Frese Signs No. 1 Recruiting Class in the Nation
11/9/2006 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 9, 2006
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Maryland head coach Brenda Frese has followed up a national championship season and four-straight top-10 recruiting classes with signing the No. 1 recruiting class in the nation, according to the All-Star Girls Report. With the signing period in full swing, Frese has announced that high school seniors Anjale Barrett, Drey Mingo, Katheryn Lyons, Kim Rodgers and Marah Strickland have signed National Letters of Intent to play for the Terrapins beginning the fall of 2007.
"We are ecstatic about signing another potentially dominant class who will be able to continue to uphold the tradition that has been established here at Maryland," said Frese. "Each one of these players comes from a winning background and as we have gotten to know them and their families through the recruiting process, we know we are bringing in great people, as well."
Frese's fifth recruiting class at Maryland features four players who are rated among the top 20 high school seniors in the nation in various publications, with all five earning a top 50 ranking.
"Anjale has grown up around the game and has good game IQ, essential for a point guard," said Frese. "She plays with some flash, is very quick and is fun to watch. She can be a tremendous playmaker who will keep our team in the `up-tempo' mode we like to play. I think Anjale also has the potential to become a tremendous defender."
A 5-9 point guard and ranked 11th overall in the nation, Anjale Barrett is a three-time Street & Smith's Honorable Mention All-American, averaging 20 points, eight rebounds, six assists and four steals as a junior at St. Michael Academy in New York City. Barrett was named a Freshman All-American team by USA Today at the conclusion of her rookie campaign. She later was selected to the all-state team twice and was an AGS All-American Camp All-Star from 2004-06. Barrett's family is filled with basketball talent. Her older brother, Andre, is a member of the Chicago Bulls and was a standout player at Seton Hall University prior to going to the professional ranks.
"People at Drey's high school could not say enough wonderful things about her and we feel very fortunate she chose Maryland," said Frese. "She is an excellent student and is a dynamic frontcourt player who is competitive and will fit right in with our current group. She's also going to surprise people with how well she can shoot the ball."
Drey Mingo was invited to tryout with the Under-18 USA Basketball team over the summer. Rated the 16th-best player in the country and sixth-best forward, the 6-foot-2 post player led Marist High in Atlanta to its first-ever state tournament appearance last season, averaging 16 points, nine rebounds and three blocks per game. She was first team all-state twice and the AAA co-Player of the Year as a sophomore, while also being named Northside Conference Player of the Year as a junior. Mingo has been an honor roll or dean's list student since grade school and was recently inducted into the National Honor Society. She was voted Best All-Around by her classmates.
"Katheryn, who chose Maryland as a sophomore and is in the running for class Valedictorian, is a winner and true team player. As a junior, she led her high school team to an undefeated season and state championship. She is a combo guard who loves to get her teammates involved in the game and is unselfish. She fits the profile of our team perfectly."
A two-time Street & Smith's Honorable Mention All-American, Katheryn Lyons from Kernersville, N.C., led Bishop McGuiness High to a 31-0 record and a top-25 national ranking by USA Today last year, garnering Northwest 1A Conference Player of the Year honors. The 5-foot-10 guard, who averaged 17.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 5.6 steals per game, was also the Winston-Salem Journal's, Greensboro News & Record's and the High Point Enterprise's High School Player of the Year after her junior campaign. Lyons is a three-time first team all-state selection by NCPreps.com and was the Most Valuable Player of the state tournament championship game after she was named the West Regional State Tournament MVP. A three-time first team all-conference pick, she has scored 1,297 points in her first three seasons at Bishop McGuiness. Lyons' statistics in the classroom are just as impressive. She currently ranks second in her class with a 4.83 grade point average, is a member of the National Honor Society and is the youngest member to ever be selected to serve on the Kernersville Town and Parks Advisory Board.
"A legit three-point threat who will bolster the backcourt, Kim is a physically strong player who has competed at high levels the past three years and has done well for herself. She will fit right in with our team concept and will contribute all over the court. Kim is also an excellent student who has been named to the honor roll."
Kim Rodgers is rated No. 17 in the country among high school seniors. A 5-9 guard from Virginia Beach, Va., she was named third team Parade All-American in 2006 and a Street & Smith's Honorable Mention All-American for the second time. A member of the basketball team at Princess Anne High School, Rodgers was a Student Sports Junior All-American and an Honorable Mention All-South selection by the Orlando Sentinel. She earned a number of accolades at the conclusion of her junior campaign, including AP AAA first team all-state. Following a campaign where she averaged 17 points, five rebounds, four assists and five steals per game, Rodgers was selected Beach District and VHSL Eastern Region Player of the Year for the second-straight year as a junior, while being named All-Tidewater Player of the Year for the first time. In the previous season, she was an AAU Under-16 All-American and participated in the Nike Skills Academy. She was an End of the Trail All-Tournament honoree in 2005 and 2006 and, this summer, Rodgers was named the Boo Williams Invitational Most Valuable Player for the second-straight year.
"Marah is one of the best perimeter scorers in her class. She has the ability to be effective against anyone in the country. She can already hurt opponents in a variety of ways, and with her devotion to the game, she should only get better. Marah is another honor roll student."
A local product, 2006 Baltimore Sun Player of the Year Marah Strickland is the younger sister of former Terrapin great Marché Strickland (1999-2002). The highest rated player in Frese's recruiting class and ranked ninth in the country, the 5-10 guard averaged 22 points and 10 rebounds as a junior at Towson Catholic in Baltimore, Md., and was the Most Valuable Player of the End of the Trail Tournament in Oregon at the end of that summer. Marah was a Street & Smith second team All-American in last season, after garnering honorable mention nods twice. She was also a USA Today Sophomore and Junior All-American and was an adidas Top Ten Camp Underclass All-Star in 2002 and 2003. Heading into her senior year, she's been tabbed a preseason All-American by HoopGurlz.com after also earning Student Sports Junior All-American honors. Strickland's work rate in the classroom is equally notable as she boasts a 4.2 grade point average and is a member of the National Honor Society.
Largely regarded as one of the top recruiting coaches in the nation, Frese has brought a wealth of talent to College Park since arriving in April of 2002. Her first recruiting class at Maryland was ranked 10th in the nation, while the current junior class came to campus as the second-best in the nation. The current sophomore class was rated fourth in the nation and this season's newest class was ranked seventh.
Maryland, who has earned preseason No. 1 rankings in the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today Coaches polls, opens the 2006-07 campaign on Friday, Nov. 10 at Middle Tennessee State. The national champion Terps make their home debut on Sunday, Nov. 12 against George Mason at 2 p.m.
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