Brenda Freee knows what she is doing in the transfer portal.
While other coaches have complained about this new era of college sports where players movement is much more fluid, the 54-Yare-year-old-year-old has mastered. In each of the past years, the old leader of the Maryland Terrapins has renewed its selection and transformed the road in the spring months and won with those players at a high level in the following season.
Take the 2022-23 campaign, for example. In that season outside the season, the sweet 16-Big ten talents such as Angel Reese and Ashley Owusu walked out, just like an important contribution Mimi Collins. Reloading Free Reload and Brouscht in Ivy League -Salting Abby Meyers and Brinae Alexander and Lavender Briggs to combine with Diamond Miller, Shyanne Sellers and Faith Masonius and stormed into the Elite Eight.
And the E and the Last year, where Fris had her selection with seven transfers in pocket, won 13 games in the Big Ten and went to Sweet 16 again, which Maryland took at least as far in the tournament for the 12th time in her career.
This outside season you have no different for the Terps. Even with the best lieutenant Karen Blair from Free to become the head coach at Georgia Tech, she and her employees quickly went to work in recruiting new players to Maryland via the transfer portal.
And on paper, at least, fores again collects a team that is able to make Sems a deep run in Marnge Madness.
On Friday, Maryland announced that the second -year transfer Oluchi Okanananwa had signed, who was a big reason why Duke would continue the year as a first -year student this season and this season was named ACC Tournament MVP after collecting 49 points, 20 Rebounds and seven assists in three games in three games.
“Fans must be really enthusiastic about Oluchi,” Free said in a statement. “Her IQ and athletics are high level. She is a dynamic player who will put qualities in our circumference that each team had loving. She will thrive in our up-tempo style, she can really go up and down and down and down and down and down down and down downwards Downstairs, can thrive.
Okananwa indeed achieved five points, three steals, two blocks, two assists and two rebounds in a loss for the Terps far back in November. She never started in two seasons for Duke with the Blue Devils, but in 71 games an average of 9.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.5 steals in 22 minutes per match while 47.5 percent of the floor and 32.4 percent shoot from 3-point country. She is often praised by coaches around the ACC for her relay effort, strong defense and talent for playing.
Okananwa is the newest addiction to an already impressive transfer class for Maryland.
Earlier this month, the Yarden Garzon of Indiana and Penn State Gracie Merkle joined the Terps, who brought each part to the team and IR their chances of winning great next season.
Garzon, at 6-foot-3 versatile wing from Israel, was three times all-Big Ten selection for the Hoisiers and an average of 12.4 points and 5.1 rebounds per match while 42.6 percent shot her career there. Last season she led Indiana in scoring and also gave a career best 3.2 assists per game too. Because of her shooting skills and the ability to monitor multiple positions, she was one of the more coveted players in the portal this spring.
Merkle is on 6-foot-6 Red shirt Junior that spent time in Penn State and Bellarmine. As a first -year student in Bellarmine, she led the nation in shooting percentage with a 70.2 percent of the floor. Last season for the Nittany Lions, she had an average of 15.5 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per match while she shot a large ten-best 67.1 percent of the floor. She was the Asun-smokie of the year in 2023 and an all-big ten selection this season.
While Shyanne Sellers – the driver of the Terps for the past seasons – is to the WNBA after being set up in the second round by the Golden State Valkyries, Okananwa, Garzon and Merkle will combine with a impressive recurring harvest of players for Maryland. That group includes Kaylene Smikle, Saylor Poffenbarger, Mir McLean, BR McDaniel and Allie Kubek. Five of the eight of the most important scorers from Maryland from the past season are back in black-red.
Free and her terps such as Big Transfer winners Portal. You are additions that can help them return to the last four for the first time since 2015.