Saylor Poffenbarger fulfills a lifelong dream playing for Maryland women’s basketball

Saylor Poffenbarger was three years old when her family took a trip to Georgia to see her grandparents. Mountains surrounded their condo complex, the perfect backdrop for a walk she would take around the parking lot. On this walk she brought two basketballs and, to her mother’s excitement, started to bounce both at the same time. “She could dribble two basketballs at the same time, at the age of three,” Amy Poffenbarger said. “It was easy for her.” Now, the once-impressive 3-year-old is closing out her college basketball career at Maryland, a dream that means everything to the little girl in her. While Maryland women’s basketball coach Brenda Frese offered Saylor Poffenbarger a scholarship in the seventh grade, she didn’t begin her college career as a Terp. Poffenbarger committed to UConn in 2019. The school’s legacy and the opportunity at hand made for an appealing offer. That same school year, COVID-19 suspended play for Poffenbarger’s high school basketball team. She spent her free time in the gym. With a full-size basketball court in her childhood home, she had every reason to keep playing. But the fatigue hit hard. Life had never been so slow for Poffenbarger. Growing up in a household with her brothers, sporting events were a constant. She wasn’t used to having mental energy at the end of the day. “When it became very hyper-fixated on just basketball, it was tough for me,” Poffenbarger said. “Then when I went to UConn, I wasn’t mentally in a spot to be pushed. When you go to that level, the discipline is insane, and you’re going to get pushed in ways you’ve never played basketball before.” Coupled with the transition to college, the teenager was faced with adult decisions. Through the process, she gained confidence. Leaving UConn after one year was an independent decision. [Diggy Coit scores career-high in Maryland men’s basketball’s 95-90 overtime win over Mount St. Mary’s] “She did everything,” Amy Poffenbarger said. “I volunteered to come up and sit in the office [at UConn] with her, and she was like, ‘No, I got this, mom, I got it.’ And at that point, I remember just thinking, ‘Wow, that’s impressive.’” Poffenbarger said she is fueled by her loved ones. When she entered the transfer portal, she was able to start again, this time with someone who reminded her of home. Lacey Goldwire, Arkansas’ assistant coach, is Amy Poffenbarger’s goddaughter. The personal connection was comfortable for Poffenbarger, and she poured herself into the team. “I think reconnecting with me after she went into the portal made sense,” Goldwire said. “It was a place that she was familiar with. It just kind of clicked.” Poffenbarger redshirted her first year at Arkansas. She played the next two years under Goldwire and head coach Mike Neighbors. She was named SEC Freshman of the Week five times as a redshirt freshman, a program record. As a redshirt sophomore, she started in 30 games and led the team in rebounds. But the experience meant just as much to Poffenbarger off the court. Her motivation came back extra workouts were self-initiated. She said she found her identity outside of basketball. Basketball is rooted in the Poffenbarger family. Her mother played collegiate basketball at Missouri and spent many years coaching a young Poffenbarger. When asked at what point Amy Poffenbarger saw her daughter develop her own basketball identity, she joked, “When she started coaching me.” “In fifth or sixth grade, she would come home. she would tell me different things at practice that she might want to do, and then she could analyze the game,” Amy Poffenbarger said. “At that point, I realized if this is what she truly enjoys, she could be good at this.” [5-star forward Baba Oladotun commits to Maryland men’s basketball] But even her basketball identity doesn’t stray far from her family. Poffenbarger wears the number six in honor of her late brother, Fordham, who died at 4 years old. She said that he would have been an athlete, and she feels grateful to be able to play in his name. “Anytime I take the court, I think about him,” Poffenbarger said. “I get to represent him. I get to do it for him. It gives me extra purpose on the days that are tougher.” In 2024, Poffenbarger transferred from Arkansas to Maryland to play for Frese. With the Middletown, Maryland native close to home, her family and friends have been able to watch her confidence grow. “Going back to UMD now, I think that she looks confident,” Goldwire said. “I think Brenda uses her really well to her strengths.” Once a little girl playing at Maryland camps, Poffenbarger said she has always known Maryland would put her in a position for success. Her appreciation for Maryland was shaped as a little girl and now that her name is on the roster, she makes sure she doesn’t take any moment for granted. This is Poffenbarger’s final year playing college basketball. While she’s sinking threes against Princeton and putting up double digit points, she is determined to remain present in every moment, she said. “Basketball goes a long way, but it also stops bouncing,” Poffenbarger said.
https://dbknews.com/2025/11/20/maryland-basketball-saylor-poffenbarger-brenda-frese/