaker 1: Catch all the semi finals Sunday doubleheader action tip it
Speaker 1: off at seven thirty pm Eastern on TNT and True TV.
Speaker 1: A Little Sports Business News Monarch Collective, a private equity
Speaker 1: fund dedicated to women's sports, has increased the size of
Speaker 1: its fund to two hundred and fifty million dollars, up
Speaker 1: from the initial one hundred and fifty million it funded
Speaker 1: in twenty twenty three. The firm, led by Jasmin Robinson
Speaker 1: and Angel CITYFC co founder Karen Nortman, has investments in
Speaker 1: three NWSL teams, Angel City, San Diego and the new
Speaker 1: Boston expansion team per Sportico. The new one hundred million
Speaker 1: dollar investment is thanks to many of the fund's original contributors,
Speaker 1: including Melinda French Gates, Hello Sunshine CEO, Sarah Hardin, and
Speaker 1: former Netflix executives Cindy Holland and Annie m.
Speaker 3: Hoff.
Speaker 1: We'll link to another Sportico story in the show notes
Speaker 1: that provides more detail on the rules around private equity
Speaker 1: investment in the NWSL.
Speaker 2: And finally, we want.
Speaker 1: To give a huge shout out to Alexa Gasparo, who
Speaker 1: became just the eighth US woman and the first black
Speaker 1: woman to land the extremely difficult triple axel at a
Speaker 1: competition in Poland earlier this month.
Speaker 2: Huge kudos to you, Alexa.
Speaker 1: Y'all don't want to see me try to land a
Speaker 1: triple axel, or really any axel for that matter. We'll
Speaker 1: link to the video of Gasparado hitting the breathtaking skill
Speaker 1: in our show notes. We're going to take a quick
Speaker 1: break when we come back my chat with head turp Brenda.
Speaker 3: Freeze joining us now.
Speaker 1: She's been the head coach of the University of Maryland
Speaker 1: women's basketball team since two thousand and two, leading the
Speaker 1: team to a national championship win in six and final
Speaker 1: four runs in twenty fourteen and fifteen. She was voted
Speaker 1: AP National Coach of the Year in O two and
Speaker 1: twenty one, ACC Coach of the Year in twenty thirteen,
Speaker 1: Big Ten Coach of the Year four times, and Matt
Speaker 1: Coach of the Year in two thousand. She's a mom
Speaker 1: to teenage twin boys, the star of the video series
Speaker 1: Under the Show, which is in its twenty first season,
Speaker 1: and she hasn't seen a losing season in over twenty years.
Speaker 2: It's Brenda Freez. Thanks for joining us.
Speaker 4: Coach, Oh thanks for having me.
Speaker 2: I want to start with that sixth season.
Speaker 1: You were just four years into your journey with the
Speaker 1: Terps and led the team to a national championship. It
Speaker 1: is a memorable standout team for many people, including my
Speaker 1: producer Meisch, who got absolutely hooked on hoops that year
Speaker 1: growing up in the DMB. And I wonder if, looking
Speaker 1: back these years later, if you can remember the hardest
Speaker 1: part of that journey as a leader.
Speaker 5: Oh man, it was uncharted territory, so you know, and
Speaker 5: back in the time, you know, you talk about those
Speaker 5: battles between Duke and North Carolina and in the ACC
Speaker 5: all those rivalries, so it was continuous. When you just
Speaker 5: talk about being the underdog. You know, no one really
Speaker 5: kind of expected this young, fearless team. I mean we
Speaker 5: started two freshmen, two sophomores, and a junior, and it
Speaker 5: just kind of evolved. I think kind of the special
Speaker 5: thing that season was that they kind of started the
Speaker 5: mantra overtime is our time, and all of a sudden
Speaker 5: they started having a lot of success in conference play,
Speaker 5: and then as it unfolded, I mean they went six
Speaker 5: to zero in overtime and had two of their biggest
Speaker 5: games in the NCAA tournament, one against Utah to go
Speaker 5: to the final four to Boston won that game, and
Speaker 5: then you know, everyone knows the game against Duke, the
Speaker 5: overtime win in the national championship games. So just a
Speaker 5: lot of first and you know, an incredibly you know,
Speaker 5: wonderful year with the team that no one expected to
Speaker 5: be able to go win a championship.
Speaker 2: Okay, I have two follow up questions.
Speaker 1: Is it the distance that has you calling them they
Speaker 1: instead of us?
Speaker 4: Right? Probably?
Speaker 2: Okay?
Speaker 1: And then I know you tell the team day one,
Speaker 1: we have enough talent. It's all about the work that
Speaker 1: we're going to put in. Anybody can be the champion.
