BIG TEN BASKETBALL MEDIA DAYS

October 11, 2022

Brenda Frese

Maryland Terrapins

Women's Head Coach

KEVIN WARREN: Brenda Frese, as you know, is incredibly successful. She's worked closely with many cancer awareness groups locally and nationwide. She was able to reach her second Sweet 16 in back-to-back years. Just looking forward to watching her team play.

If you've ever seen a Maryland basketball game, seen Coach Frese coach, she coaches with every ounce of fiber in her body. She lost her father, Bill, last year, who's so important to her.

Have great respect for Coach Frese and looking forward to a great season at the University of Maryland. Welcome to the stage Brenda Frese from the University of Maryland.

BRENDA FRESE: Thank you so much. It is great to be back here in Minnesota at the Target Center. I know all of us are really looking forward to the Big Ten tournament that will be coming up here in March.

First and foremost, I do want to welcome our new men's basketball coach here at Maryland, Kevin Willard, to his first Big Ten Media Day. We're really excited. He's going to do great things here at Maryland.

For us at Maryland, for our team, it is going to be a unique team and season for us this year. You will continue to see a lot of our team traits, going to be very similar that we've had in the past. But we're also going to try a lot of different concepts.

For us and our staff, it's been really stimulating to put these pieces of the puzzle together and really how we're going to maximize our roster this upcoming season.

People always talk about playing positionless basketball in this new era. You're really going to see it from us this upcoming season.

We have a really good group of players that you're going to see a lot of versatility where they're going to be able to cover and play a lot of different positions on both ends of the floor. Our staff plans on using our system that way.

We're also going to find out really quickly what we need to work on. Our non-conference schedule is probably one of the toughest we've ever played here in my time at Maryland. Second game of the season is against defending national champion South Carolina, we have UConn coming in as well, we're at Baylor, at Notre Dame, we also play DePaul, just a few of our non-conference games this season.

It allows us a great opportunity to play both challenging and really fun games to find out where we stand before heading into the most competitive conference in the country.

However, that's why you come to Maryland, is to play on these big stages. It's something that we're all looking forward to.

I open it up to any questions.

Q. You had a taste of what this market can do in terms of supporting women's basketball in 2002. I'm sure you were here at the Final Four last year. Can you talk about this market in terms of support for women's basketball.

BRENDA FRESE: Yeah, my one-year stay, being able to see it, being here at the Final Four this past year, it's the best of the best. They support the women's teams. They love their sports and athletics as a whole. I think that's why it's such a great fit for us to be able to come in here and have the Big Ten tournament here.

I expect great crowds. You've got so much energy from so many sports fans in this area that are going to come out and watch and support.

I know we're really looking forward to it.

Q. What do you think will have the greater long-term impact in college basketball, name, image and likeness or the transfer portal?

BRENDA FRESE: Whoa. That's a great question. I mean, you'd probably put it as subset A and B.

I think for the players, obviously name, image and likeness is a beautiful thing. I think it will obviously sustain now that it's there. I think for the coaches the transfer portal probably has had the biggest impact, as you can see on every roster in the country.

I think it's equally as important when you talk about the student-athletes for the name, image and likeness and then the coaches with the transfer portal.

Q. Talk about Caitlin Clark, what she's done for the women's game.

BRENDA FRESE: So electric. I mean, obviously can score the basketball as soon as she steps on the court from anywhere, that kind of range.

It's not by accident. You see a player like Caitlin Clark, when you watch those All-Americans, it's so rare. You have to appreciate in the time they get in their college career. She's made such a difference. Obviously at Iowa, in the country. She's a game changer. Just a special player to watch. Not fun to have to scout and coach against.

Truly one of those that you have to appreciate in her time as a once-in-a-lifetime type of player to come through.