One of the lingering images of the 2026 NCAA women’s basketball tournament was of Maryland head coach Brenda Frese passionately speaking with guard Oluchi Okananwa in a heated, one-sided, face-to-face interaction on the sideline during a second-round game against North Carolina.
It’s something Frese — a one-woman storm during games, capable of cracking the atmosphere with thunder — has done throughout her sterling coaching career: delivering doses of tough love wrapped in passionate phrases.
Maryland senior guard Bri McDaniel, watching from the bench, thought nothing of it in the moment.
“That’s a normal day for Coach B,” McDaniel told The IX Basketball with a laugh during a Zoom call. “That’s her. She’s trying to reel you in, bring your emotions down when it’s a heightened moment, and bring you back to where your feet are — just helping you realize to live in the moment. I know she’s done that for me a couple of times, and even to other teammates. I was like, okay, y’all famous.”
The only difference in the situation with Okanawa was that cameras were present, and social media pounced.
The video clip went viral. Based on a single post from Maryland women’s basketball on X, it reached an estimated 3.6 billion accounts with 49,300 posts, 2.1 million engagements, 17 million video views, and 5.6 million impressions.
In an era where every interaction is dissected and debated, sparking intense conversation about what’s appropriate — and what’s not — for a coach and player, this was a typical tactic for Frese, who was doing what she’s always done, providing what she believed one of her players needed in the moment.
She has always gotten the most out of her players because of her innate understanding of each individual and her ability to know what’s needed at the right time. Which is why Frese and the Maryland program were surprised the moment it exploded.
Two months later, Frese and Okananwa reflected on that moment in exclusive interviews with The IX Basketball. During that week following the North Carolina game, they were inseparable, as they appeared on numerous television interviews and podcasts to break down the moment and add clarity that is sometimes missing when sensational clips of coaches yelling at players go wild on the Internet.
“Honestly, yes,“ Frese said when asked if she was shocked to see the moment blow up. “In my 30-plus years of coaching, that’s how I’ve always coached. I had a moment like that with Marissa Coleman in the national championship game back in ’06, where things weren’t caught on camera. … I was glad it went viral because that’s the intensity, passion, and positivity that I love to coach with.“
Okananwa didn’t mind at all. She shook her head, didn’t pout, and kept moving while not taking anything personal. She absorbed Frese’s basic message of “I believe in you,” sat down on the bench, and returned to the game to make an impact by scoring immediately.
“I was shocked,” Okananwa shared about the online reaction. “I’ve been telling everyone I really think that was just a normal run-of-the-mill moment. That’s usually how she coaches me because that’s how I like to be coached, so I mean, when she did it, I just thought everything was okay. That was my pep talk, and I’m moving on, but I guess people really liked hanging around with it.”
Former Maryland standout and current Towson women’s basketball head coach Laura Harper saw the moment and had flashbacks.
“I was really like, man, she’s getting after her, which I felt like she had softened up the last 10 years,” Harper told The IX Basketball during a phone conversation. “So, it was more of, okay, let’s see if she responds. That was my biggest thing because now, I’m looking at it from a coaching lens.”
“For (Oluchi) to have the immediate response in that run after that exchange was great to see. However, I’m not surprised because that’s who she is and those are the responses that she elicits in her players.”
Sometimes, Frese recognizes a special quality in potential recruits even before they put on a sacred Maryland uniform.
Harper remembers well how Frese’s belief in her potential contrasted with her parents’ doubts when she was dominating opponents at Cheltenham High School, outside of Philadelphia. Harper wasn’t sure she could make an impact at Maryland, even though she was the 2004 Pennsylvania Gatorade Player of the Year.
“I just owe so much to Brenda and her belief in who I was as a person first and a player second,“ Harper recalled. “I remember distinctly my dad saying, ‘You think my daughter can play at the University of Maryland?‘ And I mean, she just shut him down so quickly and told him how special she knew that I was going to be. I think moments like that are just why she’s such a good motivator and visionary.“
Harper said she needed every bit of encouragement and love after tearing her Achilles‘ tendon during her freshman year. The following season, Harper rewarded Frese‘s faith by dancing under a shower of confetti, waving a white t-shirt, and celebrating Maryland’s first national championship following a heart-stopping overtime victory over rival Duke in Boston. She was named the NCAA Tournament Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player.
It was moments like this that Frese knew how special Harper could be, and it took plenty of conversations for her to understand.
Frese still loves going to work
Throughout her career, Frese has coaxed more than coached, and motivated more than maneuvered, which has helped her become the fifth-youngest coach in NCAA history at 35 to win a national title and only the ninth to win in her first trip to the Final Four.
