Brenda Frese Position: Head Coach Experience: 9th yr/6th yr at MD Alma Mater: Arizona '93

There was no better fit for the University of Maryland women's basketball team than head coach Brenda Frese. The expectations placed on her when she arrived in College Park in April 2002 were great. Confronted with reviving a once-prominent women's basketball program, the young and vibrant coach took on the challenge with open arms and has not disappointed. Since her first season at the helm when the team won just 10 games, Frese has guided Maryland to a National Championship in 2006, four winning seasons, three-straight 20-win seasons and four-consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament. In 2006-07, Maryland also received its first-ever No. 1 preseason national ranking, remaining in the top spot in the polls for 10-consecutive weeks.

"This has been an incredible journey and winning the national championship in 2006 was just the beginning," said Frese. "My coaching staff and I had the belief we could win a national championship here at Maryland. With all the administrative support, the first-class facilities - we knew we could build something great. We did not set any timetables, but what we have achieved so far ... it's beyond expectations."

Athletics Director Deborah A. Yow courted the 2002 Associated Press National Coach of the Year because of Frese's reputation for making amazing turnarounds and her relentless work ethic with recruiting. Described as dynamic, overachieving, determined and enthusiastic, the 37-year old coach is one of college basketball's rising stars. Standing atop the podium in Boston in 2006, Frese became the fifth-youngest coach in NCAA history to win a national title and only the ninth to win on her first trip to the Final Four.

Despite owning the ACC record for most tournament titles, Maryland had been tabbed an "also-ran" until Frese arrived. In her second season, she led Maryland to a tie for third in the ACC standings, its highest finish since 1996-97, and has placed in the top three in the conference in three of the last four seasons, including a tie for second place in 2006-07.

Frese has built the team's success around recruiting, hard work and a positive atmosphere. The instant she arrived on campus, she has determinedly worked the recruiting trails in an effort to reclaim the elite status Maryland once had in the 1980s. Success came quickly and early. Before she even coached a game in the newly-constructed Comcast Center, she convinced high school All-Americans Shay Doron and Kalika France on the idea of playing in the nearly-18,000 seat arena. They would be the first of two of 11 high school All-Americans to don a Maryland uniform under Frese's reign. Four years later, Doron would end her career second on Maryland's all-time scoring list and go on to play for the WNBA's New York Liberty.

All five of Frese's recruiting classes have been ranked in the top 10, while three have been rated in the top five. The landmark signings of Crystal Langhorne, Laura Harper, Jade Perry and Ashleigh Newman were rated No. 2 in the country, while the class of Marissa Coleman and Kristi Toliver were ranked No. 4, the core of the Terps' national championship team. Her latest batch of Terrapins includes four high school All-Americans and a No. 2 national ranking.

Frese's recruiting classes have lived up to their billing and her pupils have earned numerous accolades, which had eluded the Terrapins for over a decade. In 2006, Crystal Langhorne became the first Maryland All-American in 17 years and then became the first multiple All-American in school history when the Associated Press and the United States Basketball Writers Association selected her for the honor again in 2007. She earned WBCA All-American nods in 2007, as well, the first in school history since 1989 and only the fourth overall.

Frese's players have also received numerous ACC honors. Langhorne was selected the program's first ACC Rookie of the Year since 1991 in 2005. The top rookie in the conference came out of College Park for the second year in a row as Marissa Coleman also nabbed the honor during the Terps' championship campaign.

In all, 12 Terps have been named to the All-ACC team in Frese's first five years, including three first-team honorees. Shay Doron, Frese's first Maryland recruit in College Park, became the second Terrapin in school history to be selected all-conference three times. She was the first freshman in school history to be named All-ACC in 2004. Langhorne was the highest-honored freshman in the program, garnering second team honors in 2005, and became only the third Terp in school history to be a two-time first team all-conference pick. Six of Frese's players have also been named to the ACC All-Freshman team.

