Maryland extends women’s basketball coach Freese’s contract

COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Maryland women’s basketball coach Brenda Frese agreed to a contract extension that could keep her at the school through 2027-28.

Maryland athletic director Damon Evans announced the deal with The Associated Press women’s basketball coach of the year on Tuesday.

Frese’s contract now runs at least through the 2026-27 season. If she is still with the Terrapins in May 2023, an additional year would be added to the agreement.

Frese led Maryland to the 2006 NCAA championship and has been to the tournament in 17 of her 19 years as its coach.

Maryland lost five starters from last year’s Big Ten championship team, but still went 26-3 and won the conference for the sixth time in its seven years in the league in 2021. The Terrapins reached the Sweet 16 at the NCAAs.

Frese is the winningest coach in Maryland women’s basketball history, surpassing 500 victories this season, and is 512-131 at the school, a .796 winning percentage.

She is 569-161 overall as a college head coach, including previous stints at Minnesota and Ball State.

In March, Frese was honored as AP coach of the year for the second time. Geno Auriemma, Muffet McGraw and Kim Mulkey are the only other women’s basketball coaches to win the award more than once.


More AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25