After the Maryland women’s basketball team brought in the No. 1 recruiting class last year, Brenda Frese’s squad got a got a big boost for its 2018 recruiting class Sunday night when 6-foot-5 post player Shakira Austin committed to the Terps.
Austin, who attends Colonial Forge in Stafford, Virginia, is the fifth-ranked player in the class of 2018, according to ESPN.
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Austin, who plays her AAU ball for the Boo Williams program, had a slew of other offers, according to ESPN, and had visited Georgetown, West Virginia and Virginia Tech before giving Maryland her verbal commitment.
“I didn’t know I was going to do it,” Austin told ESPN. “But I built a relationship with the coaches and I have a comfort level with Maryland, and it happened.”
Maryland already has a verbal commitment from Ohio native point guard Taylor Mikesell, ranked 22nd in ESPN’s recruiting rankings and a member of the USA U17 National Team.
Both are important players for Maryland, whose 2017 recruiting class contains no ESPN top-100 recruits, with signing day just days away. Last year, the Terps added six players, five of whom were ranked in ESPN’s top 100, including No. 7 Destiny Slocum and two others in the top 25.
Slocum and guard Kaila Charles (No. 22) have started every game for the Terps in their freshman seasons.
Maryland’s roster currently has six juniors and seniors compared to nine underclassmen.
