Maryland coach Brenda Frese offers pointed lesson in coaching athletes hard
At first glance, Maryland's Brenda Frese may have seemed harsh toward a star player. But when you get to high levels, coaching isn’t warm and fuzzy.
Coaching is about building relationships. And when you get to the high school and college levels, it isn’t always warm and fuzzy. If you didn’t have that perspective, you might have been surprised by Maryland women’s basketball coach Brenda Frese’s interaction with leading scorer Oluchi Okananwa on the sidelines of the Terrapins' second-round NCAA Tournament game at North Carolina.
“I believe in you, but you gotta want this moment. ” True coaching isn't always quiet. It’s about meeting an athlete’s intensity with your own, demanding excellence because you care about their growth more than their comfort in the moment.
That’s the work. pic. twitter.
com/HKcanOX1ik — Matt Lisle (@CoachLisle) March 22, 2026 At first glance, the tactic could have seemed harsh. Okananwa met Frese on the sidelines, and the longtime coach got right in her face before she could pass. “So you can see why I get (stuff) done around the house,” Frese’s husband, Mark Thomas, joked in a text to USA TODAY Sports.
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