March 1, 2023
Locked on Women’s Basketball: Maryland’s Brenda Frese has her team in contention for a national title
By The Next
Howard and coach Brenda Frese chat about the success of the program, the NCAA tourney and the pace of the team
It’s time for another episode of the Locked on Women’s Basketball podcast. With the Big Ten tournament upon us, the Terrapins are again in contention to win it all, powered by Diamond Miller, Shy Sellers and the fastest-paced Maryland team since the stat started being tracked. Brenda Frese joins host Howard Megdal to talk about how it’s all come together; you know like it always does in College Park.
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Brenda Frese talks about the pace of the team and if it does factor into why they have been so successful:
“Yeah, well, I mean, we are a program that always has loved to get up and down in transition. I mean, that is, I think it’s an exciting style of play. It’s the way we love to coach and players love to come in here with the freedom that they’re given in our program. I think some of that pace probably evolved, just given the fact to really early in the nonconference, when we lost two of our post players to ACL injuries, to really be doing what we’re doing this year with four out.
Our true center, who is a guard for like type of players, so, I think that’s what’s really improved our paces. We’re playing with a lot of dynamic scoring versatile type of guards that can get up and down the court and we’re doing it in nontraditional ways. So I think, you know, we’re having a lot of fun putting up many points and getting many possessions.”
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Brenda Frese talks about the mental toughness of the team:
“It sure does because I think when you have a tough loss the way we lost at Iowa and we got worked in the first half of that game. Your confidence can get shook and just again, just the quick response that we had to turn that around three games in seven days and finish that with Ohio State. Yeah, as coaches, you’re like, okay, you’re built for March and the ability obviously, but like we all know, in March, like you can’t have an off game you don’t get a do-over. You got to be able to be very resilient.
But I do love the fact that our nonconference schedule is one of the toughest we have ever faced at Baylor at Notre Dame, UConn and South Carolina. And then you talk about our conference and you see what we’re doing every single day to each other. I think we’re more than prepared going into the NCAA Tournament.”
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This has been one of the more enjoyable teams Frese has had to build at Maryland. If a couple of the girls had stepped up just a little sooner I think they would have had an even better season. And, maybe they still will with Briggs coming around and McDaniel showing her shooting ability