Speaker 1: But if you're being honest, at what point during that
Speaker 1: season did you really think, oh my gosh, like we
Speaker 1: could win this.
Speaker 4: Yeah.
Speaker 5: I think as the season unfolded, when when we started
Speaker 5: to have the overtime wins and I saw how fearless
Speaker 5: they were. You know, you kind of built and built
Speaker 5: that up through conference play, but it really was, you know,
Speaker 5: all of a sudden as you got into the NCAA
Speaker 5: tournament that you know, you kind of just saw each
Speaker 5: game kind of build its own sense of momentum, and
Speaker 5: you just kind of saw this fearless confidence team that
Speaker 5: you know, really just had no you know, fear that
Speaker 5: that they were going to get be.
Speaker 1: I so admire coaches in their ability to do as
Speaker 1: much as they can to get a team ready and
Speaker 1: then have to accept what happens because they're not out
Speaker 1: on the court. That's very difficult for me to imagine
Speaker 1: doing as competitive as I am, and so it must
Speaker 1: be such a wonderful feeling to be like, oh, I
Speaker 1: got gamers like overtime, clutch time, like these are.
Speaker 2: The girls who are going to get it. That's so cool.
Speaker 1: You've had a couple of really talented teams that came
Speaker 1: up just short of finish line you're talking to some
Speaker 1: folks that have never been in a high pressure environment,
Speaker 1: what would you tell them about the challenges of a
Speaker 1: title run, no matter how much talent you have.
Speaker 5: I mean, yes, you have to have the talent to
Speaker 5: be able to get there, but there's also you have
Speaker 5: to have the breaks that fall your way, and anything
Speaker 5: can really happen. And you know, I mean one, I mean,
Speaker 5: staying healthy is one of them. As you're going into
Speaker 5: postseason and through the tournament, and then you know, it's matchups.
Speaker 5: I mean, there's certain kinds of teams that you want
Speaker 5: to play against, and then there's other teams that are
Speaker 5: kind of your kryptonite. And so the margin for error
Speaker 5: is so slim to go win a national championship, to
Speaker 5: have every single player playing at their best, to not
Speaker 5: have someone wake up and have the flu and be
Speaker 5: out or have an injury. So I think what people
Speaker 5: don't realize is just how narrow the margin is to
Speaker 5: be successful.
Speaker 1: So, how long after a tournament loss an agonizing do
Speaker 1: you spend thinking about decisions you made, plays that didn't
Speaker 1: work out, calls that didn't go your way, and all
Speaker 1: the other minutia of the game. How long do you
Speaker 1: allow yourself to ruminate before you say, Okay, I'm sad
Speaker 1: it's over, moving on.
Speaker 5: I think as a coach, you always take it with you.
Speaker 5: I mean, you know, it's internally in you. I think
Speaker 5: for me, I close the chapter. When I go back on,
Speaker 5: I would finalize and watch the film. I mean, yes,
Speaker 5: you're going to go through internally in your head. But
Speaker 5: for me, I try to go watch that film, Like
Speaker 5: you said, probably within the first forty eight hours, sometimes
Speaker 5: seventy two, depending how crushing of a blow is, and
Speaker 5: then you know, learn from it, dive into it, and
Speaker 5: then move on, you know, just sticking in that place
Speaker 5: of pain. Yes, it can refuel you and motivate you,
Speaker 5: but at the same point you've got to be able
Speaker 5: to move on to what's next. And in today's day
Speaker 5: and age, I mean, you know, for us, your season
Speaker 5: ends and you're right into the transfer portal, so there's
Speaker 5: not a lot of time to really, you know, sit
Speaker 5: and worry about what's happened. You've got to move on
Speaker 5: to your team.
Speaker 1: People often think about powerhouse programs like Yukon and more
Speaker 1: recently South Carolina when thinking about women's basketball, but under
Speaker 1: your watch, Maryland has not only won that national championship,
Speaker 1: but seven regular season conference championships, seven tournament championships. You've
Speaker 1: launched the career of so many players and stars in
Speaker 1: the W like Alissa Thomas, Brandon Jones, Christy Tolliver. What
Speaker 1: do WNBA coaches know they're going to get from a
Speaker 1: player that you coached?
Speaker 5: You know, they know there's not going to be any drama.