Those interactions provide vivid proof of what makes Frese special — and a giant in women‘s basketball. Her winning percentage of 76.7% makes her the 11th-winningest Division I women’s basketball head coach of all time. A sure-fire future Hall of Famer, Frese is unapologetically herself. Her enthusiasm for coaching hasn‘t abated, nor has her passion for getting the most out of her team decreased.
It‘s one of many reasons why the Maryland Department of Athletics will celebrate Frese, a two-time national coach of the year, throughout the 2026-27 season as she enters an unfathomable 25th season of leading the Terps.
In a sport changing faster than phone software updates, Frese has quietly reset herself year after year, always evolving without losing her core: belief, relationships, and work ethic. For nearly a quarter-century, the Terps, under Frese, have combined excellence, entertainment, toughness, and intelligence to churn out successful seasons like an assembly line.
“I love going to work,” Frese said. “I love the people I work with every single day. … Work doesn’t seem like work when you’re with people who have the same passion and desires to make our student athletes better. We’re all pulling for each other on the same page. I do love the fact that it’s ever-changing and you’re not just in the office every single day.”
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Relationships still matter to Frese
Even though the transfer portal has shifted the landscape, Frese admitted that revenue sharing and name, image, and likeness were two of the biggest challenges she’s navigating. They’ve both changed Frese’s philosophy of roster construction.
“It used to be work ethic and relationships that mattered — and I mean they do, to a degree, but it’s a lesser point anymore compared to the kind of money that they can make off of their name, image, and likeness, so that’s a huge factor,” Frese said. “I mean, at the end of the day, even though rosters are different from one year to the next, I still believe that the relationships matter.”
Much of that mindset can be traced to her authenticity, which is rooted in her Midwestern upbringing in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where humility mattered more than hype. Honesty, consistency, and hard work weren’t slogans; they were expectations and a way of life for Frese and her family. It has also shaped her leadership.
“My coaching stems from just how I was raised,” Frese said. “With two parents, and the belief that both my mom and dad had in every one of us. There were six kids, and we were all involved in sports and music, which helped us find our passions. My dad, when I was growing up, was really into psychology. He just had the inner before you even knew what that was. That was how he was wired, and the belief that he had in us as kids. I think a lot of my coaching philosophy, mentality, and positivity comes from him.”
In a crowded house, Frese learned the timeless values of compromise, patience, and sacrifice, where resilience was normalized. Eating meals together, specifically breakfast and dinner, matters to Frese, another trait inherited from her parents, Bill and Donna. Now, Frese is intentional in eating with her 18-year-old twin sons, Markus and Tyler, as much as possible.
Family is one of Frese’s core values. There are times on the road when Frese’s mom joins the Terps on trips. Her husband, Mark, and twins are regulars inside the Xfinity Center when the Terps are playing.
Those moments of balance provide clarity for Frese as she prepares for what lies ahead. That means watching film relentlessly in the office, on the plane, and during bus rides. Fast forward. Rewind. Slow motion. Frese identifies the smallest edge she can use to exploit a possible weakness in her opponents and implement her game plan with her staff.
Like many young coaches trying to find their niche and learn, Frese was peripatetic at the beginning of her career, even though she had success at Ball State and Minnesota, winning 57 games. Even though she moved three times in four years, Frese was fueled by fear at the start. She knew she had a championship blueprint, but it was something deeper that drove her.
“In the back of my mind, I was like, gosh, I would hope I could just get somewhere and lay down roots and be settled,” Frese said. “I mean, that was a lot, but it was the right moves at the right time. Going into year 25 is truly amazing. I’m grateful. I know when I first came here, I was like, I hope I’m just good enough to get a contract extension.”
She’s done more than that.
Adapting to the new landscape of college sports
Beyond the wins and familiar sideline stance, in which she nods her head, wiggles her fingers, and walks fiercely in front of her bench, speaking sternly to players and officials, Frese has become, in many ways, a campus landmark much like the iconic Testudo statue (a bronze likeness of a diamondback terrapin located outside McKeldin Library).
After all, she has her own ice-cream flavor, “Brenda’s Peanut Butter Frese,” featuring brownie-batter ice cream, brownie dough, chocolate liquor, and a peanut butter swirl, created by Maryland’s campus creamery.
Frese recently returned from vacation with her family, during which she went to Belize and Guatemala. There, she found that familiar Midwestern-style kindness because both countries prioritize community and value hospitality, face-to-face interactions, while welcoming travelers.
