Maryland women’s basketball facing offseason of upheaval with 3 players in transfer portal
It’s back to the drawing board in more ways than one for Maryland women’s basketball.
Not only do the Terps have to rebuild from a season with their fewest wins in two decades, but they also have to fill several holes on their roster.
Graduate student power forward Faith Masonius and freshmen shooting guards Summer Bostock and Riley Nelson have entered the transfer portal in the past week. Bostock announced her intention to transfer March 27, Masonius followed her Monday and Nelson reportedly joined them Tuesday.
Masonius, who shared her news on X, formerly Twitter, is the biggest loss for Maryland. She played in 68 games, including 51 starts, after tearing the ACL in her left knee midway through the 2021-22 season and averaged 6.7 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.1 steals over that span.
Terp Nation, thank you pic.twitter.com/132cnjK5RO
— Faith Masonius (@faithmasonius13) April 1, 2024
Masonius was roundly praised by coach Brenda Frese and her teammates for her perseverance in returning from the knee injury. They wished her luck and success as she seeks a new home for her final year of eligibility.
Bostock, a key member of the 2023 recruiting class, shared a post on X announcing her decision to enter the transfer portal. After joining the program for the spring semester last year, she appeared in 10 games and compiled 1.7 points and 1.5 rebounds per game.
Summer Bostock (@BostockSummer) enters the transfer portal. The 6-1 Forward was one of the best scorers in Toronto. Played AAU w/ Become One.
She brings a versatile skillset & will add depth to her next program.
: @TerpsWBB | #BTNScouting pic.twitter.com/gQwKDnk5mt
— BTN Scouting (@BTNScouting) March 30, 2024
Next Hoops was the first to report that Nelson would transfer. The former five-star recruit averaged 5.1 points and 1.3 rebounds in 16 games before tearing the ACL in her right knee in an 88-66 victory over Purdue on Jan. 14.
The departures of Masonius, Nelson and Bostock combined with the graduations of graduate student shooting guards Jakia Brown-Turner (13.5 points and 6.4 rebounds in 2023-24), Brinae Alexander (9.2 points and 2.8 rebounds) and Lavender Briggs (8.7 points and 5.0 rebounds) leave the Terps with three starters.
Junior point guard Shyanne Sellers (15.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 5.5 assists), sophomore shooting guard Bri McDaniel (12.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.7 steals) and redshirt junior power forward Allie Kubek (9.0 points and 4.0 rebounds) are expected to return. Freshman shooting guard Emily Fisher, who came off the bench to average 2.6 points and 2.8 rebounds in 33 games, could slide into a starting role.
The Terps welcome three highly touted incoming freshmen. Kyndal Walker, a 5-foot-9 guard at St. John’s, was The Washington Post’s All-Metro Player of the Year after averaging 16.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game while leading the Cadets to a 26-5 record and championships in both the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference and District of Columbia State Athletic Association tournaments this past winter.
Breanna Williams, a 6-2 forward, was recognized by Gatorade as Montana’s Player of the Year for the second consecutive season after amassing 23.9 points, 11.6 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 3.4 steals per game. She helped Skyview High capture the state championship.
Ava McKennie, a 6-2 wing at McDonogh, averaged 13.5 points, 9.3 rebounds and 4.0 steals while helping the Eagles win their third straight Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference title. McKennie, the sister of former Maryland football offensive lineman Ellis McKennie, was named to The Baltimore Sun’s All-Metro first team on Tuesday.
The Terps also welcome in junior college transfer Isi Ozzy-Momodu, a 6-3 power forward who played at Gulf Coast State in Panama City, Florida. She averaged 17.5 points and 12.1 rebounds this past season.
Maryland needs playmakers to rebound from an underwhelming 19-14 season that marked the program’s fewest wins since the 2003-04 squad went 18-13. The team’s 9-9 mark in the Big Ten was its first with a .500 or worse record in the conference since the 2009-10 squad finished 5-9 in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
The Terps finished tied for sixth with Penn State and Michigan in the Big Ten standings and earned an at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament after upsetting No. 1 seed Ohio State in the conference tournament quarterfinals. But as the No. 10 seed in March Madness, they were bounced from the first round by No. 7 seed Iowa State after squandering a 20-point second-quarter lead.