Oluchi Okananwa knew from day one that Maryland coach Brenda Frese was committed to her. When Okananwa entered the portal from Duke at the end of last season, Frese had her on the phone immediately, convincing her to come for a visit the next day.
Her message was clear: “We want you here. We need you.”
It’s that kind of energy that made Okananwa commit, and it’s the same kind of energy that Frese used to inspire the junior during No. 5 Maryland’s second-round loss to No. 4 North Carolina on Sunday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Frese subbed out Okananwa midway through the third quarter and grabbed the junior guard by the shoulders. Then, Frese extended a finger and got in Okananwa’s face. “I believe in you,” Frese said. “But you’ve got to want this moment.”
Despite the 74-66 loss, Okananwa was impressive, finishing with 21 points, 6 rebounds and 2 steals.
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Anything can happen in the offseason, but in a postgame press conference, Okananwa made her continued allegiance to Frese and Maryland clear.
“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,” Okananwa said. “I love to be coached hard. That’s what she does with me every single day.”
Okananwa has been Maryland’s best player all season, averaging 17.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 2.3 steals per game. The Terrapins will need more of that next season if they want to make a deeper postseason run.
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Maryland will also need more moments like the one shared between Frese and Okananwa on Sunday.
“Really what that was was a regroup moment for myself and her telling me she believed in me,” Okananwa said. “Sometimes that’s all you really need to hear to get back out there. It’s a long game, with lots of ups and downs. 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 at that moment. I’m forever appreciative of that.”
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