The University of Southern Maine has collected some of the top girls basketball players in Maine over the past few years. This year’s recruiting class includes some well-known names, too.

Calais star Katie Frost is heading to the Gorham school, as is Caribou standout Jessica Cyr.

They will join Skowhegan’s Tiffany Jones and Donna Cowing of Erskine in South China.

Both Frost and Cyr said the Huskies’ recent success on the court was a factor in deciding on USM. The abundance of former Eastern Maine high school stars on the roster helped, too.

Frost, a guard whose senior year basketball honors included the All-Maine second team, Eastern Maine Class C all-tourney, Downeast Athletic Conference all-star and Maine McDonald’s senior all-star, was considering Springfield College (Mass.), UMaine-Farmington and St. Joseph’s in Standish, but liked the idea of being near Portland.

Frost stayed with former Orono standouts and sisters Jessica and Kati Libby on her visit to the campus in Gorham.

“I know it’s a really competitive school and it has a good reputation,” Frost said. “That definitely played a part [in the decision to go to USM]. I like being part of a winning team.”

Caribou’s guard Cyr was on the Big East Class B senior all-star and all-conference teams, the All-Aroostook County squad and the Eastern Maine Class B all-tourney team.

She’ll actually be living with Cowing this fall.

“The coach told me that she needed a roommate, so we’ve been emailing each other,” Cyr said.

Cyr was also considering St. Joseph’s but the USM basketball program and a better financial aid package made the difference.

It also helped that Cyr’s cousin, Wayne Martin, is an assistant coach.

“He did a lot of talking to me about the team,” she said.

Jones and Cowing, who was injured most of her senior year, were both McDonald’s senior all-stars and Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference all-stars (Jones in Class A, Cowing in Class B).

Those four will join the Libby sisters, Bangor High’s Kara Crockett, George Stevens of Blue Hill’s Nikki Allen, and Camden-Rockport’s Meg Cressler.

Jessica Bloch can be reached at 990-8193, 1-800-310-8600 or jbloch@bangordailynews.net.