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

[ASFN Admin]

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.co/vNlmH4zfARpic.twitter.com/WZWC1oAyaS

— The Sporting News (@sportingnews) March 22, 2026

Okananwa transferred to Maryland this season after two years at Duke. That hard coaching is clearly working well for the 22-year-old guard: She led the Terrapins in points, averaging 18 points per game, while also chipping in a team-leading 2.3 steals per game.


Frese has been the Terrapins’ coach since 2002, making her one of the longest-tenured coaches in women’s college basketball. Maryland has only missed March Madness twice in Frese’s tenure, and have made the Sweet Sixteen in four of the last six trips to the tournament.


With the win, North Carolina advances to the Sweet Sixteen, where they will face No. 1 overall seed UConn.

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