This Big Ten women’s basketball team is an early winner of transfer portal season
Photo by Jason Clark/NCAA Photos via Getty Images With the addition of Oluchi Okananwa from Duke, Brenda Frese seems to be assembling another Maryland team capable of a deep March Madness run. Brenda Frese knows what she’s doing in the transfer portal. While other coaches have complained about this new era of college sports where player movement is much more fluid, the 54-year-old has masterfully adapted. In each of the past few years, the longtime leader of the Maryland Terrapins has revamped and transformed her roster in the spring months, then gone on and won with those players at a high level in the next season. Take the 2022-23 campaign for example. In that offseason — after a run to the Sweet 16 — All-Big Ten talents like Angel Reese and Ashley Owusu walked out the door, as did key contributor Mimi Collins. Frese reloaded and brought in Ivy League standout Abby Meyers and SEC talents Brinae Alexander and Lavender Briggs to pair with Diamond Miller, Shyanne Sellers and Faith Masonius and stormed into the Elite Eight. And then there’s this past year, where Frese bolstered her roster with seven transfers, won 13 games in the Big Ten and again went to the Sweet 16, taking Maryland at least that far in the tournament for the 12th time in her career. This offseason has been no different for the Terps. Even with Frese’s top lieutenant Karen Blair leaving to become the head coach at Georgia Tech, she and her staff got to work quickly in recruiting new players to Maryland through the transfer portal. And, on paper at least, Frese once again is assembling a team that seems capable of making a deep run in March Madness. On Friday, Maryland announced that it had signed sophomore transfer Oluchi Okananwa, who was a big reason why Duke was able to advance to the Elite Eight this season for the first time since 2013. Okananwa — a 5-foot-10 guard from Boston — was the ACC Sixth Player of the Year as a freshman and this season was named ACC Tournament MVP after collecting 49 points, 20 rebounds and seven assists in three games in Greensboro, North Carolina. “Fans should be really excited about Oluchi,” Frese said in a statement. “Her IQ and athleticism are high-level. She’s a dynamic player who will bring qualities to our perimeter that any team would love to have. She will thrive in our up-tempo style, because she can really get up and down the floor. She’s a two-way player who will be hard to play against. We know, because we played against her last season.” Indeed, Okananwa tallied five points, three steals, two blocks, two assists and two rebounds in a loss to the Terps way back in November. She never started for Duke in two seasons with the Blue Devils, but across 71 games averaged 9.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.5 steals in 22 minutes per game while shooting 47.5 percent from the floor and 32.4 percent from 3-point land. She’s often been praised by coaches around the ACC for her relentless effort, strong defense and knack for playmaking. Okananwa is the latest addition to an already impressive transfer class for Maryland. Earlier this month, Indiana’s Yarden Garzon and Penn State’s Gracie Merkle joined the Terps, each bringing something different to the squad and improving their chances of winning big next season. Garzon, a 6-foot-3 versatile wing from Israel, was a three-time All-Big Ten selection for the Hoosiers and averaged 12.4 points and 5.1 rebounds per game while shooting 42.6 percent from behind the arc across her career there. This past season, she led Indiana in scoring and dished out a career best 3.2 assists per game as well. Because of her shooting skills and ability to guard multiple positions, she was one of the more highly coveted players in the portal this spring. Merkle is a 6-foot-6 redshirt junior who has spent time at Penn State and Bellarmine. As a freshman at Bellarmine, she led the nation in shooting percentage with a 70.2 percent mark from the floor. This past season for the Nittany Lions, she averaged 15.5 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game while shooting a Big Ten-best 67.1 percent from the floor. She was the ASUN Rookie of the Year in 2023, and an All-Big Ten selection this season. While Shyanne Sellers — the Terps’ bus driver for the past few seasons — is off to the WNBA after getting drafted in the second round by the Golden State Valkyries, Okananwa, Garzon and Merkle will pair with an impressive returning crop of players for Maryland. That group includes Kaylene Smikle, Saylor Poffenbarger, Mir McLean, Bri McDaniel and Allie Kubek. Five of eight of Maryland’s leading scorers from this past season will be back in black-and-red. Frese and her Terps look like big transfer portal winners. These additions could help them return to the Final Four for the first time since 2015.
