Maryland's Oluchi Okananwa addresses viral interaction with coach Brenda Frese in March Madness loss: 'I love to be coached hard'

Junior Maryland guard Oluchi Okananwa is setting the record straight about a viral interaction with her coach during the Terrapins’ loss to North Carolina on Sunday. During the 74-66 loss to the No. 4 Tar Heels, cameras captured a moment where longtime Maryland head coach Brenda Frese got in Okananwa’s face to passionately coach her player.

Okananwa confirmed in a postgame press conference that the message Frese was imparting was a positive one, despite the intensity of the interaction. Okananwa, who finished with a team-leading 21 points, said that Frese helped her reset her mindset as the Terps trailed. “Coach understands I’m a competitor at heart,” Okananwa said postgame.

“I love to be coached hard, and that’s what she does with me every single day. And really what that was was a regroup moment for myself and her telling me she believed in me, because sometimes that’s really all you need to hear to get back out there. “It’s a long game, lots of ups and downs and I feel like after that conversation, that’s when I really went back out and just did what I had to do for my team in that moment.

So, I’m forever appreciative of that. ” Oluchi Okananwa on her moment with coach Brenda Frese 🗣️ "I love to be coached hard, and that's what she does with me every single day. " https://t.