Speaker 5: These kids are. They know how to work. I think
Speaker 5: that's why so many WNBA coaches kind of appreciate our
Speaker 5: players transition really well. I know that we develop them
Speaker 5: so they are prepared for that next level. They're gonna
Speaker 5: be the ultimate team player. I mean in a system
Speaker 5: like Maryland, you're gonna play within the team. You're going
Speaker 5: to value you know, what we have instilled in them,
Speaker 5: within our culture and where our values take place. So
Speaker 5: they're able to take all of that and be really
Speaker 5: self sufficient. I think there's a lot of no nonsense
Speaker 5: that they don't have to worry about that they definitely
Speaker 5: are going to know how to transition to be pros.
Speaker 1: In an honest moment, does it ever bother you that
Speaker 1: your name isn't brought up as often as Gino or
Speaker 1: down or maybe even someone like kim Olky.
Speaker 5: I think the longevity of those coaches have been here
Speaker 5: for a really long time.
Speaker 4: I mean, I.
Speaker 5: Respect all the work that they've put in, and.
Speaker 4: I am who I am.
Speaker 5: I've never gotten into it for some sort of name
Speaker 5: recognition and feel that I need to be valued.
Speaker 4: By anyone else.
Speaker 5: I know who I am and who our program here
Speaker 5: is at the end of the day, and to me,
Speaker 5: that's the most important is that I'm just impacting lives,
Speaker 5: and you know, I think for me selfishly, yeah, I'd
Speaker 5: love to get to more Final fours because I love
Speaker 5: what it takes just for your players and for you know,
Speaker 5: the parents and the families to be a part of success.
Speaker 2: When it comes to recruiting.
Speaker 1: Do you think, Matt, there's a lot to have that
Speaker 1: sort of household name and be the name that gets
Speaker 1: brought up often.
Speaker 4: I definitely think it has in the past. I think
Speaker 4: it's changing.
Speaker 2: That's more parody.
Speaker 5: I think players now aren't afraid to, uh, you know,
Speaker 5: go be the one and go to other programs.
Speaker 4: I think before it used.
Speaker 5: To you know, write you know, ESPN would only show
Speaker 5: you con in Tennessee, and now you're seeing just on
Speaker 5: a national scale that so many names, so many stories
Speaker 5: are being told, and I think that's why you are
Speaker 5: seeing the parody is you can access anyone in everyone nowadays,
Speaker 5: and I think that's what's really helped, you know, be
Speaker 5: able to branch out the game and be able to
Speaker 5: have more parody.
Speaker 1: If you want some more headlines, might I recommend a
Speaker 1: sweater with a basketball who built into it.
Speaker 2: That'll guarantee you some run on the internet? Yeah, not
Speaker 2: your style.
Speaker 1: You know, some of the top players that you coached
Speaker 1: ended up transferring, like Angel Reese who went to l
Speaker 1: s U and then helped that team win a national champion.
Speaker 1: How did that impact you in the moment and how
Speaker 1: do you balance wanting what's best for a player and
Speaker 1: then also wanting what's best for your program.
Speaker 5: I think the transfer portal is there for a reason,
Speaker 5: and you know, there's better fits for other players in
Speaker 5: different situations.
Speaker 4: For Angel, that was the best fit.
Speaker 5: For her, and you know, for for us, I've always
Speaker 5: felt like the players that stay here and that we're
Speaker 5: you know, also able to bring into the portal and
Speaker 5: players that have wanted to have, you know, great situations,
Speaker 5: want to be a part of a family experience, want
Speaker 5: to be a part of a really strong culture. Have
Speaker 5: done really well here, and so I'm okay with it.
Speaker 5: You know, I think that you know that everybody has
Speaker 5: their own reasons. We've been very successful as well ourselves
Speaker 5: with the amount of players that we've been able to
Speaker 5: get in here within the portal, and you know, sometimes
Speaker 5: the ones that go or are meant to go.
Speaker 1: Yeah, how does your strategy differ when you're recruiting players
Speaker 1: out of high school versus in the transfer portal.
Speaker 5: Well, high school you're able to build those relationships for
Speaker 5: a long time, and you know, the transfer portal is
Speaker 5: pretty much speed dating and very quick. I mean luckily
Speaker 5: for us. I mean we do love the fact in
Speaker 5: the portal when we can find kids that we have
Speaker 5: recruited in the past or that we know and we've
Speaker 5: had relationships with. I think that always, you know, is
Speaker 5: a good thing for your culture that you know their
Speaker 5: past and you know their history. But it is a
Speaker 5: lot more difficult, it's a lot quicker. You don't have
Speaker 5: to spend the amount of years and time that you
Speaker 5: once did with high school kids. You know, players out
Speaker 5: of the portal have more experience, and so you know,
Speaker 5: there's positives and negatives to both, and you just have
Speaker 5: to be able to adapt around it.