With the addition of Oluchi Okananwa from Duke, Brenda Frese seems to be assembling another Maryland team capable of a deep March Madness run.
Brenda Frese knows what she’s doing in the transfer portal.
While other coaches have complained about this new era of college sports where player movement is much more fluid, the 54-year-old has masterfully adapted. In each of the past few years, the longtime leader of the Maryland Terrapins has revamped and transformed her roster in the spring months, then gone on and won with those players at a high level in the next season.
Take the 2022-23 campaign for example. In that offseason — after a run to the Sweet 16 — All-Big Ten talents like Angel Reese and Ashley Owusu walked out the door, as did key contributor Mimi Collins. Frese reloaded and brought in Ivy League standout Abby Meyers and SEC talents Brinae Alexander and Lavender Briggs to pair with Diamond Miller, Shyanne Sellers and Faith Masonius and stormed into the Elite Eight.
And then there’s this past year, where Frese bolstered her roster with seven transfers, won 13 games in the Big Ten and again went to the Sweet 16, taking Maryland at least that far in the tournament for the 12th time in her career.
This offseason has been no different for the Terps. Even with Frese’s top lieutenant Karen Blair leaving to become the head coach at Georgia Tech, she and her staff got to work quickly in recruiting new players to Maryland through the transfer portal.
And, on paper at least, Frese once again is assembling a team that seems capable of making a deep run in March Madness.
On Friday, Maryland announced that it had signed sophomore transfer Oluchi Okananwa, who was a big reason why Duke was able to advance to the Elite Eight this season for the first time since 2013. Okananwa — a 5-foot-10 guard from Boston — was the ACC Sixth Player of the Year as a freshman and this season was named ACC Tournament MVP after collecting 49 points, 20 rebounds and seven assists in three games in Greensboro, North Carolina.
“Fans should be really excited about Oluchi,” Frese said in a statement. “Her IQ and athleticism are high-level. She’s a dynamic player who will bring qualities to our perimeter that any team would love to have. She will thrive in our up-tempo style, because she can really get up and down the floor. She’s a two-way player who will be hard to play against. We know, because we played against her last season.”
Indeed, Okananwa tallied five points, three steals, two blocks, two assists and two rebounds in a loss to the Terps way back in November. She never started for Duke in two seasons with the Blue Devils, but across 71 games averaged 9.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.5 steals in 22 minutes per game while shooting 47.5 percent from the floor and 32.4 percent from 3-point land. She’s often been praised by coaches around the ACC for her relentless effort, strong defense and knack for playmaking.
Okananwa is the latest addition to an already impressive transfer class for Maryland.
Earlier this month, Indiana’s Yarden Garzon and Penn State’s Gracie Merkle joined the Terps, each bringing something different to the squad and improving their chances of winning big next season.
Garzon, a 6-foot-3 versatile wing from Israel, was a three-time All-Big Ten selection for the Hoosiers and averaged 12.4 points and 5.1 rebounds per game while shooting 42.6 percent from behind the arc across her career there. This past season, she led Indiana in scoring and dished out a career best 3.2 assists per game as well. Because of her shooting skills and ability to guard multiple positions, she was one of the more highly coveted players in the portal this spring.
Merkle is a 6-foot-6 redshirt junior who has spent time at Penn State and Bellarmine. As a freshman at Bellarmine, she led the nation in shooting percentage with a 70.2 percent mark from the floor. This past season for the Nittany Lions, she averaged 15.5 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game while shooting a Big Ten-best 67.1 percent from the floor. She was the ASUN Rookie of the Year in 2023, and an All-Big Ten selection this season.
While Shyanne Sellers — the Terps’ bus driver for the past few seasons — is off to the WNBA after getting drafted in the second round by the Golden State Valkyries, Okananwa, Garzon and Merkle will pair with an impressive returning crop of players for Maryland. That group includes Kaylene Smikle, Saylor Poffenbarger, Mir McLean, Bri McDaniel and Allie Kubek. Five of eight of Maryland’s leading scorers from this past season will be back in black-and-red.
Frese and her Terps look like big transfer portal winners. These additions could help them return to the Final Four for the first time since 2015.
