Maryland Women Basketball: Terps lose Shakira Austin and Olivia Owens via transfer

Two Maryland Women Basketball players set to transfer in Shakira Austin and Olivia Owens. How will the Terps move on from this/

Maryland Women Basketball continued its recent run as being one of the best teams in the nation under head coach Brenda Frese. With the coronavirus doing its thing, Maryland was unable to compete for a national title in 2019-20, but that shouldn’t take away from the team’s accomplishments.

The Terrapins finished the campaign ranked fourth in the nation with a 28-4 record, marking the 16th straight year that they have won 20 or more games. The Terps also claimed at least a share of the Big Ten regular-season crown for a second successive season and won the conference tournament tire for the first time since 2017. They have also finished ranked in the top 25 in 10 consecutive seasons.

If Maryland is going continue its recent run in 2020-21, the Terps have some major roster retooling to do. The Terrapins knew that they would lose third-team All-American selection Kaila Charles along with fellow seniors Blair Watson, Stephanie Jones, and Sara Vujacic. Watson was an All-Big Ten honorable mention and All-Big Ten Defensive Team choice this past season. While Jones was a second-team all-conference selection, and Vujacic provided shooting off the bench.

Now, in addition to those losses, Frese has to replace rising star Shakira Austin. Austin took a massive step in her development on the offensive end in her second season with the Terps, topping the 20-point plateau four times and finishing second on the team in scoring at 12 points a game while shooting 50.9% from the field. The 2020 second-team all-conference member produced six double-doubles and led the team with 41 blocks while also finishing second on the club in rebounds (6.8) as well as steals (57).

The 6-5 sophomore’s announcement to enter the transfer portal came a day after 6-4 sophomore center Olivia Owens decided to leave College Park. Owens was sidelined the entire 2019-20 campaign as a result of mononucleosis and will have three years of eligibility remaining. She saw sparse time as a freshman and averaged 1.5 points and 1.3 rebounds over five minutes of action in 16 games.

“We wish Shakira and Olivia all the best as they look for new opportunities,” Frese said in a statement. “We are grateful for their hard work and their time here with our Maryland family. They contributed to championships here at Maryland, and those memories will last a lifetime.”

Maryland will enter the 2020-21 season with just one returning starter, 5-11 sharpshooting guard Taylor Mikesell (11.2 ppg, 2.8 3pters, 42.5 3-pt%). However, Big Ten freshman of the year Ashley Owusu (12.0 ppg, 5.4 apg, 3.8 rpg), Diamond Miller (7.7 ppg, 3.2 rpg), and Faith Masonius are also expected to return. The Terps should have freshman Zoe Young and junior Channise Lewis along with Mimi Collins available as well. Young and Lewis sat out this past year with injuries.

Meanwhile, Collins missed the season after transferring from Tennessee. Additionally, Maryland has signed 2020 five-star wing Angel Rees, who is ranked as the second-best prospect in the nation by ESPN.