Senior center/forward Crystal Langhorne of the University of Maryland has had an incredible career, with the upside still ahead. Called a "winner" by her college coach, Brenda Frese, Langhorne has been one of the many keys to the success enjoyed by the Terrapins over the past four years, including the 2006 national championship.

The only multiple All-American women's basketball player in school history, she has led the nation in field goal percentage the past two years (.670, .707). At 6-2, she is Maryland's all-time rebounder. Currently, she holds the ACC and school records for career field goal percentage (.654), after setting the single-season conference record in 2007 (.707). Langhorne was named the U19 USA tri-captain and MVP in 2005. Last summer, she helped the U21 USA team win a gold medal. She is a communications major at Maryland.

A graduate of Willingboro (NJ) High School, she was considered the top post player in the country in the Class of 2004. She was a two-time New Jersey State Gatorade Player of the Year, and was named to the USA Today All-USA first team as a senior. A three-time all-state player, she scored 2,776 points during her scholastic career.

Gball: Early season polls had the Terrapins ranked in the top 5. How do you feel about that ranking?
Langhorne: We're really excited about it because we have been right up there so many times that it shows what kind of team we have had consistently here at Maryland.

Gball: You are third in Maryland all-time scoring, and are the top rebounder in the history of the school. Does either one of these mean more to you than the other?
Langhorne: Not really. Both are important parts of the game, and as long as I can contribute to the program, that is what I feel is best.

Gball: Last year you set a single-season Atlantic Coast Conference record for field goal percentage. What have you done during your career to make you such a great shooter in leading the country in that category over the past two seasons?
Langhorne: Everybody knows that I like to play around the rim. This enables me to take good shots. It also helps to have good teammates that get you the ball down underneath, and you have the opportunity to take these high percentage shots.

Gball: What has been the highlight of your basketball-playing career so far?
Langhorne: Certainly winning the national championship in 2006. I don't think anything can top that.

Gball: In addition to excelling on the basketball court, you also do a great job in the classroom as witnessed by you being named Academic All-America. How do you combine the two to enable you to do well on and off the court?
Langhorne: Time management is the key to accomplishing this. It is stressed to us by our coaches that we need to work hard in both areas, so we must pay particular attention to how we manage our time.

Gball: College athletes spend much time on the road for games. How do you make up for that lost time as far as your bookwork is concerned?
Langhorne: When we're not on the road, I try to get a lot of work done when we have days off. When we go on the road, I try to get some work done in the hotel.

Gball: What words of advice would you have for youngsters with aspirations of playing college ball?
Langhorne: Work hard on both your academics and your basketball.

Gball: You had a fantastic high school career at Willingboro in New Jersey. How did your scholastic career prepare you for college ball?
Langhorne: We played a lot of top competition in high school, especially in tournaments. And of course playing AAU ball really helped me out a lot.

Gball: Looking at your personal life, who has been the biggest influence in your basketball development?
Langhorne: I really can't name any one person. Certainly my high school coaches played a big part, but I also must give credit to my AAU coaches who did such a great job in preparing me for the next level.

Gball: Any thoughts on playing in the WNBA?
Langhorne: It's definitely a place I want to go to, and it would be a great experience to play in the WNBA. To play with the top players in the world, it would be a great accomplishment for myself.

Gball: After your basketball playing days are over, what career plans to you have?
Langhorne: I would like to go into sports commentating. That would be a fantastic thing to do.

Interview conducted by Gball Editor Dave Wohlhueter


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