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GRAND FORKS — The UND women's basketball program brought in three Michigan natives in the 2022 recruiting class thanks to an assistant coaching staff deep with Michigan connections.
The 2023 recruiting class just landed another from Michigan.
Paris Bass, a 5-foot-10 small forward from Detroit, is the latest recruit from Michigan to give her commitment to the Fighting Hawks.
Bass plays at Wayne Memorial High School, the same school UND assistant coach Nkwane Young coached with the high school boys team prior to coming to Grand Forks.
"Really, it was through coach Young," Bass said. "My freshman year, he was at my high school for the boys team then went to North Dakota. Ever since then, they've been recruiting me.
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"I like that it's far from home. Second, a lot of people say go where you're wanted, but I chose to go where I was loved. I do believe I made the right decision. They've showed so much love. They watched me grow and develop, the good and the bad games. They way they looked at me never changed."
Bass, who averaged about 9.0 points per game last year, will be a four-year varsity starter at Wayne Memorial, which plays at the biggest level in Michigan.
In the summer of 2021, Bass received scholarship offers from Illinois and Purdue Fort Wayne.
"I'm a very good defender," Bass said. "I'm aggressive. I'm a good leader."
This fall, UND brought in Michigan preps Rakiyah Beal (Detroit) and Amanda Roach (Hartland) while also landing transfer Tara Bieniewicz, who played at Trine College and is a Chesterfield, Mich., native.
"I'm pretty excited because I do know a handful of the girls on the team, so I'm excited to see where that goes and start something new, a whole new experience far away," Bass said. "I really look forward to it."
UND has three commitment for the 2023 recruiting class with Bass, point guard Mahogany Cottingham of Garfield Heights, Ohio., and guard Kiera Pemberton of Langley, British Columbia.
The Fighting Hawks went 15-15 last season after finishing 2-19 the previous season.
