1. Coppin State looks to post the state's best record again. The Eagles were the state's only Division I team that didn't have a losing record last season, going 14-14 for coach Derek Brown. The state's nine Division I schools combined to produce a 91-164 record.

2. Is the Terps' Frese a turnaround artist? Brenda Frese is the third Maryland women's basketball coach in school history, and Terps fans hope she can duplicate the feat she pulled off at Minnesota last season, transforming an 8-20 team into one that went 22-8. But, she said, "We're going to have to use this year to teach and coach fundamentals with so many young, inexperienced players."

3. Freshmen continue to make a big impact. Teams can change their fortunes almost overnight by recruiting a blue-chip player. Morgan State's Tia Henry could be one of those freshman sensations.

4. Navy seeks a way to win the close ones. The Midshipmen were 3-5 in games that went down to the final possession and 3-6 in games decided by four points or fewer. Coach Joe Sanchez says it was mostly a case "of the ball not going in the basket on clutch shots." All five starters are back this season to try to turn around those disheartening numbers.

5. Local teams test out Comcast Center.

The Greyhounds women will get to play a regular-season game at the new arena before the Maryland men do, taking on the Terps tonight at their luxurious home. UMES is one of four teams in the Terrapin Classic next week, though the Hawks aren't guaranteed a game against the Terps. UMBC and Coppin are scheduled to play Maryland next month.

6. The Mount's Foster hopes to emerge as a dominant force. Beth Foster, a 6-foot junior forward, averaged 15.8 points and 10.0 rebounds last season for Mount St. Mary's. She was No. 18 in the country among Division I rebounders and could develop into a nationally recognized player. Foster was a preseason choice for the All-Northeast Conference first team.

7. Cage tries to hit the turnaround at Loyola. Candace Cage, in her second season as Greyhounds coach, says it will take her three years to build a winner. She has developed a lot of recruiting contacts as the daughter of the late Ernie Cage, who was a basketball star at DeMatha, played at Mount St. Mary's and was an Atlantic Coast Conference basketball official.

8. Towson's Mia Chapman seeks to go out in style. It's painful to see Mia Chapman, who starred at nationally recognized Elizabeth Seton High in Bladensburg, go through a 2-26 season as she did last season with the Tigers. The senior guard can be a far better performer than the one who averaged 9.8 points in 2001-02.

9. Morgan State looks up from 1-27. New coach Angelyne Brown, always a winner at the Division II level, is prepared to face some lean years with the Bears. But maybe she'll strike lightning in a bottle the way first-year coach Donald Hill-Eley has with the long-dormant Morgan football team.

10. UMBC gets a 'family' helping. It might be easier for new coach Phil Stern to sell his players on his "We Are Family" philosophy than on his deliberate Princeton-style offense. Yawn. At least Stern figures to liven up the Retriever Activities Center Arena with his sideline antics.

Coppin State

Coach: Derek Brown, 4th season at Coppin (35-40)

Affiliation: Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference

2001-02 record: 14-14 (12-6 MEAC)

Arena: Coppin Center (1,720)

Consensus MEAC favorite: Howard

Consensus Coppin prediction: 5th

Starters lost: 1

Outlook: Brown likes reminding his players how much they accomplished last season, telling them they were the state's only Division I women's team to have a .500 record. The Eagles were supposed to be an also-ran in the MEAC but rose to fifth place. LaKesha Wills, then a sophomore, was the driving force behind that surprising Coppin run, which tied school records for conference wins (12) and conference road wins (six). Wills will be out this season to improve upon her team-leading averages of 12.5 points a game and 6.3 rebounds a game.

Returning players

Name Yr. Ht. Pos.

Shequra Dickerson Sr. 6-1 F-C

Leisel Harry Jr. 6-3 C

Monique Lewis So 5-7 G

Denita Plain So. 5-6 G

Antoinette Reese Jr. 5-11 G-F

Shamara Singleterry Sr. 5-8 G

Courtni Strickland So. 5-11 G

LaKesha Wills Jr. 5-11 F-C

Newcomers

Traci Abraham Fr. 6-2 C-F

Shaunita Middleton Fr. 5-7 G

Sherrie Tucker Fr. 5-10 F

Ashelley Wilder Fr. 6-0 F-C

Donna Williams So. 5-11 F

Loyola

Coach: Candace Cage, 2nd season at Loyola (12-15)

Affiliation: Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference

2001-02 record: 12-17 (5-13 MAAC)

Arena: Reitz Arena (3,000)

Consensus MAAC favorite: Siena

Consensus Loyola prediction: 5th

Starters lost: 1

Outlook: The veteran-oriented team could do a lot of damage in the MAAC if the four returning starters get help from a highly regarded freshman class. The Greyhounds, led by senior guard Jennifer Mitchell and senior center Katie Netherton, will live by the transition game. Cage will often use four guards and Netherton in an attempt to wear down taller opponents.

