Yet, no matter how many trophies and All-Americans the Terrapins produce down the road, they always will be trying to maintain or surpass a standard set by their Fab Four.
The first, great senior class under Frese soon will be departing. Starting with Saturday night’s game against fourth-seeded Vanderbilt in the semifinals of the Spokane Region, the Terrapins are four victories away from winning their second national title in the past three years.
Just like in 2006 when Maryland won it all, the Terrapins will rely on the cutthroat competitiveness of point guard Kristi Toliver and the smarts and versatility of forward Marissa Coleman — now its super juniors.
But expect the Terps to ride their four-corner foundation — seniors Crystal Langhorne, Laura Harper, Jade Perry and Ashleigh Newman — as far as it will pull them in their quest for another Final Four appearance in Tampa, Fla.
This is the core that turned things around in College Park under Frese, who is nearing the end of her sixth season. This is the foursome that vaulted the Terps into the national title picture, perhaps to stay, at least as long as Frese is around.
This is the group that has helped to author an amazing 116 victories, and counting.
“They’ve set the bar. They set the standard,” Frese said. “For every team that comes to Maryland now, the bar has been set really high.”
Langhorne and Harper have played the role of twin towers, pretty much since landing at Maryland, as scoring and rebounding machines. They will be among the first players chosen in the next WNBA draft.
Langhorne, the shy, unassuming center and National Player of the Year candidate, is the only men’s or women’s basketball player in Maryland history with 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds. She took the floor as a freshman with unusually polished post moves, has made a habit of playing bigger than her 6-foot-2 frame suggests she can, and routinely sinks two-thirds of her shots.
Harper, the rugged, 6-foot-4 sidekick, is the school’s fourth-leading rebounder and top shotblocker of all time. Only two players — Langhorne and former guard Shay Doron — have attempted more career free throws than Harper in Maryland history.
Perry and Newman, the team’s top backup forward and guard, were starters early in their Maryland careers. By going to the bench, they became symbols of relentless, successful recruiting by Frese. By accepting and thriving in their roles, they cemented the depth that makes a championship team complete.
The Terrapins’ 76-64 victory over eighth-seeded Nebraska in the second round put another spotlight on each of them. During a first half in which Maryland lost a 15-point lead and saw its shooting go south in the process, Perry and Newman were a perfect 5-of-5 from the field. Perry barely grazed the rim with her 4-of-4 shooting.
Toliver and Coleman, with 19 points apiece, were the main spark plugs that ignited the Terps down the stretch. Langhorne and Harper were the steadying hands all along, particularly Langhorne. In her last game at Comcast Center, she left fittingly with 18 points and 12 rebounds, her 59th career double-double and 15th this season.
If Maryland is the last team standing on April 8, Toliver and Coleman probably will be among the heroes who made it happen. Rest assured, the greatest senior class in school history will have something substantial to say about it.
Gary Lambrecht writes about the NFL, Major League Baseball and college sports. He can be reached at glambrecht@baltimoreexaminer.com.
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