Life slowed down long enough for Frese to finish three books before picking up steam again. She immediately returned to recruiting in New Orleans and to attending Big Ten meetings in Los Angeles. Though it’s busy for her, these moments continue to energize Frese.
“We’ve been really fortunate here at Maryland,” Frese said. “I mean, the athletes we’ve brought in out of the portal have allowed us to be really successful, so weirdly, it’s kind of rejuvenated me because it’s so different than what I signed up for … but we’ve been able to adapt extremely well.”
Being flexible, creative, and resilient has enabled Frese to successfully adapt to the current college athletics environment, where players shuttle in and out of programs like commuters at Union Station during rush hour. While some have scoffed at this new reality, Frese has continued to keep Maryland at an elite level, despite losing players in recent years drafted into the WNBA, (such as Angel Reese, Ashley Owusu, and Shakira Austin) to the transfer portal.
Even amid the changes, Frese’s teams have been remarkably consistent.
Since 2011, Maryland has finished among the top 20 nationally in offensive rating and points per game 12 times, according to Her Hoops Stats. The Terps’ 24.1 net rating this past season was its best since 2020 (33.1). Frese’s best team may have been the 2019-20 team. Unfortunately, there was no NCAA tournament that season because of COVID-19.
“I’m proud of our staff, myself, like you, just you have to be able to change and adapt,” Frese said. “The thing we’re seeing right now is that it’s one-year rosters. I used to love being the architect who built these four-year rosters out and what they looked like from positions, and that’s no longer the case.”
“This is the roster we have for the year, and how can I give as much as I can to these student athletes. Hopefully, the ones who want to stay do, and the others, maybe there’s a better opportunity for playing time or a better situation. I don’t fault that when you have one career, or financially, you can make more money in different places.”
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Frese trusts those around her
Like many successful leaders, Frese knew exactly what each squad needed during moments of adversity.
Earlier this season, after Maryland suffered its fourth consecutive setback, 68-61, to Oregon on Jan. 31, Frese went to work. The following day, instead of reviewing game film, Frese shared positive highlight clips from each player, lifting their spirits. It worked. Maryland won six straight contests, including road wins over Michigan State and Ohio State, programs ranked in the top 12 nationally at the time of the game.
The Terps suffered numerous season-ending injuries to key players and still qualified for the NCAA tournament for the 16th straight season. It was by all measures one of Frese’s top coaching performances during her time at Maryland.
“I remember coming out of a losing streak where they went to Michigan State, and just really showed who they were and their character, and that they were fighters and winners,” Frese recalled. “We all want to go to a Final Four, and we all want to win a national championship, but it’s really just kind of understanding your own team and your roster.”
The year before, during a double-overtime classic against Alabama in a 2025 NCAA tournament memory-maker, Maryland trailed by 17 points late in the third quarter.
McDaniel remembers the huddle vividly.
“I’m not going to lie to you, she said the same things that we were saying in our huddles before she even got to our huddle,” McDaniel recalled. “This is nothing new, like we need to stay calm and poised during this moment. This is not something that we’ve never seen before. So, go out there and think about stops and kills. That’s all we need to do while capitalizing on every moment that we have with the ball …Even Coach B said the same thing, and we were all like, cutting her off. That’s the one thing about Coach B: she’s going to let her players lead if it’s a player-led team. She trusts us and is going to let her players figure things out in tough situations.”
The Terps ultimately figured it out and edged Alabama 111-108. The 219 combined points made this contest the second-highest scoring game in NCAA women’s tournament history, surpassed only by the legendary 1995 quadruple-overtime matchup between Duke and Alabama, which totaled 241 points.
An exhausted Frese appeared at the postgame press conference and heaped all the praise on Alabama’s effort. It was typical Frese. She was thrilled by the Terps’ fight, but was more impressed by the opposition.
“I am just so proud of this group,” Frese said during her opening statement to reporters that evening. “You know that it’s going to be a heavyweight fight. You saw both teams’ competitive spirit and the mindset to go on to the next round. I thought we came out with a great mindset. We punched first, and then Alabama responded with the character that they have. No team deserved to lose this game tonight. Both teams were so good … You can go through the list. I thought every player had an impactful moment for us, whether on the offensive or defensive end.”
Frese treats players like family
Cameras don’t capture Frese sprinting into the locker room after victories wearing a yellow hard hat, feeding her players, opening her home to them in need, or showing up to practices wearing a Scream mask and throwing candy. Unless the Terps’ social team shares, they don’t see Frese dancing, laughing, or doing TikTok routines.
