Maryland Coach Brenda Frese Explains Viral Sideline Moment With Oluchi Okananwa

This intense pep talk was exactly what Okananwa needed from her coach.

Maryland coach Brenda Frese went viral for a passionate pep talk she gave her player Oluchi Okananwa during the NCAA touranment. | The Sporting News/Screengrab

A moment between Maryland head coach Brenda Frese and one of her star players Oluchi Okananwa during the second-round matchup vs. UNC went viral on Sunday as the country witnessed Frese’s passion and style of coaching.

Okananwa was struggling in the third quarter, and Frese knew she just needed a pep talk. Cameras caught Frese speaking intensely in Okananwa’s face on the sidelines. The talk seemed to help, though, as Okananwa scored seven points in the third quarter and six in the fourth, even though the Terrapins ended up losing 74–66 to UNC and were eliminated from the NCAA tournament.

Okananwa admitted after the game how much she appreciated her coach taking a moment to motivate her during the game, especially in this way.

“Coach understands I'm a competitor at heart, and I've told her this before, and I'll keep on telling her this until forever. I love to be coached hard. That's what she does with me every single day,” Okananwa said.

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/vNlmH4zfAR pic.twitter.com/WZWC1oAyaS

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

MORE SI: Follow live updates from round two of the women’s NCAA tournament

This is the first season Okananwa’s played for Frese as she transferred from Duke in the offseason. Okananwa went from a two-year bench player to a starter for Maryland, leading the Terrapins in points (17.7) and steals (2.3) per game this season.

Frese spoke about the relationship she’s garnered with Okananwa during her postgame press conference. The bond they’ve created is why Frese felt comfortable coaching Okananwa as hard as she did on Sunday.

“I think for me, it's always been a pulse that I've been able to have with individuals and players,” Frese said. “We do, at times, have to have those tough conversations. You can't have them without a relationship. You've got to be able to have that. The best of the best, the elite of the elite want to be coached hard.

“At that moment, I watched Oluchi struggle within this tournament. She's just too gifted so I wanted to implore how much belief I have in her and challenge her. I know what a winner and competitor she is. Just challenge her, do you want the moment? I knew to give it a minute, get her back in. And you saw she went out, she got a bucket, she got a steal and never looked back. Sometimes that's where you've got to know your players and the relationships that you have. But, like, again, you can't have those conversations if you don't have a relationship with them.”

“We do have to have those tough conversations. You can’t have them without a relationship. I kind of wanted to implore just how much belief I had in her.” - @BrendaFrese on her interaction with @oluchi_okananwa ❤️#MarchMadness x @TerpsWBB pic.twitter.com/aHRw6g8O88

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessWBB) March 22, 2026

What may have appeared as an intense, maybe over-the-top, interaction between a player and a coach was actually exactly what Okananwa needed in that moment. Okananwa played 29 minutes in the second-round game, finishing with a team-high 21 points, six rebounds and two steals. This was quite the improvement from Maryland’s first round game vs. Murray State (which the Terrapins won 99–67). Okananwa only scored seven points and three rebounds in 14 minutes played.

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