Maryland coach Brenda Frese has tense sideline exchange with Oluchi Okananwa in NCAA tournament loss

Brenda Frese, head coach of the Maryland Terrapins women's basketball team since the 2002-03 season, came nose-to-nose with guard Oluchi Okananwa during an intense coaching moment in the third quarter of Sunday's game.[1]

The exchange occurred during Maryland's 74-66 loss to North Carolina in the second round of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Maryland entered as the No. 5 seed, North Carolina as the No. 4 seed.

Frese was displeased with Okananwa's sequence that included a turnover, three missed free throws and a missed layup before substituting her. On the sideline, Frese told Okananwa: "I believe in you, but you got to want this moment."

Okananwa led Maryland with 21 points, six rebounds and two steals, though she recorded six turnovers.

After the game, Okananwa expressed appreciation for Frese's style. "Coach understands I’m a competitor at heart," she said, via The Athletic. "I’ve told her this before, and I’ll keep on telling her this forever. I love to be coached hard. That’s what she does with me every single day."

Frese, who previously coached at Ball State (1999-2002) and Minnesota (2002), described her relationship with players.[1][2] "It’s always been a pulse that I’ve been able to have with individuals and players," she said. "We do, at times, have to have those tough conversations. You can’t have them without a relationship. ... The best of the best, the elite of the elite, want to be coached hard."

Okananwa transferred to Maryland from Duke ahead of the season after playing her freshman year there in 2023-24.[3]

With the loss, Maryland was eliminated from the tournament.