MM 4.3: Maryland women’s basketball guard Riley Nelson enters transfer portal

This is the Maryland Minute, a short story followed by a roundup of Terps-related news.

On Tuesday, Riley Nelson — a former five-star recruit — became the third Maryland women’s basketball player to enter the transfer portal this offseason.

Talia Goodman of The Next Hoops was the first to report the news.

The news comes as a significant blow to head coach Brenda Frese’s future plans, with Nelson, a guard, projected to provide meaningful minutes next season after seeing her freshman year cut short just 16 games in after she suffered a torn ACL.

A 2023 McDonald’s All-American and the No. 18 player in the her class, per ESPN, Nelson averaged 5.1 points per game this past season, shooting 44.4% from the field. Against Niagara on Nov. 29, she scored a career-high 15 points.

Maryland has now lost 13 players to the portal in the past five offseasons, with four being top-20 recruits. It has five scholarships open for next season.

In other news

Maryland men’s basketball five-star recruit Derik Queen was named MVP of the 2024 McDonalds All-American Game. He finished with a game-high 23 points, eight rebounds, five assists and three steals in 23 minutes.

Jahmir Young earned a spot in the NABC Division I All-Star game, which features the top seniors in the country.

Incoming Terps women’s basketball freshman Ava McKennie was named to the Baltimore Sun’s All-Metro first team.

Maryland men’s lacrosse’s Jack Koras and Luke Wierman earned Big Ten weekly honors.

Maryland softball pitcher Courtney Wyche garnered national recognition after a dominant weekend.