Speaker 1: There's proof of concept because they've played at the collegiate level.
Speaker 1: You can watch wherever they've played before they get to
Speaker 1: I've always wondered if another coach knows that their player
Speaker 1: wants to leave, are they open to conversation with coaches
Speaker 1: at the places that player is looking or is there
Speaker 1: some animosity about a player deciding to leave a program
Speaker 1: and there's no real communication about where they might end up.
Speaker 4: Yeah, there's been a blend.
Speaker 5: I know, you know, when I have a relationship with
Speaker 5: a head coach, I mean, I'm always wanting to connect.
Speaker 5: I think early on in it, you know it was taboo.
Speaker 5: You didn't want to have those conversations. But we now
Speaker 5: all know and understand what the portal is about, and
Speaker 5: we're all going to be dealing with it. So I
Speaker 5: think those conversations are helpful for the most part when
Speaker 5: you're able to have them.
Speaker 1: Yeah, to really understand why a player might be leaving,
Speaker 1: and if it's going to be a better fit where
Speaker 1: you are. Some of the same reasons they're leaving might
Speaker 1: pop up, or whatever you coached through your program's transition
Speaker 1: from playing in the ACC where your rival was duke
Speaker 1: to now playing in the Big Ten. What one team
Speaker 1: do you now see as Marilyn's top rival.
Speaker 5: You know, I would say probably for us, it's been
Speaker 5: Ohio State. I think those battles back and forth have
Speaker 5: just been intense.
Speaker 4: They've been great.
Speaker 5: You know, coach McGuff does a great job at Ohio State,
Speaker 5: and just back and forth through the years, we've had
Speaker 5: that history. You know, even this year, our last game
Speaker 5: of the season, you know, we were both new we
Speaker 5: had a double by we were going into that game
Speaker 5: and you know, neither team really had to win that
Speaker 5: game to secure anything, and it felt like an NCAA
Speaker 5: tournament game.
Speaker 4: Both teams just went added.
Speaker 5: It went into overtime and we were fortunate to get
Speaker 5: the win. But you know, those games have been really intense.
Speaker 1: Yeah, it's it's really interesting to see teams adjust to
Speaker 1: a new conference and get used to playing in new
Speaker 1: buildings and against opposing you know, fans, and which teams
Speaker 1: organically become rivals and which ones it feels a little
Speaker 1: bit forced.
Speaker 2: But let's talk about this year's team.
Speaker 1: You returned only one player from last year, starting five,
Speaker 1: Your roster looked almost completely different front to back. How
Speaker 1: do you quickly create team chemistry and buy and from
Speaker 1: the new look players.
Speaker 5: Our stuff is really intentional with the team building really
Speaker 5: the bonding piece of it. We were fortunate this past
Speaker 5: year to be able to take a foreign trip, so
Speaker 5: right now the fact when they got to campus about
Speaker 5: three weeks later, we were.
Speaker 4: Going over to Croatia.
Speaker 5: What a better way to be able to bond for
Speaker 5: eleven days over in another country. And that really took
Speaker 5: off for us between that trip, the practices, the games
Speaker 5: that we were able to have. But even you know
Speaker 5: in a year when you're not taking that for us,
Speaker 5: it's intentional. In the summertime, we'll do a lot more activities,
Speaker 5: events at the house really, you know, trying to build
Speaker 5: that chemistry even before your season gets started. We'll always
Speaker 5: you know, take a trip away, a weekend away where
Speaker 5: we spend time together because I think when you're breaking
Speaker 5: bread and you have the overnights and you kind of
Speaker 5: get to let your guard down, both as players and coaches,
Speaker 5: you're able to to know each other a lot better,
Speaker 5: which then is going to build that chemistry on the
Speaker 5: court for your team that you have.
Speaker 2: Best memory from Croatia.
Speaker 4: The first thing that comes to mind ziplining.
Speaker 5: Oh, I mean that was unbelievable and just really seeing
Speaker 5: some kids get, you know, out of their comfort zone,
Speaker 5: the fear I think for all of us, you know,
Speaker 5: to be up on these mountains and be going through it.
Speaker 4: So those a pretty neat event.
Speaker 2: That's awesome.
Speaker 1: What should our listeners know about your team heading into
Speaker 1: March Madness? They're gonna sit down, make their brackets or
Speaker 1: pick the team they want to root for if they
Speaker 1: don't have a rooting interest.
Speaker 2: What so they know about the Terps one?
Speaker 4: You know, I went bet against us.
