Oluchi Okananwa Returning To Maryland Women's Basketball
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Brenda Frese and her staff received some great news yesterday. Star guard Oluchi Okananwa announced her return to Maryland for the 2026 season in a post shared on her Instagram page. Okananwa will no doubt become the leader of the Terps squad next season, pairing her with the likes of the highly anticipated arrival of incoming 2026 prospect and 5-star guard Jordyn Jackson from St. James Academy.
No surprise here: Oluchi Okananwa is confirmed returning to College Park next season.
— Faith Harris (@faithlharris) April 7, 2026
The guard dominated her first year as a Terp with 17.8 PPG, All-Big Ten first team and All American honorable mention.
She all but said she was returning after Maryland's NCAA tournament loss https://t.co/uYhaSzLSKI
In her first season at College Park, Okananwa played and started in 33 games, averaging 17.8 points per contest on 51.8% shooting from the floor & 74.3% at the free throw line. Okananwa also grabbed 5.4 boards per contest, two assists, and 2.2 steals as well.
Before arriving at Maryland in 2025, Okananwa spent her first two seasons playing collegiate ball at Duke in the ACC.
At Duke in 2024, Okananwa was the ACC Sixth Player of the Year and an All-Freshman Team honoree, and in 2025, she was the ACC Tournament's most outstanding player.
One of the most memorable moments this past season for Okananwa came in the second round of the NCAA Tournament against North Carolina. Okananwa, who was struggling offensively to find her groove in the first half and into the early third quarter, was subbed out to have a brief, intense conversation with coach Frese, which was highlighted by Frese saying to Okananwa, "I believe in you."
Okananwa immediately made an impact upon her return to the court, scoring back-to-back baskets, which ignited a 13-4 run to the beginning of the fourth quarter that allowed the Terps to take a 52-50 lead after trailing for most of the contest.
Okananwa finished the contest with 21 points on 9-of-18 despite her struggles at the free-throw line; ultimately, Maryland fell to North Carolina 74-66. Okananwa had nothing but praise for her head coach after the contest, stating:
“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.”
This quote alone shows the rapport Frese builds with the players on her teams, fostering camaraderie and culture within the women's basketball program—allowing continuity in the team roster and players returning for multiple seasons. It's not a shocker that Okananwa wanted to return, given her statement alone.
The junior guard will look to continue developing her game to the next level, becoming a more efficient shooter from behind the arc, a playmaker who sets up her teammates, and a more consistent free-throw shooter. Okananwa already excels at creating scoring chances off the dribble and is an excellent on-ball defender.
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Jaden's sports journalism career began at the College of Southern Maryland from 2022-2023, where he was brought in to cover baseball, softball, basketball, soccer, and volleyball at CSM. In late 2023, he began interning at the University of Maryland Athletics Department as a contributing writer to help develop feature stories and game recaps. He also creates his own sports media content on professional Washington teams with LegacyMaker Sports Network.