Several Terps have also garnered national recognition under Frese, earning spots on national player of the year candidate lists and making history in the fall of 2006. That year, for the first time ever, four players from the same team were selected preseason candidates for the Women's Basketball Coaches Association's (WBCA) prestigious Wade Trophy when Doron, Coleman, Langhorne and Kristi Toliver were put on the Watch List. All five starters were tabbed preseason honorees for the Naismith Award, also a first in the history of the honor.

Frese has seen success on her three stops in eight seasons as a head coach. Making amazing turnarounds her calling card, she captured her 100th-career victory in 2005 against Georgia Tech and boasts a 169-81 record (.676), posting seven winning seasons in all, while leading her teams to five NCAA Tournament appearances. Her Maryland squads have posted a 112-61 mark in five years (.687), advancing to at least the second round of the tournament in each of the last four seasons.

Maryland has rewritten several records over the last five seasons. The Terps' 34 victories in 2005-06 were a school record, shattering the previous mark by five. The championship squad also set new standards for home wins (15), highest road winning percentage (.900), points (3,166), field goal attempts (2,363), three-point field goals (216), three-point attempts (540), free throws (690), free throw attempts (924), team free throw percentage (.747), rebounds (1,720) and blocked shots (195). Numerous individual records have also fallen since her recruits began donning a Terrapin unifom.

In the last two years, Maryland has been crowned the statistical champion five times. The Terrapins have been the best rebounding team in the nation, posting the best rebounding margin in 2006 (+11.9) and 2007 (+14.3). Also in 2006, the Terps shot 40.0 percent from three-point range, tops in the country, while posting the most wins of any team (34). Last year, the team's 18.3 assists per game average was also the best in the country.

With all five starters averaging in double figures over the last two years, Maryland has been one of the most prolific scoring teams in the nation over the last two years, ranking No. 2 in scoring average in back-to-back seasons. It has also ranked in the top 15 in the nation in scoring margin, field goal percentage and blocked shots in one or both seasons.

Maryland's rise into the upper-echelon of, not only the ACC, but in the country, has bolstered the excitement surrounding the team. In 2007, Maryland recorded the largest one-season improvement in home attendance, averaging 9,533 fans in 16 games, almost double the average from the previous season (4,183). More than 150,000 people made their way through the Comcast Center turnstiles, a school-record. By seasons' end, the Terps were sixth in the nation in average attendance, also placing fourth in overall attendance, as 241,280 spectators filled the stands at home and on the road to watch the Terps play in 34 games.

One of the highlights of the 2006-07 campaign was the announcement of two sell-out games in Comcast Center, the first- and second-ever in the young facility. The stands were filled to capacity when the Terps hosted North Carolina on Jan. 28, 2007, breaking the ACC's single-game record, the first women's basketball sold-out game since 1992. The record was matched in the regular-season finale on Feb. 18, 2007, when Duke came to College Park.

Maryland owns eight of the conference's top 10 attendances all-time, four coming in 2006-07 and seven overall coming since Frese has roamed the sidelines. The Terps' game vs. Michigan State on Jan. 2007 also drew more than 12,000 fans, while games vs. Wake Forest and Virginia were well attended, with more than 10,000 arriving to support the Terps.

In the classroom, the Terps have also been all-star students. Fifteen of Frese's Terps have been named to the ACC Honor Roll, while Shay Doron and Crystal Langhorne have received Academic All-American nods by ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA.

2005-06: A Special Season
The 2005-06 season was primed for a successful season. With two freshmen, two sophomores and a junior in the starting lineup, Maryland's chances to contend for a national title were projected to be a year away according to the experts. But after a near upset of then-No. 1 Tennessee early in the season, the young Terrapins were filled with confidence and looked primed to make a statement.

Stacked with six former high school All-Americans on the roster, the Terrapins were ranked in the preseason poll for the second-straight year, breaking the top 10 in November for the first time since 1993. Maryland climbed to as high as No. 4 in the national polls until its regular-season meeting with then-No. 1 North Carolina on Feb. 9. Considered the underdogs throughout the season, the Terrapins went into a packed Carmichael Auditorium and stunned the Carolina fans, handing the Tar Heels their first loss of the season in overtime, 98-95.

That evening, Frese uttered, "Our program took a step forward tonight."