Speaker 5: You know when this team, you know, is fighting hard
Speaker 5: for each other and you know they're really really good
Speaker 5: at drawing fouls and getting to the free throw line
Speaker 5: and you know, really playing for one another.
Speaker 1: Okay, Basketball often referred to as a game of runs.
Speaker 1: Seasons can be like that too. This year had a
Speaker 1: lot ups and downs with injuries, some really big wins,
Speaker 1: some disappointing losses. And I know that fans would like
Speaker 1: to see their team win every single game. But as
Speaker 1: a coach, particularly as you head into March Madness, I
Speaker 1: imagine you like one or two l's to see the
Speaker 1: team react to that, to see how they get through adversity,
Speaker 1: to see them perhaps get behind in a game and
Speaker 1: recognize that they could come back to sort of make
Speaker 1: sure that you're developing and continuing to evolve and hitting
Speaker 1: your peak at the right time. How do you balance
Speaker 1: sort of getting really concerned when you have a loss
Speaker 1: versus Okay, here's what we might have learned from that,
Speaker 1: and I think we're going to be better down the road.
Speaker 5: Yeah, I think for us, you know, we always win
Speaker 5: or lose. We evaluate every game, and you know, we've
Speaker 5: had wins that could feel like losses and vice versus.
Speaker 5: So I think, you know, similar to what I said
Speaker 5: when I end a season is you've got to go back,
Speaker 5: watch film, make it teachable to what lessons you can learn,
Speaker 5: and even out of losses, there's a lot of great
Speaker 5: lessons that you can learn that really will help.
Speaker 4: You so you don't make the same mistakes twice.
Speaker 5: And so for us, once we closed that book, that
Speaker 5: film session, you know, we're onto the next and for
Speaker 5: us that's in the past and it's just moving forward
Speaker 5: to get better.
Speaker 1: It's sort of a long debate in the talking Head
Speaker 1: sports community when a team has gone undefeated a whole season,
Speaker 1: especially if they're winning by double digits pretty much every time,
Speaker 1: whether they'll get to the tournament and not be able
Speaker 1: to handle if they get behind a team that's not
Speaker 1: used to being behind and fighting back. If you were
Speaker 1: given the option of an undefeated run toward the tournament,
Speaker 1: would you take it or would you rather have one loss?
Speaker 4: Oh? Great question, h man.
Speaker 5: Well, you know I only had one season when we
Speaker 5: went into the Big Ten. We were eighteen to zero
Speaker 5: going into the NCAA tournament, and so you know, you
Speaker 5: could feel that target start to mount as time went on.
Speaker 5: So I definitely think probably the taking the loss to
Speaker 5: be able to learn it probably as helpful. But you know, again,
Speaker 5: and I don't think I would be upset if I.
Speaker 4: Was under beat.
Speaker 1: Fans wouldn't be either. Let's talk about a loss. The
Speaker 1: Terps went from the very high high of beating number
Speaker 1: twelve Ohio State in overtime at home, in front of
Speaker 1: this electric crowd on the last second shot to losing
Speaker 1: the first round of the Big Ten Tournament to Michigan.
Speaker 2: The solid run at the Big Ten tournament could have
Speaker 2: put you.
Speaker 1: Know, top sixteen, maybe set you up to host games
Speaker 1: during March madness. How do you handle that swing from
Speaker 1: that amazing game to that early loss.
Speaker 5: Yeah, Unfortunately, we've had those swings this season, so it's
Speaker 5: not like it was the first time. And I think
Speaker 5: just you know, continuing to have perspective. I think fortunately
Speaker 5: for us, it wasn't our last game, and I think
Speaker 5: it gives us clarity that's not how we want to
Speaker 5: end our season, for our five seniors in the NC
Speaker 5: DOUBLEA tournament, and you know, every team, you see how
Speaker 5: loaded the big ten is and how hungry and motivated
Speaker 5: everybody is, it's going to be the same way in
Speaker 5: the NCUBLEA Tournament. So I think, you know, a big
Speaker 5: wake up call for our kids. You know, hopefully we
Speaker 5: get a little healthier. We'd you know, had lost another
Speaker 5: starter with Sailor Poffenberger not you know, being able to
Speaker 5: be up to the point that we need her to
Speaker 5: be to be able to significantly impact us, and losing
Speaker 5: Bree McDaniel and Shy coming through. So the rest right
Speaker 5: now for us is kind of where we needed to
Speaker 5: be at and now we'll help hopefully, you know, give
Speaker 5: us the freshest start we can have in the in
Speaker 5: the NCAA Tournament.
Speaker 1: What has surprised you most about this team starting with
Speaker 1: the beginning of the season till now.
