University of Maine women’s interim head basketball coach Amy Vachon has begun rebuilding her depleted frontcourt by landing 6-foot-3 forward Ashlyn McDonald.

McDonald, of Tullahoma, Tennessee, played for Highland Community College in Kansas last season and averaged 5.8 points and 3.9 rebounds in 11.9 minutes of playing time.

She will have either two or three years of eligibility remaining as she attended another college after high school before going to Highland, according to Vachon.

McDonald shot a team-best 53.4 percent for 28-4 Highland Community College.

She joins 5-foot-10 shooting guard Kelly Fogarty of Walpole, Massachusetts, who signed a National Letter of Intent last fall, in the recruiting class. Fogarty averaged 18 points per game and was among the Boston Globe’s Players of the Year.

The Black Bears graduated 5-foot-10 senior forward Sheraton Jones, while 6-2 Laia Sole, 6-3 Anita Kelava and 6-3 Tihana Stojsavljevic, all freshmen, decided to transfer. Naira Caceres, a 6-foot-2 guard, also opted to transfer as did seldom-used guard Isabel Hernandez Pepe.

The only returning frontcourt player who received significant playing time was 6-foot-1 Fanny Wadling, who averaged five points and almost four rebounds as a freshman. Junior Kirsten Johnson played only 4.9 minutes per game.

UMaine’s top rebounders were guards Tanesha Sutton (4.8 rpg), a sophomore, and senior Sigi Koizar (4.5 rpg).

“Ashlyn is a good piece [of the puzzle] for us,” said Vachon. “She has a real nice midrange game and she’s a great kid who fits into what we want to do.

“She’s not a back-to-the-basket type of player. She isn’t going to outmuscle you,” said Vachon. “She definitely likes to take the ball to the basket off the dribble. She can also play you face-up and she can post up. And she’s a great kid.”

McDonald was an all-district player at Tullahoma High School where, in addition to her scoring, she averaged 4.7 blocks and 3.6 steals.

Vachon said she will compete for a starting spot.

“Everyone is in the hunt for a starting spot. It should be like that every year. No one should be content. If you’re content, you don’t grow,” said Vachon. “You’ve got to work really hard to get [playing time].”

Fogarty, who finished her high school career with 1,082 points and a school-record 245 3-pointers, can “shoot the lights out,” said Vachon.

“Kelly adds depth and will push all of them,” Vachon said of UMaine’s guards.

UMaine shot 40.4 percent from the floor and only 29.8 percent from 3-point range.

Vachon said freshman guard Blanca Millan, the team’s No. 3 scorer (8.6 ppg) and leader in steals (61), underwent a minor surgical procedure on her knee but should be ready to play summer basketball in her native Spain.

Vachon said she and her staff will continue to recruit for next season but insisted they won’t bring in marginal recruits just to fill out the roster.

“We are going to keep our standards high,” said Vachon.