Brenda Frese, Maryland sign nation’s top recruiting class

COLLEGE PARK, MD - JANUARY 04: Head coach Brenda Frese of the Maryland Terrapins watches the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Xfinity Center on January 4, 2018 in College Park, Maryland. (Photo by G Fiume/Maryland Terrapins/Getty Images)
COLLEGE PARK, MD - JANUARY 04: Head coach Brenda Frese of the Maryland Terrapins watches the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Xfinity Center on January 4, 2018 in College Park, Maryland. (Photo by G Fiume/Maryland Terrapins/Getty Images)

A loaded Maryland team is going to be even better next year.

The Maryland Terrapins signed the number one recruiting class in the country for the 2019-20 season. This is the thirteenth top 10 recruiting class signed by Frese in her 17 years at Maryland. It is also the second time the Terps sign the top overall class in its history (2016).

Let’s take a look at who’s coming to College Park.

Guard Ashley Owusu (Woodbridge, Va.), guard Diamond Miller (Somerset, N.J.), guard Zoe Young (Des Moines, Iowa) and forward Faith Masonius (Manasquan N.J.) are all five star recruits that make up the second number one class signed in program history. All four of the signees are also ranked in ESPN top 100 list.

Maryland head coach Brenda Frese didn’t hesitate to express her joy.

“This 2019 class is one we are really excited about,” Frese said in a press release Wednesday. “There’s a lot to like with four versatile players that have each won a lot of games. Like any class, it was years in the making. First, we identify them, we evaluate and then we get to know them and their families to see if they are a fit. I really want to thank our staff and team for the incredible job they did throughout the process.”

Faith Masonius is the number 10 overall wing by ESPN and averaged 18.7 points and 10.2 rebounds per game as a junior last year. She also reached 1,000 career points as a junior last season.

Local native Ashley Owusu is the number one point guard by ESPN and is also on the ESPN Player of the Year Watch List. This is a big get for the Terrapins, as another player from the metropolitan area will play for Frese and company. Owusu will join other locals Kaila Charles and Shakira Austin.

Diamond Miller is ranked number 18 overall and the number six guard by ESPN. She is currently the leading scorer in Franklin High School’s history and is just 320 points from 2000 in her career with 1,680.

Then there’s Zoe Young from Des Moines, Iowa. Ranked the number 22 overall player by Blue Star and the number 30 overall player/number nine guard by ESPN, Young is the first player to sign from Brenda Frese’s home state of Iowa, which offered some additional benefits to Frese.

“It was nice when I would go to watch her play, to see the family connection and bring my family members along too,” she said.