Frese Named AP’s National Coach of the Year

Maryland women's basketball head coach Brenda Frese was named National Coach of the Year by the Associated Press Wednesday. Frese, who recently finished in her 19th season at Maryland, was also voted National Coach of the Year by ESPN and The Athletic earlier this month.

Frese was named National Coach of the Year by the Associated Press in 2002, the year she was hired at Maryland. She is one of just three coaches to win this honor more than once, joining Geno Auriemma (Connecticut), Kim Mulkey (Baylor) and Muffet McGraw (former Notre Dame head coach).

After losing five starters from last year's Big Ten Championship squad, Frese and her staff reloaded with five newcomers and the return of five sophomores. Frese's Terrapins did not miss a beat this year, earning a record of 26-3 overall, 17-1 in league play and winning the program's sixth Big Ten title in seven years. The Terrapins advanced to their ninth Sweet Sixteen under Frese.

The 2020-21 Terps were the highest-scoring team in program history, averaging 90.8 points per game. The Terps also led the nation in assist turnover ratio (1.7).

Frese's Terps have four wins over ranked squads and finished the year ranked in the Associated Press top 10 for the last nine weeks. They won 15 straight games from Jan. 28 through the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Last month, Frese won her 500th game at Maryland, making her the winningest coach in program history. She currently owns a record of 512-131 (.796) at Maryland and 569-161 (.780) in her 22 years as a head coach, which includes stops at Minnesota and Ball State.

This year marked Frese's fourth Big Ten Coach of the Year honor, having previously won in 2002, 2015 and 2019. She was also named ACC Coach of the Year in 2013 and MAC Coach of the Year in 2000.