Speaker 4: I would say that, you know, I.
Speaker 5: Didn't realize, say, we're going to be so competitive when
Speaker 5: when we first kind of put them all together. Just
Speaker 5: you know, just a really motivated group. And I think
Speaker 5: that's kind of been the neatest thing about them, is
Speaker 5: that they they do want to be elite.
Speaker 4: They they want to be great.
Speaker 5: I think having a perspective of twenty three wins in
Speaker 5: a season and in the Big Ten, you know, one
Speaker 5: of the comference is in the country, and you know,
Speaker 5: the losses we have taken have all come around injuries.
Speaker 4: So I think the.
Speaker 5: Resiliency thing has been the thing I've learned about them,
Speaker 5: because you know, when we were rolling and had won
Speaker 5: fourteen straight games, you know, we were healthy and we
Speaker 5: were a complete team. And then as adversity has hit,
Speaker 5: they they've really had to show a lot of great resiliency.
Speaker 1: You talk about that a lot. That's sort of your
Speaker 1: go to word. What does that mean to you as
Speaker 1: a coach and for your players.
Speaker 5: You know, the ability to you know bounce back, you know,
Speaker 5: the like I think that's basketball is also you know,
Speaker 5: prepares you for life, and you're going to have, you know,
Speaker 5: a lot of great highs in life, but you're also
Speaker 5: going to have those lows. And it's really your ability
Speaker 5: to be able to get up the next morning and
Speaker 5: be able to take it on. And if we can
Speaker 5: learn that, you know, through the game of basketball and
Speaker 5: be stronger because of it, you know, it's just going
Speaker 5: to prepare us for what Liza out ahead.
Speaker 1: It feels that way, especially in women's college troups this
Speaker 1: season too, where there are as absolutely no gimmes. The
Speaker 1: number one seed's been bopping around, people are taking l's
Speaker 1: left and right. So yeah, it's been it's been a
Speaker 1: test for a lot of teams to understand what it
Speaker 1: means to come back and be resilient after a loss.
Speaker 1: You know, my team's in high school and college often
Speaker 1: had rallying cries or inside jokes that carried through the season,
Speaker 1: something that organically came from a joke or a trip
Speaker 1: or a moment. And I wonder if this team has
Speaker 1: a strange stuffed animal mascot or a cheer or a
Speaker 1: superstition or something that they'll come back to as the
Speaker 1: tournament starts.
Speaker 5: Oh, man, that's a great question. There's a lot of
Speaker 5: stuffed animals that come on the plane. I will say that, no,
Speaker 5: I mean it is a group that's kind of superstitious,
Speaker 5: so they kind of in their own right, they all
Speaker 5: kind of have their own little nuances that they like,
Speaker 5: you know. The one I'll say is like, you know, pregame.
Speaker 5: I don't know how many go back to the locker
Speaker 5: room and go to the bathroom and go meditate and go.
Speaker 5: So there's this team has been unique in that area
Speaker 5: where of any other team I've had, as I'm thinking
Speaker 5: of it out loud, they've just kind of have their
Speaker 5: own little kind of pregame routine once they go out
Speaker 5: on the floor.
Speaker 2: So that's been mindfulness.
Speaker 1: Yeah, very apropos for the younger generations, which I love
Speaker 1: that they're finding that out young and applying that to
Speaker 1: their sport. I mentioned Under the Shell, which is the
Speaker 1: sort of docu series reality show about your program that's
Speaker 1: going on twenty one seasons, which is crazy. They've been
Speaker 1: there for the birth of your children. I'm wondering if
Speaker 1: there's anything you haven't let them show, or any moments
Speaker 1: that do you have final edit on.
Speaker 2: And You've said yeah, let's cut that part.
Speaker 4: I do have final edit.
Speaker 5: But you know, when I first got hired here, Debbie
Speaker 5: Yao is the athletic director then who's now retired, and
Speaker 5: she had the vision it was she named it and
Speaker 5: just kind of you know, everyone has a coach's speak,
Speaker 5: coaches show game highlights, and she wanted it to be different,
Speaker 5: and I think that fits my personality. I love that
Speaker 5: it's the stars of the show are our players. It's
Speaker 5: not me, and it doesn't need to be me. I
Speaker 5: don't have an ego that it needs to be me
Speaker 5: at all. That it's the players, it's their backgrounds, it's
Speaker 5: their stories. And that's what I'm really most proud of
Speaker 5: is when I, you know, RO six team, they'll they'll
Speaker 5: get together and they go back on YouTube and they
Speaker 5: watch it, and you know, it's just pretty cool that
Speaker 5: it's all archive for them to go back and see.