Of course, Frese’s locker room clips are pure cinema. The passion and emotion that she displayed in her conversation are part of her personality. During a recent video shared of Maryland’s national championship victory, there’s a moment at halftime in the locker room when she challenges Coleman and Kristi Toliver, then ends with a positive message as the team heads to the floor.
Nearly 20 years later, Maryland trailed Norfolk State at intermission, and Frese delivered another one of her many greatest hits. This inspiring speech helped the Terps control the second half for a hard-fought victory. In between those games, there have been numerous motivational masterpieces that, if clipped together, could make for an awesome Netflix movie.
It’s moments like these that endear her to her players.
“That’s her,” McDaniel said. “It’s a family-oriented vibe. She treats us like her daughters, if you think about it. And then, plus her sons, we consider them like our little brothers.”
Okananwa felt the positive vibes during her visit to Maryland last year. Transferring from Duke, Okananwa recognized how the Terps felt like an extended family and where she was enthusiastically welcomed with open arms, especially after she signed. With Frese having two sons, Okananwa also believes they are fulfilling Frese’s dream of having girls in the house, which she said makes it easy to play for someone “so deserving” of their best.
Frese doesn’t just throw the word ‘family’ around; the Terps live it.
During the Zoom call, McDaniel effortlessly finished Okananwa’s sentences. When they were asked about their hobbies away from basketball, McDaniel jumped in before Okananwa could mention her love of fashion, prompting laughter from both teammates. A few minutes later, when McDaniel mentioned how much she enjoys cooking, Okananwa quickly reminded her that she was still waiting for a plate.
It’s these types of exchanges that showcase the Maryland women’s basketball culture, one meticulously crafted by Frese throughout her distinguished tenure. Her teams have always played with a disposition to dominate on the floor.
McDaniel embraces alumni events, when the legacy of greatness is on display as each former player passes through the halls. Large, colorful murals of celebratory moments, key players, and old magazine covers pay tribute to the Terps’ history throughout the Xfinity Center’s underbelly and media room.
Okananwa remembered going to watch Alyssa Thomas play last season at CareFirst Arena as a member of the Phoenix Mercury with her Maryland teammates. They wore black “AT for MVP” t-shirts.
“It was so cool, and honestly, it just goes to show with what I was talking about in terms of how everyone knows Brenda produces pros,” Okananwa said. “Those pros are backing that up even more … Being coached by her, this is the result that you get.”
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When the WNBA schedule drops, one of Frese’s toughest challenges begins: rearranging her calendar to watch as many of her former players as possible. The scheduling gymnastics are understandable for a Maryland program that has produced 23 WNBA Draft picks, including 10 first-round selections. Maryland alumnae have combined for 15 WNBA All-Star appearances and five league championships.
Frese was in Paris in 2024 supporting Thomas at the Olympics. She was happily side-by-side with Tianna Hawkins and Shatori Walker-Kimbrough when the Mystics won the 2019 championship. With numerous alums in the WNBA, Frese is a regular at CareFirst Arena when players like Thomas, Kalia Charles, Diamond Miller, and Brionna Jones visit.
“One of the reasons why I went to Maryland was to play for Coach B because of how honest she was,” Thomas told The IX Basketball. “She pushed me to be the best that I could be every day. Even to this day, I get several texts from her on how to be a leader and continue to succeed. So, the relationship doesn’t just stop when you go to Maryland, it’s like a lifetime type of thing, and that’s why Coach B is who she is, and why she is as great as she is.”
Why success follows Frese
Frese’s illustrious career has yielded 688 victories, 23 consecutive winning seasons, 22 trips to the NCAA tournament, 20 20-win campaigns, 17 top-15 recruiting classes, 14 conference titles, three Final Fours, and a national championship in 2006.
Frese is part of women’s basketball royalty as one of five active head coaches entering the upcoming season to win a national championship, along with Dawn Staley, Geno Auriemma, Kim Mulkey and Cori Close.
However, for all the success that Frese has had during his time leading the Terps, it still comes back to the relationships.
“She has prepared me as the woman I am today by putting me in different situations that you wouldn’t probably be in at different schools,” McDaniel said. “I feel like (Maryland’s) opened my eyes to two different things, and have just broadened my outlook on life in general. I’ve been put in positions to meet friends. … It just makes you want to do anything for the people here, makes playing for this team and school so amazing.”
Okananwa thinks about something just as important that illustrates why Frese is one of America’s elite coaches.
