Maryland women’s basketball guard Kiara Leslie is transferring to NC State, the team announced Wednesday, making her the fourth Terp to transfer from coach Brenda Frese’s program this offseason.
Leslie will graduate from Maryland this summer and leave as a graduate transfer who can play immediately and has two years of eligibility remaining. The Holly Springs, North Carolina, native spent three years with the Terps, playing in her freshman and sophomore seasons before an offseason ankle injury forced her to redshirt the 2016-17 campaign.
“I was fortunate to be a part of a winning culture where I experienced winning multiple championships, traveling abroad and going to the Final Four,” Leslie said in a press release. “I am thankful for the opportunity I received at Maryland and I am excited for my next chapter coming home.”
Leslie played in 67 games, including seven starts, in her two years with the Terps. The 6-foot guard was the No. 52-ranked recruit in the class of 2014 according to ESPN and averaged 4.0 points and 2.8 rebounds per game in her time at Maryland.
Leslie is the fourth player to transfer from the program since the Terps’ Sweet Sixteen loss to Oregon. National Freshman of the Year guard Destiny Slocum, freshman center Jenna Staiti and junior forward Kiah Gillespie transferred to Oregon State, Georgia and Florida State, respectively.
Before those transfers were announced, Frese hadn’t signed any incoming recruits in the class of 2017. Since then, the team has added four-star guard Channise Lewis, a Miami native and former Illinois signee ranked the No. 55 player in the class by ESPN.
The Terps currently have 10 players on the roster for next season, down from 15 this past season. The previous transfers, combined with the graduations of guard Shatori Walker-Kimbrough and center Brionna Jones, means Maryland has lost three starters and 62.5 percent of its scoring from last season.
