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COLLEGE PARK, MD –– Head coach Brenda Frese added two top-55 recruits to the incoming freshman class Thursday, as Gia Cooke (Clinton, Md.) and Brianna McDaniel (Chicago, Ill.) both signed to play for the Terrapins beginning next season.
McDaniel, a 5-10 guard, is ranked No. 42 overall by espnW and No. 41 by All Star Girls Report. Cooke, a 5-9 guard, is ranked No. 52 overall by espnW and No. 82 by ASGR.
“I can’t thank our staff and our players enough for their tireless, incredible efforts to help us make this possible,” head coach Brenda Frese said. “This group is amazing. I’m excited to announce these new Terps and welcome Brianna and Gia to Maryland. They have a phenomenal blend of youthful excitement and maturity. I can say we’re not done yet.”
Cooke and McDaniel join two top recruits that already made up the No. 10 class in the country, as ranked by ASGR in Ava Sciolla (Fairless Hills, Pa.) and Mila Reynolds (South Bend, Ind.) Reynolds, a 6-3 forward, is ranked No. 37 overall by ASGR and Sciolla, a 6-0 guard, is ranked No. 77.
Cooke, a four-star recruit, plays high school basketball at Bishop McNamara. She earned First Team All-Met honors from The Washington Post as she helped lead McNamara to its third straight WCAC title game. She averaged 15.0 points, four rebounds and three assists as team captain in her senior season.
Cooke averaged 12.5 points, 2.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.8 steals during her junior season, which was shortened due to Covid-19. During the 2019-20 campaign, she led her team to a 27-5 record and a WCAC title. Cooke earned a spot on the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League Third Team in 2021. Cooke plays AAU for Team Takeover.
Frese on Cooke: “Gia is an exciting addition to our team. She brings an explosiveness to the attack that fits our up-tempo pace. She can get to…
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