It certainly had. Inching up to No. 3 in the polls, the first top-three ranking in 13 years, the Terrapins remained there until winning the national championship and becoming the undisputed No. 1 team in the nation, earning the top spot in the final ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll for the first time in school history.

The Terps overcame numerous hurdles en route to being crowned national champions. Playing in the toughest conference in the nation, Maryland's 12-2 record was good enough to tie for second in the ACC standings, the best finish since 1993 and the most conference wins since that same year. Ranked in the top three and logging wins over five ranked opponents heading into the ACC Tournament, the Terrapins faced a tough Duke opponent in the ACC Tournament semifinals while also facing a 14-game losing streak to the Blue Devils. The Terps broke that streak, toppling the second-ranked Blue Devils, earning a spot in the championship game for the first time in 13 years.

Maryland earned its highest NCAA seed in 14 years, garnering the No. 2 seed in the Albuquerque Regional, improving its seeding for the third-straight year. Reaching the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 1992, the Terrapins easily knocked off defending champion Baylor. In the Elite Eight, playing for a chance to reach the Final Four for the first time in Frese's career and the program's first since 1989, the team was struck with a stomach flu, affecting nearly half the players and staff. Despite their struggles, Frese, who had also come down with the sickness, rallied her troops. A hard-fought game to the end, the contest was forced into overtime against a well-coached Utah squad. Riding a wave of confidence, the outcome would be the same for the fifth time that season, as Maryland punched its ticket to Boston.

In Boston, Maryland faced familiar foes. The first time in the history of the NCAA, three teams from the same conference had reached the Final Four and the Terps had overall top-seed North Carolina as their first challenger. The Terrapins pulled away from UNC, 81-70, knocking off the No. 1 team in the nation for the second time this season, with No. 1-seeded Duke on the horizon. The Terps were the only team in the country to beat the Heels and was the first time in school history they had beaten the No. 1 team in the nation twice in the same year.

In the championship game, Maryland found itself down 13 points in the second half. It looked like the same story in 14 of the previous 15 meetings between the teams, but the young Terrapins fought back in the final 15 minutes, overcoming the second-largest deficit in finals history. Toliver hit one of the biggest shots in tournament history, a three-pointer over Duke's 6-7 center Alison Bales, sending the game into overtime. And the Terrapins knew they had the game already won.

After claiming the 78-75 victory, five players were in double figures and sophomore Laura Harper, who missed two-thirds of the previous season because of an Achilles' tendon tear, was voted the Final Four's Most Outstanding Player, while Toliver was named to the all-tournament team.

Maryland's 34 victories were the most in the country and the most in school history. Its four loses were to teams ranked No. 1 at some point during the season. Playing the season with "seven starters," the second-ranked offense in the nation had numerous weapons as five players on the team averaged double figures. Langhorne was an AP and USBWA All-American, while earning first team All-ACC honors. Coleman, who tied Langhorne's school record of five ACC Rookie of the Week selections, was the conference's Rookie of the Year. She was also the only conference freshman to be named All-ACC, earning a spot on the second team, along with Doron.

The most astonishing aspect of the season was the Terrapins' perfect record in a school-record six overtime games, none of which were at home. Maryland rode the mantra "Overtime is Our Time" into the final game of the season, capturing the program's first national title in overtime.

Laying the Foundation
Despite a roster with eight freshmen and sophomores in Frese's third season, Maryland was picked to finish third in the 2004 ACC Preseason Media Poll, with two Terrapins earning preseason honors, including Langhorne who was selected Preseason Rookie of the Year, the first Terrapin to ever receive the recognition since the polling began in 1991. Frese's young Terps garnered a top 25 ranking in both the AP and ESPN/Coaches poll, rising to as high as No. 15 during the regular season, the team's highest ranking since 1993. Their 22-10 record that year was the team's first 20-win season in over a decade. On Jan. 9, 2005, the Terrapins recorded one of the biggest wins in school history in over a decade, upsetting No. 5/4 North Carolina at Comcast Center.

The Terrapins advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the second-straight year and was ranked No. 24 in the season's final Coaches poll, the first time the Terps had appeared in the final rankings since 1992-93.

