Maryland Head Coach Brenda Frese Anxiously Awaits 2002-03 Season
8/6/2002 8:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Aug. 6, 2002
Story by Jessica Bernheim, Maryland Media Relations
Brenda Frese is ready for the challenge.
The new head coach of Maryland's women's basketball team has conducted two dramatic turnarounds in her three years as a head coach. Last year, en route to being named Associated Press Coach of the Year, she took Minnesota from an 8-20 record to 22-9 in just one season, leading the Golden Gophers to their second NCAA Tournament appearance in school history. The previous year, Frese guided Ball State to a school-best 19-9 record in just her second season as head coach.
So she didn't bat an eyelash when she accepted the women's head coaching position at Maryland, inheriting a team from Chris Weller that finished the 2001-02 season 13-17 and eighth in the ACC. Weller retired in March after 27 seasons at the helm.
Even though she experienced immediate success at Minnesota, Frese said that turning the team around "doesn't happen overnight. You've got to be patient....I think this season is not about wins and losses. It's about us getting better each and every day. This year is going to be about us making the steps to be competitive."
Taking no gambles with her instant success, Frese hired some familiar faces, bringing all three of her assistants with her from Minnesota, including her sister, Marsha Frese-Elliott, who was also part of Frese's staff at Ball State and Minnesota.
"It's a huge [advantage] because we just spent a year ago doing this, so we can come in here already knowing what to do, what to expect," she said. "I think it really puts us ahead of most staffs that get hired into new coaching positions."
Frese said her two main priorities since coming to Maryland have been getting to know the existing team and recruiting for the 2003-04 class. She and her staff conducted individual workouts in the spring so that the current players could learn the system and what their new coaches expect out of them. In addition, the coaches have gone through their first July of recruitment.
With four freshmen joining the team this year after losing five players to graduation, Frese places much emphasis on the seniors: guards Terri Daniels and Renneika Razor and forward Brie Jackson.
"We're going to be a young team, so it's really important for our seniors to establish that leadership...to mentor all the other players coming up," she said.
Adjusting to a new coach will be a challenge for many of the returning players, but Frese does not think it will be too difficult.
"There's always a learning curve when players are trying to figure out 'what is this coach about' and 'what's her philosophy,' and I think they'll find out over time," she said. "I'm very communicative - interactive - so they'll always know where I'm coming from and why they're doing things."
Frese stressed that she and her staff care about their players "first and foremost as people. We coaches are really positive and we really try to develop our student athletes to become the best possible person they can be, on and off the court," she said. "Ultimately, we just want to see them be successful." She explained that it builds the players' confidence knowing that their coaches believe in them as players and as people.
Frese believes in working hard to achieve a common goal, but having fun in the process.
"Through hard work you're going to enjoy a lot of things, hopefully wins, but if not wins, you're going to enjoy the chemistry and the camaraderie that you have as teammates and as coaches," she said. "If I had to sum up [my philosophy], it would be work hard and have fun."
