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Maryland Terrapins women’s basketball coach Brenda Frese came face-to-face with guard Oluchi Okananwa in an intense coaching moment Sunday.
Frese and Okananwa went nose-to-nose during the Terrapins’ 74-66 loss to the Tar Heels in the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament. Maryland entered the game as the No. 5 seed, while North Carolina was the No. 4 seed.
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Maryland Terrapins head coach Brenda Frese looks on during the first half against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Xfinity Center on March 24, 2025. (Daniel Kucin Jr./Imagn Images)
The longtime head coach was unhappy with Okananwa’s sequence in the third quarter. She turned the ball over, missed three free throws and missed a layup before being subbed off the floor. Frese met Okananwa on the sidelines.
“I believe in you, but you’re going to have to want this moment,” Frese said.
Okananwa scored 21 points to lead the team. She grabbed six rebounds and had two steals. However, she ended up with six turnovers.
She told reporters after the game that she loves the hard-nosed coaching style.
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Maryland head coach Brenda Frese, center, and assistants prepare a play against North Carolina in the second half of the second round of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Sunday, March 22, 2026, in Chapel Hill, North Carolina (AP Photo/Chris Seward)
“Coach understands that I’m a competitor at heart,” she said, via The Athletic. “I’ve told her before and I’ll keep telling her forever. I love being trained hard. That’s what she does to me every single day.”
Frese has been the head coach at Maryland since the 2002-03 season. She is 688-208 as a head coach. She also had stops at Ball State and Minnesota.
“That’s always been a pulse that I’ve been able to have with individuals and players,” Frese said. “We have to have the tough conversations at times. You can’t have them without a relationship. You have to be able to have that. The best of the best, the elite of the elite, want to train hard.
“At that moment, I saw Oluchi fight in this tournament. She’s just too gifted, so I wanted to ask how much faith I have in her and challenge her. I know what a winner and competitor she is. Just challenge her, you want the moment? I knew I had to give it a second, get her back in. And you see, she went out, she never got a bucket back.”
North Carolina guard Taissa Queiroz, left, battles Maryland guard Oluchi Okananwa, right, for the ball in the second half of the second round of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Sunday, March 22, 2026, in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (AP Photo/Chris Seward)
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It was her first season with the Terrapins after spending two years with the Duke Blue Devils. She finished the season averaging 17.7 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. She was an All-Big Ten Conference selection in the 2025-26 season.