Doron was selected Kodak/WBCA Region II All-American, the first Terrapin to earn the honor since 1993, and was also tabbed a first team All-ACC performer. 2005 was also the first in time 14 years a Terp was voted the ACC's Rookie of the Year when Langhorne earned the honor and was also voted second team All-ACC.

In 2003-04, just her second season at the Terrapin helm, Frese took Maryland to an unexpected run to the second round of the NCAA Tournament and the program's first tournament victory in 12 years.

In what was supposed to be the second year of the rebuilding process, Frese instilled confidence into a Maryland squad that went 4-12 in ACC play the season before and was depending on players with limited experience, including two highly touted recruits in Doron and France. The Terrapins surprised all prognosticators, placing in a tie for third after being picked eighth in a preseason poll. Maryland went 18-13 on the season, its first winning season in four years. In ACC play, the Terps posted an 8-8 mark, doubling their conference win total from each of the previous two seasons and their best showing in the standings since the 1996-97 campaign. Collecting 18 wins overall, the most since 1996-97, Maryland was rewarded with an NCAA Tournament bid, the first time since 2000-01, and was the only 12th seed to advance to the second round.

The long list of accomplishments that season included reaching the ACC semifinals for the first time since 1998, averaging a 12.3 margin of victory in conference games and sweeping Wake Forest and Clemson, its first sweep of any ACC squad in three years.

Frese's first season at the Terps' helm was the rebuilding year it was predicted to be. With a roster short on depth but high on effort, she led Maryland to a 10-18 record, narrowly missing wins at several junctures. Frese's Terps also notched several positive steps in her first year including: breaking 100 points in a game for the first time since Dec. 28, 1993, winning their first ACC road game since Feb. 19, 2001, drawing a crowd of 5,078 - at the time the largest at a Maryland women's basketball game since Feb. 24, 1996, and bringing home their first win from Florida State since the 1995-96 campaign.

Learning the Ropes
One of college basketball's rising stars, Frese fits with Maryland's legacy of success. At Minnesota, she earned AP National Coach of the Year honors as well as Big Ten Coach of the Year recognition for turning the Gophers' 8-20 program into a 22-8 team and a top 25 contender in 2001-02. One of the biggest one-season turnarounds in NCAA history, Minnesota set a then-school record with 22 wins and tied for second in the Big Ten with an 11-5 conference mark. Frese also took the Gophers to what was only the school's second NCAA Tournament appearance. The Golden Gophers earned a fifth-seed in the NCAA Tournament and defeated UNLV in the first round before being eliminated by three points in the second round by North Carolina.

Frese's revitalization of the Minnesota program rocked the Big Ten establishment, with her team's 10-win improvement in conference play marking the biggest one-year improvement in Big Ten history. Moreover, the 11 Big Ten wins were three more than Minnesota totaled in the previous six seasons combined. The Golden Gophers had also achieved their highest ranking in school history to that point when Minnesota was listed 14th in the AP Top 25 in mid-February and garnered a No. 18 national ranking in the final regular season AP poll. Undoubtedly, Frese had arrived.

Frese started her head coaching career during the 1999-2000 season at Ball State, a program that had gone 66-169 in the nine seasons prior to her arrival. She guided the Cardinals to a 16-13 showing in 2000 and garnered Coach of the Year honors in the Mid-American Conference. Frese led Ball State to a then-school best 19-9 mark in 2000-01, capturing the school's second back-to-back winning seasons in Ball State history. In her final year at Ball State, the 2000-01 team received votes in the AP poll, climbing as high as No. 28 in the country.

Frese's enthusiasm has been contagious for the fans of her teams as well, as support increased significantly at both Minnesota and Ball State under her leadership. Buoyed by the best start (9-1) in school history, the Golden Gophers finished the season ranked 19th nationally in home attendance average (4,360), including an average of 8,828 fans during the second half of the campaign when the team moved to Williams Arena from the Sports Pavilion. The Gophers attracted the top four crowds in school history, including a record attendance of 12,142 vs. Michigan State and a crowd of 11,389 vs. Indiana. Frese's 2000-01 Ball State team posted a 10-2 home record and set a single-season home attendance record.

