Brenda Frese's Fiery Sideline Pep Talk Shows Coaching At Its Best

Sometimes you just need someone to get up in your face and call you out on your bullsh*t. And Brenda Frese is just the coach to do it.

The Maryland head women's basketball coach went viral on Sunday after the broadcast showed her ripping into one of her star players, Oluchi Okananwa, on the sideline during the Terps' second-round game against UNC.

On the surface, that might look a little harsh. But watch it again, and it's obvious the connection that Frese and Okananwa share.

Even amateur lip-readers like me could see what Frese yelled as she stood nose to nose with the junior guard: "I believe in you, but you've gotta want this moment."

I believe in you.

Damn. Can Coach Frese come give me a pep talk, too? Particularly on Monday mornings?

Okananwa was struggling in the third quarter. But after this moment, she went right back out on the court and scored 7 more points in the third quarter. She added 6 in the fourth. 

The Terrapins ultimately fell short, 74–66, to the Tar Heels and were eliminated from the NCAA Women's Tournament. But after the game, Okananwa gave props to her coach. 

"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," she said. "I love to be coached hard. That's what she does with me every single day."

Frese, too, spoke about the intense moment.

"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."

Okananwa played 29 minutes in the game, finishing with a team-high 21 points, 6 rebounds and 2 steals.

Unfortunately for Maryland, the game didn't end the way they would have liked. But this viral moment is another reminder that coaching isn't about just drawing up plays. It's about knowing exactly what your players need to hear, and having the ability to bring out the very best in them when it matters most.