Maryland basketball head coach Brenda Frese is opening up about top Terrapins players’ mass exodus to the transfer portal.
Angel Reese, Mimi Collins, Ashley Owusu, Channise Lewis and Taisiya Kozlova announced they were leaving the school this offseason after Maryland made a Sweet 16 run in the NCAA tournament.
The move, while perhaps startling to onlookers, was no surprise to Frese, with the coach telling The Next she was prepared for the transfers.
“It goes back to what I was saying about the relationship as a coach with your kids,” Frese told James Kay of The Next. “You know what is going to happen. I can tell you with those three; we were fully prepared. We had numerous things throughout the season that prepared us and we joked that we knew we were going to be ‘portaling’ this offseason.”
Despite the offseason commotion, Maryland signed Frese to a new deal, extending the coach’s contract through the 2028-29 season.
In her 20 seasons, Frese has led the Terrapins to six Elite Eight appearances, three Final Fours and a 2006 national championship.
With little time to dwell on the offseason transfers, Frese has been busy building a new roster, landing top recruits in Brianna McDaniel and Gia Cooke while adding Abby Meyers from Princeton to the lineup.
“For 20 years, we have had the support of the administration,” said Freese. “It still feels like we can recruit a goldmine of student-athletes. When we had some students in the transfer portal, look at how many we were able to get within a week’s time. It’s been pretty exciting to see what we have been able to attract here in Maryland.”