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Maryland Terrapins women’s basketball coach Brenda Frese came face to face with guard Oluchi Okananwa in an intense moment of practice on Sunday.
Frese and Okananwa faced off 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 watches during the first half against the Alabama Crimson Tide at the Xfinity Center on March 24, 2025. (Daniel Kucin Jr./Imagn Images)
The veteran coach was not happy with Okananwa’s sequence in the third quarter. She fumbled, missed three free throws and missed a layup before being substituted. Frese met Okananwa on the bench.
“I believe in you, but you have to want this moment,” Frese said.
Okananwa scored 21 points, leading the team. He grabbed six rebounds and had two steals. However, he finished with six turnovers.
After the match, he told reporters that he loves the tough style of coaching.
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Maryland head coach Brenda Frese, center, and her assistants prepare a play against North Carolina during 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 this before and I’ll keep telling her this forever. I love being trained hard. That’s what she does with me every day.”
Frese has been Maryland’s head coach since the 2002-03 season. She is 688-208 as a head coach. He also made stops at Ball State and Minnesota.
“It’s always been a pulse that I’ve been able to have with individuals and players,” Frese said. “Sometimes we have to have those difficult conversations. 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 be coached hard.
“At that moment, I saw Oluchi fight within this tournament. She is too talented, so I wanted to implore how much faith I have in her and challenge her. I know what a winner and competitor she is. Just challenge her, do you want the moment? I knew I should give her a minute, bring her back. And you saw that she went out, took a bucket, got a steal and never looked back.”
North Carolina guard Taissa Queiroz, left, battles Maryland guard Oluchi Okananwa, right, for the ball during 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 his first season with the Terrapins after spending two years with the Duke Blue Devils. He finished the season averaging 17.7 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. She was an All-Big Ten Conference selection during the 2025-26 season.
