Maryland Terrapins women's basketball head coach Brenda Frese came nose-to-nose with guard Oluchi Okananwa during the team's loss to the North Carolina Tar Heels in the second round of the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
The confrontation occurred on the sideline after Okananwa's challenging sequence in the third quarter. Frese, who has led Maryland since the 2002-03 season,[1] later explained the moment as a challenge rooted in belief in the player's abilities.
"I believe in you, but you got to want this moment," Frese said. She emphasized the importance of tough conversations built on strong player-coach relationships, noting Okananwa's response with a bucket and a steal after returning to the court.
Okananwa, who led Maryland in scoring during the game, later described her appreciation for Frese's hard-nosed coaching style. "Coach understands I’m a competitor at heart," she said. "I love to be coached hard."
Frese previously coached at Ball State (1999-2002) and Minnesota (2002), compiling a career record of 827 wins and 270 losses through the 2023-24 season.[1] The NCAA tournament's first- and second-round games are played at campus sites of tournament teams since a 2023 format change.
Sources
- University of Maryland Athletics, "Brenda Frese - Women's Basketball Coach", accessed October 2024, https://umterps.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/coaches/brenda-frese/1448
