COLLEGE PARK, MD – Maryland women's basketball head coach Brenda Frese is the recipient of the Nell and John Wooden Excellence in Coaching Award. Frese received her award prior to Sunday's tip-off vs. No. 6 Baylor.
 
Frese is the 2021 National Coach of the Year by the Associated Press, ESPN and The Athletic. She's led the Terrapins to a record of 517-131 (.798), advancing to at least the second round of the NCAA tournament in 16 of the last 18 years, including nine Sweet Sixteens, six Elite Eights and three Final Fours.

Frese has guided Maryland to a National Championship in 2006, 18 winning seasons, 17-straight 20-win seasons, seven 30-win campaigns and 17 bids to the NCAA Tournament. Frese has won 14 conference titles at Maryland. In 2021, she signed an extension through at least the 2026-27 season. With rollover years, she can be on the Maryland sidelines through 2028.
 
In the classroom, Frese's student-athletes have a graduation rate of 100 percent.
 
The Nell and John Wooden Excellence in Coaching Award was created in 2012 by Bob Geoghan, with the close coordination of Coach Wooden's family, to recognize college basketball coaches who possess the character traits exemplified  by the late UCLA legendary coach whose high standards and personal integrity are depicted in his famous "Pyramid of Success."
 
Previous winners of the Nell and John Wooden Excellence in Coaching Award include Roy Williams, Mike Krzyzewski, Jay Wright and Muffet McGraw.