“What’s special is just the freedom you have to be able to step into who you really are,” she said. “That’s not just on the court, that’s off the court as well. Coach B and the assistant coaches do an amazing job of allowing you to fully grow into whoever you may want to be.”
However, the bigger victory for Frese, who has a 100 percent graduation rate for players who have stayed for four years, is the relationships. Every chance Maryland gets to celebrate the 2006 squad, it does. There are private dinners, and festive public gatherings like the one in New York earlier this May.
“I think when you’re as authentic as she is, that success follows her as a person,” Harper said. “… Who she is as a person supersedes who she is as a coach. I think she will go down as the best to do it at the University of Maryland, and that goes deeper than the national championship run. It’s the impact that she’s had and the connection that she still has with her past and current players.”
Frese’s coaching tree resembles an arboretum, with seven of her former players currently in coaching roles. Most notably, Kristi Toliver, another member of the Terps’ national championship team, became the first active WNBA player to coach in the NBA. The two-time WNBA champion is currently the associate head coach of the Phoenix Mercury.
In addition to Harper, the following former Maryland staffers under Frese are head coaches heading into this upcoming season: Tina Langley (Washington), Jeff Walz (Louisville), Karen Blair (Georgia Tech), Terry Nooner (Wichita State), Winston Gandy (Grand Canyon), and Stephanie Stevens (Gallaudet). Over 20 former Frese staffers are assistant coaches on staffs throughout the country.
That speaks to one reason why Frese has been able to keep Maryland women’s basketball among the nation’s elite because she’s surrounded herself with quality coaches. Each former player knows they have a responsibility to give back through time, talent, or treasure.
“When the pros come back and practice with us, those are the fun moments,” McDaniel said. “It was very fun when Marissa Coleman came back and practiced against us. That shows you how much love alums have for Brenda and for coming back and just pouring into our team. They are showing us what it takes and giving us powerful words to get us through the year. It’s just amazing to have.”
Tradition of excellence built to last
Frese does allow herself time to savor big wins. She also reflects on the big picture of her sustained success, usually once a season concludes.
“The beauty of our game is with wins or losses, you can’t get too high or low because there’s another opponent,” Frese said. “After the season, when you reflect on your roster, and for us this past year, the resiliency of this group. Withstanding so many injuries and still being able to make it to the second round of the NCAA tournament, I think you have to understand your roster and know where it’s at. There was a point in this season we were looking at not even making the tournament, so just for this team to put their head down and show their resiliency is satisfying.”
As the Terps prepare for the season, Frese is excited about what could potentially be another team built to challenge nationally. McDaniel, Okananwa, and Stanford transfer Sunaja ‘Nunu’ Agara are expected to anchor the Terps’ attack. With help from a top-15 recruiting class and improved health, Frese will enter the year with an all-gas, no-brakes mindset for her program.
Every Maryland player who has played for Frese is bonded by the Okananwa moment because, at some point, they experienced it, whether during practice or in a game. But the laughs, hugs, and appreciation are sincere whenever they return for reunions or attend games. Many former players sit behind the Maryland bench during games. It’s a sisterhood orchestrated by Frese, fueled by those Midwestern values.
“It’s amazing now when you go out and how many people have seen that moment,” Frese said. “It’s a pretty cool moment with Oluchi, and players that want to be coached to the highest level. It’s also someone that I’ve just always had a strong relationship with. Having that belief and confidence has been who I’ve always been as a coach.”
A master motivator, supreme strategist, and elite talent evaluator, Frese is positively relentless while showcasing the character of a champion, showing up each day looking to become 1% better.
“It’s hard to believe that this is year 25 for me here,” Frese said. “As long as I still love what I do and have the passion for this program and the game, I mean, I’ll (coach) as long as I can. We just moved into a brand-new practice facility. Jim Smith is phenomenal and supports our program. All the way from the president down, when you have that kind of support and can do your job, it’s super impactful.”
Synonymous with excellence, Frese shared what she was most proud of during her career. The wins have been nice, of course. But it’s deeper than that for her.
“I think just in the changing landscape to continue to be in the NCAA tournament and competing for conference championships is really hard to do, so I’m really proud of that. But the end-all, be-all is just the people you get to surround yourself with every single day, and that’s staff, support staff, and your players,” Frese said. “So, I think that for me, having the ability to impact so many lives is meaningful.”
The IX Sports’ Dylan Kane contributed reporting for this story.
An earlier version of this story listed four active coaches entering the upcoming season to have won a National Championship. Cori Close has since been added to this list.
