Kim Rodgers Helps Lead the Way for Maryland in NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament

Kim Rodgers had plenty of chances to smile during the ACC women's basketball tournament. But the Maryland redshirt freshman is stoic when she is on the court, so she remained stone-faced after every timely three-pointer -- and there were several -- that she hit over the course of the three games in Greensboro, N.C. Her expression didn't even change after she converted two pressure-packed free throws with 12.9 seconds left in overtime against Duke in the final, a 92-89 Terrapins victory.

"She hadn't played much during the season, and then she comes in and hits those big shots. You'd think she'd be happy about it and show some emotion!" said teammate Marissa Coleman, who is known for her exuberant personality. "I don't know what's wrong with her."

The 5-foot-9 guard averaged 10 points and shot 60 percent in the ACC tournament, and Coleman, who was named the most valuable player of the event, insists that Rodgers was "the real MVP of the tournament." Rodgers and fellow redshirt freshman Anjalé Barrett give the Terrapins some needed depth as they head into the NCAA tournament. Top-seeded Maryland hosts 16th-seeded Dartmouth in a South Region first-round game at Comcast Center today.

"Those guys haven't played a whole lot of minutes this season, but they work extremely hard in practice," senior guard Kristi Toliver said. "We know that we can always count on them when they come into the game to make big plays. . . . So we're very balanced. We have a lot of threats. But I guess our opponents don't necessarily know all of them because they just haven't played the minutes."

Rodgers played a total of 60 minutes and scored 43 points in 10 appearances during the regular season as she worked her way back from knee surgery and a preseason illness. She nearly equaled those totals in the ACC tournament, playing 52 minutes and scoring 30 points.

"I personally had a lot of doubt, of whether my game would ever be the same, whether my knees would ever be the same," said Rodgers, who wears a big black knee brace. "And then you just think about where you're going to fit in when you come back. It's difficult."

Rodgers had no such doubts when she came to Maryland as part of a highly rated recruiting class in the fall of 2007. She was a two-time Parade all-American, scored more than 1,800 points as a four-year starter at Princess Anne High in Virginia Beach and led her team to the Virginia AAA title as a sophomore.

Her senior season was cut short by a broken finger on her shooting hand, so she was eager to start playing at Maryland. But during a workout in August 2007, Rodgers tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee. She had surgery and spent the rest of the year rehabilitating alongside Barrett, who had torn her ACL a few months earlier.

Rodgers was dealt another setback at the start of this season, when doctors diagnosed mononucleosis and strep throat only days before practices began. She wasn't allowed to be in the gym, so the coaches sent her DVDs of practice to help her learn the plays.

Rodgers took part in her first full practice in early December, and she made her long-awaited debut in a blowout win at Loyola on Dec. 9. She made an immediate impression, hitting all four three-pointers she attempted, plus two free throws -- and true to her nature, she didn't crack a smile, even as her teammates celebrated every one of her shots.

"I felt kind of validated for a little bit," Rodgers said of the 14-point, 12-minute performance. "It boosted my confidence, knowing that I could still shoot, knowing that some parts of my game were still intact. It made me feel like things were going to be good this season."

But 12 days later, when Maryland faced Old Dominion in Norfolk -- a game that was scheduled, in part, as a homecoming for Rodgers -- she played only the final 11.7 seconds of the 74-65 victory. Physically, she wasn't quite ready to play in what turned out to be a tightly contested game. But it was hard for Rodgers to sit on the bench in front of dozens of family members and friends.

"That's the most frustrating thing: knowing almost what you used to be, compared to what you are now," Rodgers said. "The smallest setback can make all your accomplishments feel like they're nothing."

Rodgers continued to work, often taking part in extra conditioning sessions after practices, and appeared in a handful of games. In Maryland's ACC tournament quarterfinal against Wake Forest, she entered with 13 minutes left in the first half, the earliest she had appeared in any game this season.

During one two-minute stretch, she scored seven straight points. In the semifinals against North Carolina, she hit two three-pointers in the final minute of the first half, and also guarded Rashanda McCants, one of the most athletic players in the ACC.

Rodgers now is full of confidence and happy that she's finally able to play and contribute. But don't look for her to smile.

"My dad always taught me to have a poker face, so your opponent doesn't know what you're thinking, whether you're happy or sad," Rodgers said. "My teammates always joke and say that I don't have any emotions. That's just how I am."