Former Florida guard Lavender Briggs commits to Maryland women’s basketball

Maryland women’s basketball has received a commitment from Florida transfer guard Lavender Briggs, per multiple reports.

The news was first reported by The Ball Out on Monday morning. A Maryland team spokesperson confirmed the news with Testudo Times on Monday afternoon.

Briggs, from Provo, Utah, was averaging 12.5 points and 5.6 rebounds per game in 14 appearance for the Gators this season. It was announced on Jan. 7 that Briggs would miss the remainder of the season with a stress fracture in her left shin, and she decided to enter the transfer portal on Jan. 13.

Briggs had a breakout sophomore season for the Gators in 2020-21, scoring 19.7 points per game en route to All-SEC Second Team honors. She became the first Florida player in five seasons to earn those accolades. Briggs — who missed the end of her sophomore campaign with a foot injury — has seen her three-point percentage fall more than eight percent from her freshman year, but she still brings proven scoring ability to College Park.

There was speculation that this move may have been coming, as Briggs was seen at Friday’s Philadelphia 76ers vs. Boston Celtics contest with current Maryland sophomore forward/guard Angel Reese. Seemingly, that speculation has come to fruition with Briggs’ pledge to head coach Brenda Frese.

Along with top-100 high school recruits Mila Reynolds and Ava Sciolla, Briggs will join the Terps for the 2022-23 season. It is unclear when exactly Briggs will be cleared to play again, but she certainly brings more offense to a program that is full of it.