Speaker 1: So do you have to then make executive decisions for
Speaker 1: the players about what they might not want to have
Speaker 1: out in the world or if something's less flattering or
Speaker 1: I mean just imagining young women being able to come
Speaker 1: I don't look cute in that one coach or like
Speaker 1: that's a bad angle for me, do you have to
Speaker 1: feel those kinds of lives.
Speaker 5: I mean, we you know, we definitely if there's ever
Speaker 5: anything that's sensitive, we're going to run it by the players. Yeah,
Speaker 5: we definitely do do that. But for the most part,
Speaker 5: we've never you know, had a problem. And you know,
Speaker 5: even like sometimes when you know they filmed, you know,
Speaker 5: some of our toughest losses. I mean those are real life,
Speaker 5: you know, for our fans and to be able to
Speaker 5: experience just kind of the heartache of what goes on
Speaker 5: inside the locker room.
Speaker 1: Yeah, you have an all women coaching staff. Was that intentional?
Speaker 2: And why you know.
Speaker 5: It wasn't, you know, because I've had men on staff
Speaker 5: and in my time here, but as things evolved, it's
Speaker 5: become you know, all women. You know, I will say
Speaker 5: it's probably been one of my best coaching staffs. I
Speaker 5: think it's just been really neat to see how in
Speaker 5: sync everyone is pulling for each other, the mentorship for
Speaker 5: from them and you know, to lead to our players.
Speaker 5: So you know, definitely didn't start out intentionally, but kind
Speaker 5: of got built that way. And I'll say, you know,
Speaker 5: it's just you know, been something that I've really enjoyed.
Speaker 1: What would you say to girls and women about coaching
Speaker 1: as a career, especially as salaries are going up college
Speaker 1: women's basketball and that has resulted in more men going
Speaker 1: out for and getting jobs, the hiring ranks unfortunately not
Speaker 1: reflecting the growth we see in women's sports as far
Speaker 1: as women coaches go. How would you encourage girls and
Speaker 1: women to take on the challenge and to believe that
Speaker 1: they're capable.
Speaker 5: Yeah, well, I think, like everyone see, you have to
Speaker 5: be built for it. It's a really intense, pressure packed
Speaker 5: job anymore, and you know you have to be prepared
Speaker 5: for for what lies ahead.
Speaker 4: But you can do it.
Speaker 5: I mean, you know, whether you're a mom like i am,
Speaker 5: I mean, it takes a village and you can nowadays,
Speaker 5: you know you can build that the way you can
Speaker 5: to be successful. But you know, anything you put your
Speaker 5: mind to, you're going to be able to do. And
Speaker 5: you know what better, you know, female role models for
Speaker 5: our players to be able to have and to be
Speaker 5: able to look up to and be able to see,
Speaker 5: you know, women doing hard things. You know, this is
Speaker 5: a profession that's really demanding. But at the same point,
Speaker 5: you know they can see that you can be really
Speaker 5: successful in it.
Speaker 1: You've perfectly set me up for my final question, which is,
Speaker 1: you know, if you want it badly enough, you can
Speaker 1: make it work. And you've made it work despite having
Speaker 1: twin sons. But they've also had the opportunity to grow
Speaker 1: up watching you coach and lead this hugely successful basketball program.
Speaker 1: Why is it important for boys in particular to see that?
Speaker 4: It really is? I can't tell you enough.
Speaker 5: I mean right now, you know, my boys are always
Speaker 5: sending me things off of social media and you know
Speaker 5: who's entered the transfer portal, and they're so fully invested,
Speaker 5: and it is they get to watch a mom you know,
Speaker 5: kind of grind twenty four to seven within a season
Speaker 5: and just you know, you know, with this job is
Speaker 5: all encompassing. They watch the work ethic, they watch what
Speaker 5: it takes every single day. So it is I mean,
Speaker 5: it doesn't matter if you're male or female. Just being
Speaker 5: able to see that role model, you know, allows my
Speaker 5: boys to see that, you know what you know, they
Speaker 5: can you know, grow up and be anything they want
Speaker 5: to be. And they're getting a living example every single day.
Speaker 1: And shout out to your husband for driving them to
Speaker 1: aau and schlapping them around everywhere while you're winning ball games.
Speaker 1: We love that balance and that teamwork. Thank you so
Speaker 1: much for taking the time. Great great season, and good
Speaker 1: luck in the tournament.
Speaker 5: Oh well, thank you so much and I really appreciate
Speaker 5: you having me.
Speaker 2: Thanks so much to Brenda for joining us.