She launched her Division I coaching career in 1994 as an assistant coach at Kent State University, helping the Golden Flashes to records of 20-8 (1994) and 17-10 (1995) during her two years there. The Cedar Rapids, Iowa, native then joined Bill Fennelly's staff at Iowa State as the Cyclones' recruiting coordinator, where she assisted in another impressive turnaround, helping ISU to three NCAA Tournament appearances in four years. All told, the Cyclones posted a composite record of 84-38 with Frese as an assistant, including a 17-10 record in 1995-96 when Iowa State recorded the biggest one-season turnaround in school history. In 1997, the Cyclones made their first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament, a feat they duplicated in 1998 and 1999 with identical 25-8 records. In 1999, Iowa State was ranked among the nation's Top 25 for the entire season and came within one victory of reaching the Final Four.

During her stay at Iowa State, her 1998-99 recruiting class was ranked among the nation's top 10, and the Cyclones enjoyed tremendous success at the gate, drawing a record crowd of 12,337 vs. Santa Clara in the first round of an NCAA Tournament game played in Ames, Iowa, and rewriting Iowa State's single-season attendance mark multiple times.

Frese is a 1993 graduate of the University of Arizona, where she was a three-year letterwinner for the Wildcats as a guard. When injuries sidelined her during her senior season, she joined the Pima Community College coaching staff in Tucson, Ariz., as an assistant coach in charge of recruiting and scouting. Aside from her bachelor's degree in communications from Arizona in 1993, she also earned a master's degree in athletic administration from Kent State in 1995.

Frese has found success in her personal life, as well, marrying husband Mark Thomas on August 20, 2005. The couple, who live in Howard County, Md., are expecting twins in the spring.

Frese's Career Coaching Record

Year	Position	Institution	Record	Pct	Postseason
1994	Assistant Coach	Kent State	20-8	.714
1995	Assistant Coach	Kent State	17-10	.630
1996	Assistant Coach	Iowa State	17-10	.630
1997	Assistant Coach	Iowa State	17-12	.586	NCAA First Round
1998	Assistant Coach	Iowa State	25-8	.758	NCAA Second Round
1999	Assistant Coach	Iowa State	25-8	.758	NCAA Elite Eight
2000	Head Coach	Ball State	16-13	.552
2001	Head Coach	Ball State	19-9	.679
2002	Head Coach	Minnesota	22-8	.733	NCAA Second Round
2003	Head Coach	Maryland	10-18	.357
2004	Head Coach	Maryland	18-13	.581	NCAA Second Round
2005	Head Coach	Maryland	22-10	.688	NCAA Second Round
2006	Head Coach	Maryland	34-4	.895	NCAA CHAMPIONS
2007	Head Coach	Maryland	28-6	.824	NCAA Second Round
	Record at Maryland (5 yrs.)		112-51	.687	4 Appearances (9-3, .750)
	Head Coaching Record (8 yrs.)		169-81	.676	5 Appearances (10-4, .714)
	Overall Coaching Record (14 yrs.)		431-137	.759	8 Appearances (14-7, .667)

Coaches to Win
NCAA Title on First Trip to Final Four
Brenda Frese, Maryland - 2006
Kim Mulkey-Robertson, Baylor - 2005
Carolyn Peck, Purdue - 1999
Sylvia Hatchell, North Carolina - 1994
Marsha Sharp, Texas Tech - 1993
Tara VanDerveer, Stanford - 1990
Jody Conradt, Texas - 1986
Linda Sharp, Southern California - 1983
Sonia Hogg, Louisiana Tech - 1982

Youngest Coaches to Win NCAA Title
Marianne Stanley, Old Dominion - 31 years, 1985
Linda Sharp, Southern California - 32 years, 1983
Carolyn Peck, Purdue - 33 years, 1999
Pat Summit, Tennessee - 34 years, 1987
Brenda Frese, Maryland - 35 years, 2006

Coaching Credentials

Four sisters: Deb (46), Cindy (44), Marsha (35), Stacy (31). One brother, Jeff (42).

 

 

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