COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Head coach Brenda Frese and the Big Ten champion Maryland women's basketball team signed McDonald's All-American guard Ieshia (ay-EEE-sha) Small from Baylor Tuesday. Small will transfer to the Terrapins with two years of eligibility remaining.
Small, originally from Miami, Fla., attended Florida State University High School in Tallahassee, where she averaged 25.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 5.0 steals per game as a senior. The 6-foot wing was named a McDonald's All-American and the Florida Gatorade Player of the Year in 2013. Small was ranked No. 19 overall and the No. 3 wing in the country by ESPN HoopGurlz.
"Ieshia is a winner through and through,” Frese said. “We recruited Ieshia when she played for Essence Girls Basketball on the AAU circuit and we thought she was a perfect fit back then for our style of play, our program and the selflessness of how we do things.
“Getting to bring her to campus reinforced our beliefs of what we already knew. Ieshia is a versatile player that can help in multiple areas on both ends of the floor. She will provide veteran leadership and experience to our team as well. Everyone around her has said what a great young lady she is. I'm excited to coach her and I think her potential is untapped. Her future is extremely bright.”
Small was named Preseason Big 12 Freshman of the Year in 2013 and saw time in 65 games with the Bears. She will sit out the 2015-16 season due to NCAA transfer rules.
“I decided that Maryland was the place for me because I really liked the teammates there. They were really accepting of me right away,” Small said. “Coach Frese showed me that she was truly a player's coach. I love that about her and she's a family woman. Family comes first to her. She showed she believed in me as a person.”
Small is the 17th McDonald's All-American to play under two-time Big Ten Coach of the Year Brenda Frese and fourth to join the 2015-16 roster. Senior Malina Howard and freshmen Brianna Fraser and Kiah Gillespie were also McDonald's All-Americans.
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