Speaker 1: And a big thanks to friend of the show Claimed Kannikan,
Speaker 1: who knows all the stake, story stats and stars of
Speaker 1: the Maryland program and really help me prep for that interview.
Speaker 1: We got to take another break. When we come back,
Speaker 1: it's time for you, slices to get in the game.
Speaker 1: Stick around, Welcome back, slices. We love that you're listening,
Speaker 1: but we want you to get in the game every
Speaker 1: day too. So here's our good game play of the day.
Speaker 1: First tap been with coach Freeze and Maryland women's basketball.
Speaker 1: We'll find out their NCAA tournament seed and draw during
Speaker 1: the selection show on Sunday. So if you like what
Speaker 1: you heard and need a team to root for, hitch
Speaker 1: your wagon to the Turtles. Also, slices, we want to
Speaker 1: do something fun during March Madness, something different starch madness. Now,
Speaker 1: we know we're not the first folks to get a
Speaker 1: kick out of that pun and we're not even the
Speaker 1: first to build a bracket around it, but we are
Speaker 1: the first to put our own special, good game spin
Speaker 1: on it.
Speaker 2: So here's how it's going to work.
Speaker 1: We need starch based recipes from use slices, So send
Speaker 1: us your favorite corn and potato dishes.
Speaker 2: The starch has to be the star. Folks. Now, what
Speaker 2: constitutes a starch?
Speaker 1: Well, after quite a bit of research, we are still
Speaker 1: wondering that ourselves. Some folks, for instance, think rice is
Speaker 1: a starch, and some say it's a grain, but a
Speaker 1: starchy grain. So for our purposes, just consider us the
Speaker 1: Potato and Corn Conference. Send your rice, pasta and lay
Speaker 1: goom dishes to another podcast. But if you've got a
Speaker 1: really great one featuring like a deep cut, lesser known starch,
Speaker 1: the humble parsnip, perhaps, I don't know, try your luck.
Speaker 2: Maybe it'll make the cut.
Speaker 1: We'll seed your recipes and then we'll throw them into
Speaker 1: our Starch Madness bracket. Then you slices will vote on
Speaker 1: them via Instagram until we get a final four. I
Speaker 1: will make and post and eat the final four recipes
Speaker 1: and use my taste buds to choose a winner.
Speaker 2: So send us your recipes.
Speaker 1: People, We want to post the bracket next week and
Speaker 1: have final four votes in by March twenty eighth, So
Speaker 1: send them now, get them in. Think you got something
Speaker 1: that'll make my taste buds sing? Send it our way.
Speaker 1: And remember I'm a vegetarian, so if you want your
Speaker 1: recipe picked, you probably should pick something that doesn't have
Speaker 1: meat in it. Send those recipes to good Game at
Speaker 1: Wondermedia network dot com, or you can leave us a
Speaker 1: voicemail and talk about the recipe at eight seven two
Speaker 1: two oh four fifty seventy, and don't forget to subscribe,
Speaker 1: Rate and review.
Speaker 2: It's easy.
Speaker 1: Watch the really great news that we're gonna share with
Speaker 1: you soon, but not today. Rating ten out of ten Ooh,
Speaker 1: you're gonna love it. Review without giving anything away. What
Speaker 1: we've got for you is bright and colorful and potentially profane,
Speaker 1: but it's sure to put a smile on your face.
Speaker 1: It's something a lot of you have asked for and
Speaker 1: that we hope you'll be super stoked about. You can't
Speaker 1: get it anywhere else, and people who don't have it
Speaker 1: are going to be super jealous once you've got it. Oh,
Speaker 1: and it's not dangerous or illegal or part of a
Speaker 1: pyramid scheme at least not yet. Okay, that's it. Stay
Speaker 1: tuned for the big reveal on Monday. Now it's your turn,
Speaker 1: rate and review. Thanks for listening, See you next week.
Speaker 1: Good Game, Coach, Freeze, Good Game Potatoes, and other starches
Speaker 1: you The Day I Learned that corn Wasn't a vegetable.
Speaker 1: Good Game with Sarah Spain is an iHeart women's sports
Speaker 1: production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. You
Speaker 1: can find us on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or
Speaker 1: wherever you get your podcasts. Production by Wonder Media Network,
Speaker 1: our producers are Alex Azzie and Misha Jones. Our executive
Speaker 1: producers are Christina Everett, Jesse Katz, Jenny Kapla, and Emily Rutter.
Speaker 1: Our editors are Emily Rutter, Britney Martinez and Grace Lynch.
Speaker 1: Our associate producer is Lucy Jones and I'm your host
Speaker 1: Sarah Spain