4-star PG Channise Lewis commits to Maryland women’s basketball

Maryland women’s basketball secured its first commit from the 2017 recruiting class Sunday, as four-star point guard Channise Lewis committed to the Terps.

Lewis is the No. 77 overall prospect and the No. 16 point guard in ESPN’s rankings. The Miami, Florida, product signed with Illinois in November, but was granted a release from her National Letter of Intent on Wednesday. The Illini fired Matt Bollant as head coach in March.

Lewis visited College Park last weekend. She reportedly narrowed her choices down to Maryland and Ohio State before deciding on the Terps. She’s expected to compete with Ieshia Small—who’s also from Miami—and Sarah Myers for point guard minutes in 2017-18.

Maryland, of course, lost Destiny Slocum as part of a three-player exodus on April 4, leaving the Terps without a natural point guard on the roster. Lewis probably won’t eradicate all of those concerns, but this is a major boost.

After Brenda Frese signed six players in the Class of 2016, Maryland stayed quiet in the 2017 cycle. Before the transfers, the Terps were still in line to have 13 players next season, with midseason Florida transfer Eleanna Christinaki eligible in December. Lewis’ commitment brings that number to 11, and she fills perhaps the team’s biggest position of need.