Maryland’s Okananwa explains viral moment between Coach Frese in loss

When it comes to the NCAA basketball tournaments, men’s and women’s, little goes unnoticed. On Sunday, playing against North Carolina with a spot in the Sweet 16 on the line, Maryland women’s basketball coach Brenda Frese’s intensity was on full display in an exchange with forward Oluchi Okananwa. With the Terps trailing by eight points and struggling to keep up with the former Atlantic Coast Conference rival Tar Heels, the longtime coach engaged with Okananwa, the Maryland junior who was off to a slow start offensively.

As Okananwa came off the court, Frese got up close, firing off a string of comments, one of which appeared to be “I believe in you” as the star player made her way to the bench. Okananwa was asked about the confrontation in the postgame news conference and proceeded to squash any suggestion that this was something negative. “Coach understands [that] I’m a competitor at heart, and I’ve told her this before and I’ll keep on telling her,” Okananwa said.

“I love to be coached hard. And that’s what she does with me every single day. ” Okananwa added that the exchange served as a “regroup moment for myself and her telling me she believed in me.

” After the game, which the Terps lost, 74-66, Frese said her goal was to “challenge” Okananwa. The longtime coach also posted on social media “Elite players want to be coached hard! Love coaching @oluchi_okananwa!