Returning players

Name Yr. Ht. Pos.

Lindsay Cobb Jr. 5-8 G

Shannon Kelleher So. 5-7 G

Amy Dessart Mager Sr. 6-0 G-F

Jennifer Mitchell Sr. 6-0 G

Katie Netherton Sr. 6-2 C

Robbyn Poole So. 6-2 C

Shontrese Smith Sr. 5-8 G

Newcomers

Krystle Harrington Fr. 5-5 G

Jillian Henn Fr. 5-8 G

Kerri-Lynn Orsini Fr. 5-9 G

Kate Scherle Fr. 6-2 C

Lauren Troupe Fr. 6-0 F

Jackie Valderas Fr. 6-0 F

UMBC

Coach: Phil Stern, 1st season at UMBC, sixth overall (94-72)

Affiliation: Northeast Conference

2001-02 record: 12-15 (8-10 NEC)

Arena: Retriever Activities Center Arena (4,000)

Consensus NEC favorite: St. Francis (Pa.)

Consensus UMBC prediction: 9th

Starters lost: 1

Outlook: Stern rejuvenated programs at Dowling and South Carolina-Aiken, but he faces a difficult task at UMBC, which has little basketball tradition. He also has been hurt by getting a late start; he wasn't hired until August. There was also a costly summer injury to NEC All-Rookie guard-forward Matea Pender, who is lost for the season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament. That puts more pressure on Jessie Brown, a two-time All-NEC pick, as she moves from point guard to shooting guard in Stern's Princeton-style offense.

Returning players

Name Yr. Ht. Pos.

Jessie Brown Sr. 5-6 G

Christine Catalanotto So. 5-8 G

Tiffany Coll Sr. 5-11 F

Millette Green Sr. 5-11 F-G

Shalayna Johnson Sr. 5-9 G

Lara Seamon So. 5-11 C-F

Newcomers

Maria Brown Fr. 5-8 G

Anastasia Goncharova So. 6-0 G

Mariana Santos Jr. 5-9 G

Erin Voss Fr. 6-0 F

UMES

Coach: Surina Dixon, 3rd season at UMES (17-40)

Affiliation: Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference

2001-02 record: 12-17 (8-10 MEAC)

Arena: Hytche Athletic Center (3,500)

Consensus MEAC favorite: Howard

Consensus UMES prediction: 8th

Starters lost: 2

Outlook: The Hawks made a major improvement from a 5-23 record in Dixon's first season, but UMES isn't expected to get significantly better in 2002-03. To do so, the team will have to cut way down on a whopping 27 turnovers a game it committed last season. Newcomer Tiffany Winkfield, a junior forward-center, could become an impact player. Returning players

Name Yr. Ht. Pos.

Antoinette Davis Sr. 6-3 C

Neferteria Franklin Sr. 6-0 F

Tekeya Gooden Jr. 5-6 G

Kimberly Martin Jr. 5-7 G

Chikwue Okaro So. 6-2 F

Zereena Stevens Sr. 6-2 C

Paula Tucker Jr. 6-0 F

Newcomers

Rachel Goodwin Fr. 5-7 G

Ckyla Grays Jr. 5-5 G

Rene Wallace So. 5-6 G

Tiffany Winkfield Jr. 6-2 F-C

Morgan State

Coach: Angelyne Brown, 1st season at Morgan, 9th overall (151-99)

Affiliation: Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference

2001-02 record: 1-27 (1-17 MEAC)

Arena: Hill Field House (5,000)

Consensus MEAC favorite: Howard

Consensus Morgan prediction: 11th

Starters lost: 4

Outlook: Brown's plans to instill a winning attitude took a hit when freshman backup point guard Renee' Robinson suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in the Bears' first exhibition game. "There must be a voodoo spell over me. My plan never included this," said Brown, who comes to Morgan from Division II Clark Atlanta, where she had a 151-99 record in eight years. "I hope to put a representative team on the floor in every game." Returning players

Name Yr. Ht. Pos.

