Family Matters

Jakia Brown-Turner is a new face for Maryland women’s basketball this season, but playing in the College Park area is nothing new to her. The fifth-year guard returned close to home, where she quickly became a leader for the Terps.

Brown-Turner is a native of Oxon Hill, MD, and attended Bishop McNamara High School, where she was one of the most highly touted prospects in the class of 2019. She became Bishop McNamara’s all-time leading scorer, leading her team to the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) finals. Brown-Turner was also a McDonald’s All-American, Maryland Gatorade Player of the Year, Maryland Girls’ Basketball Player of the Year, and a Jordan Brand Classic participant. She accomplished all these feats during her senior year. 

The five-star student-athlete was between two schools when it came time to advance her college basketball career: Maryland and NC State. She chose NC State despite all her success just 30 minutes away from the XFINITY Center.

“We recruited her really heavily, she was a star player in our area. We had years and years of recruiting with her,” Terps head coach Brenda Frese said. “I’m glad all of it worked out the second time because she had a great career at NC State. To be able to bring her back for her last year was great.”

The decision came down to opportunity. Brown-Turner was the day one starter as a freshman for the Wolfpack, an unlikely scenario if she had chosen the Terps. They were stacked at her position as three guards from the 2019-20 season went on to be drafted into the WNBA.

The decision to attend NC State was also reinforced by Brown-Turner and the Wolfpack winning their first 14 games of her inaugural season. One of those wins came against Maryland.

Brown-Turner enjoyed lots of success while attending NC State. Together, they compiled a record of 102-23 and never lost more than four games in a season until her senior year. She boasted consensus First Team All-ACC honors in 2021 and was named to the All-ACC Freshman Team in 2020.

Brown-Turner even played against Maryland a second time during her junior season. The six-foot guard and the Wolfpack came out on the winning end yet again as she posted a double-double. 

“Hopefully Coach B doesn't get mad at me, but those games definitely were personal for me,” Brown-Turner said. “I really wanted to come here, but things just didn't work out that way. But I'm here now so God definitely has a plan.”

Brown-Turner entered her name in the transfer portal after her senior season, and exactly a week later, she committed to playing for coach Frese and the Terps as a graduate student.

“Coach B said that she wanted to bring me home from my last year and I was like, let's do it,” Brown-Turner said. “I thought coming back home would be a great opportunity for me and playing at this program is a great legacy as Maryland produces pros. That's always been my goal, so I knew that this was the place to come.”

The Maryland native has since entered one of the best stretches of her career. Brown-Turner is helping her team make an end-of-season NCAA Tournament push while playing in front of family.

Brown-Turner is averaging 18.3 points and eight rebounds over her last month of play. She has scored double-figures in every game during the nine-game stretch and either set or matched her Maryland career-high in six of the games. Brown-Turner has also recorded three double-doubles during the stretch. Her best performance was a 25-point, nine-rebound effort at home against No. 3 Iowa, where she matched her overall career-high in points she previously set at NC State.

The fifth-year player has had no issues adjusting to her new team and the playstyle of the Big Ten Conference. Her teammate Lavender Briggs made the switch from the Southeastern Conference (SEC) to the Big Ten a year prior. She explained what makes Brown-Turner a great fit for the Terps squad.

“I think she was able to fit in because Maryland is just all about running the floor, getting a lot of shots and defending,” Briggs said. “I think she fits that perfectly because she's an athletic, bigger guard and she can shoot the ball. She's a three-level scorer so she can score down low in the post, mid-range and she can shoot the three ball so I think she fits in perfectly here.”

Fitting in with new teammates has been even easier for Brown-Turner. She was named a captain after her first month with the team because of her ability as a leader. Briggs, who’s also a fifth-year captain, says Brown-Turner is a leader by example to the younger girls and exemplifies someone that others should strive to emulate.

“Coming in, I was kind of nervous but everyone here is like a family and I feel like that's it,” Brown-Turner said. “It's just a family here. I get along with everyone and the coaches treat me like I've been here for four years.”

Brown-Turner recently celebrated her 23rd birthday on Feb. 11 with her teammates. Briggs says the girls hung out, sang karaoke and enjoyed the time spent together.

The Terps and Brown-Turner are preparing for their next home game on Feb. 18 against Penn State. It’s the Terrapins’ Senior Day game where Brown-Turner will have her family in attendance to watch her play for her hometown state school like they’ve done all season long.

The 2023-24 season is the only one Brown-Turner will have as a Terp, but Frese says having her come back home for her last season is something she’s grateful for. 

“It's been really special. I wish I had more time with her, but I'm savoring every minute that we get in the season,” Frese said. “She's been a natural leader, natural winner, worker, comes in, puts her head down, and is just a tremendous teammate. So coachable, just wants to win, and wants to be great. I feel like we hit the jackpot with being able to bring Jakia back home and have this time for her with her family and friends.”