After losing a pair to the WNBA and four to the transfer portal, head coach Brenda Frese has added more experience to next year’s roster after announcing two of the four recent portal commitments.
The program announced the addition of Kaylene Smikle (Rutgers) and Sarah Te-Biasu (VCU) on Wednesday.
Smikle, a 6-foot-guard, announced her transfer to Maryland last week. “Kaylene was someone we prioritized early on,” head coach Brenda Frese said via release. “We’ve seen firsthand what she can do in the Big Ten. As soon as she appeared in the portal, I reached out immediately. After talking to her and her family, I was even more excited to get them to Maryland. Families are a really important part of the equation for us. Kaylene will be a terrific fit. She is a tremendous scorer from outside and going to the hoop, she can play in transition and she’s terrific at getting steals. She is extremely competitive and driven. We’re really excited she’s a Terp.”
The rising junior proved herself as one of the best scoring guards in the Big Ten, notably earning All-Big Ten second team honors after averaging 17.9 points and 4.5 rebounds per game as a freshman. Her 573 total points set a new Rutgers freshman record, while also leading the team in threes made (56). Her sophomore season was derailed due to injuries, only appearing in 15 games while managing to score 20 or more points in six games.
Te-Biasu, a 5-foot-5 guard originally from Montreal, joins the program as the reigning A-10 player of the year after leading VCU to a program record 26 regular season wins. She became the first VCU player ever to win the award after posting 15.6 points per game, including 17.3 points per game through conference play.
“Sarah was the Atlantic 10 Player of the Year, which says a lot about her abilities. She’s going to bring some veteran leadership and experience to our backcourt. She can really score the ball and shoot it from three. She can create her own space to get her shot off. She’s very competitive and I’m excited to see what she can do with our players around her. We enjoyed getting to know Sarah, so it seemed like a great fit for all of us.”
Welcome to the #TerpFamily, @sarah_tb1!#TerpFamily 🐢 pic.twitter.com/PTWDTgbjQh
— Maryland Women’s Basketball (@TerpsWBB) April 24, 2024
Te-Biasu was named a two-time A-10 player of the week and was a two-time All-A-10 third team selection before her breakout senior year. She joins the program with one year of eligibility remaining.
While the program has not yet announced their additions, Frese has two more portal additions on the way with Saylor Poffenbarger (Arkansas) and Maye Toure (Rhode Island) in the fold.
Poffenbarger, a native of Maryland, averaged a double-double with the Razorbacks after posting 10.2 points and 11.2 rebounds last season – both career highs. She also holds the single-season defensive rebounding record and ends her time at Arkansas as the only player in program history to record 19 or more rebounds in four games.
Toure started in all 35 games as a senior and posted career highs in points (12.5) and rebounds (7.7) while shooting 42.6% from the field.
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