Erinn Coleman Jr. 5-11 G-F

Courtney Cox So. 5-8 G

Allayne Jackson So. 5-11 G

Christina Johnson So. 6-0 F

Courtlynn Murphy So. 6-1 F-C

Ashley Warrick So. 5-7 G

Mikea Williams So. 5-11 F

Newcomers

Collea Carter Fr. 5-11 G-F

Tamara Hauley Fr. 5-9 G

Tia Henry Fr. 5-11 F

Renee' Robinson Fr. 5-9 G

Lisa Turner Fr. 5-9 G

Jennyffer Vargas Fr. 6-1 F-C

Mount St. Mary's

Coach: Vanessa Blair, 5th season at the Mount (68-46)

Affiliation: Northeast Conference

2001-02 record: 12-16 (9-9 NEC)

Arena: Knott Arena (3,000)

Consensus NEC favorite: St. Francis (Pa.)

Consensus Mount prediction: Tie for 6th

Starters lost: 1

Outlook: The Mount suffered its first losing season since 1976-77, but the fall from grace is expected to be a temporary one. Beth Foster was 18th nationally in rebounding with a 10.0 average, and Myriam Baccouche was 19th nationally in three-point shooting with 2.74 a game. Those two stars combined to average 28.4 points. "We're going as far as our defense takes us," Blair said.

Returning players

Name Yr. Ht. Pos.

Ravilia Alexander Sr. 5-9 G

Myriam Baccouche Jr. 5-10 G-F

Andrea Bogart Sr. 5-10 G-F

Beth Foster Jr. 6-0 F

Adrienne Harris Jr. 5-4 G

Jamie Hegge Sr. 6-2 C

Jess Lilly Sr. 5-11 G-F

Janet Ust So. 5-5 G

Rebecca Wike So. 6-0 F

Newcomers

Lilka Adams Fr. 6-2 C

Brooke Blain Fr. 5-10 G

Samira Rashid Fr. 5-5 G

Sacha Simms Fr. 5-9 G

Navy

Coach: Joe Sanchez, 9th season at Navy (125-100), 25th overall (432-274)

Affiliation: Patriot League

2001-02 record: 13-15 (5-9 Patriot)

Arena: Alumni Hall (5,710)

Consensus Patriot favorite: Holy Cross

Consensus Navy prediction: 5th

Starters lost: 0

Outlook: If ever there were a team primed for a league championship run, it's this one. Five starters and 10 letter-winners return from a squad that would have finished 19-9 had it pulled out the six games it lost by four points or fewer. "We can go at least two deep at every position without losing much," Sanchez said. "This is the deepest team I've had here." The Mids are led by one of the league's top backcourts with point guard Maile Shimoda and shooting guard Courtney Davidson.

Returning players

Name Yr. Ht. Pos.

Abi Campbell So. 5-10 F

Nikki Curtis So. 6-0 F

Courtney Davidson Jr. 5-10 G

Juliann Flacke Sr. 6-0 C

Bryanna Herring Jr. 6-0 F-C

Alison Luchsinger Jr. 5-9 G

Kate Maslowski Jr. 6-2 C

Adrienne Roseti Jr. 6-1 F-C

Lisa Steinmetz Sr. 5-9 G

Maile Shimoda Jr. 5-7 G

Newcomers

Danielle Darby Fr. 5-8 G

Ashley Pelzek Fr. 5-10 G

Caroline Seider Fr. 5-5 G

Lauren Skrel Fr. 5-7 G

Would you mind checking to see if we did the resend correctly. I followed directions to "Checking to see if stories have been sent by Mediatream" in the Blue CRT book for date 11/20 (but not for 21st) and got Total files transfered 431and 30 pages of sent files.

Towson

Coach: Joe Mathews, 2nd season at Towson (2-26)

Affiliation: Colonial Athletic Association

2001-02 record: 2-26 (1-17 CAA)

Radio: WTMD (89.7 FM)

Arena: Towson Center (5,000)

Consensus CAA favorite: Old Dominion

Consensus Towson prediction: 10th

Starters lost: 2

Outlook: The Tigers moved into a tougher conference last season in their first year under a new coach, and it showed. Mathews' goal for 2002-03 is simple: "I want to be the most improved team in the conference." Towson needs to take better advantage of Mia Chapman. "Mia is a terrific shooter," Mathews said. "She had to create her own shot too often last year. We're planning to get her more good shots out of the offense." Returning players

Name Yr. Ht. Pos.

Mia Chapman Sr. 5-5 G

Armina Fazlic So. 6-2 F

Sandi Haefner Sr. 5-11 F-G

Kyva Jones Sr. 6-0 F

Julie Russell Sr. 5-11 F

Kelli Talbot So. 5-9 F-G

Newcomers

Erin Gaston Fr. 6-1 C

Tina Hopkins Fr. 6-0 F

LaShay Rose Fr. 5-5 G

LaTanya West Fr. 5-7 G