Frese Is Able to Find Comfort

When you're 30 weeks pregnant with twins, even sleeping is a challenge. Maryland Coach Brenda Frese says she sleeps about an hour at a time these days, which leaves her feeling exhausted pretty much all day long.

"I feel like I'm on an incline of a treadmill at level 12 every day," Frese said.

Now, instead of striding the sideline exhorting her players with claps and fist pumps, the 37-year-old coach sits in her comfy chair near the bench during games and practices. It has been quite an adjustment for her and her players, who are accustomed to feeding off her energy and passion.

Frese has significantly scaled back her activities, missing a week of practice because of bulging disks in her back, a couple of road games because her obstetrician didn't want her to travel and a home game because of illness. No one knows how much longer she will be with the team before giving birth. The twins could come as soon as the next couple of weeks.

"I only have one shot to do this right," Frese said. "There's two inside of me, and I want to make sure" everything turns out okay.

With an almost entirely new coaching staff this season, Frese's pregnancy could have spelled disaster for Maryland. Instead, the No. 5 Terrapins (16-1) are playing some of their best basketball since their championship run two years ago. Tonight, they open their ACC schedule at Wake Forest (12-2).

Frese has always shared the responsibility of running the team with her assistants, and this season she has relied heavily upon them -- no one more so than Daron Park.

Park, who was hired when Jeff Walz left to become Louisville's head coach this season, has become the Terrapins' de facto head coach. The 36-year-old former head coach at Westminster College in Salt Lake City came to Maryland from the University of Utah. Frese first became aware of him when the Terrapins played the Utes in the 2006 NCAA tournament.

"I did not know him until that game," Frese said. "But I just remember how impressed I was of their [game preparation], just so many tendencies of ours that they took away from us."

Park's enthusiasm as well as his strong background as a defensive coach made him an ideal candidate. But when she hired Park, Frese had no idea how much she would come to depend on him.

Park roams the sideline at games, calling plays, encouraging players and arguing with referees. During practices, he does much of the on-court teaching. It was awkward at first, being the new guy and having Frese sitting behind him, watching his every move. But driving home one day, Park realized he had to be himself, not try to replace Frese, and trust himself as a coach. Since then, he has grown more comfortable with his expanded responsibilities.

"If I spent all my time wondering about doing the right thing, we wouldn't get anything done," Park said. "If it's not right, she's going to tell me."

From the first meetings he had with the players, Park won them over with his optimism and work ethic.

"He lives off Diet Coke and game film," Kristi Toliver said. "He watches so much film. No matter what, we're going to be the most prepared team."

But the turning point for the players came in a November game at UCLA. Maryland trailed the Bruins by 16 points in the second half. Frese had stayed home, leaving Park in charge.

"If we lost, everyone would have blamed him," Laura Harper said. "He told us the way we're going to win this game is to get a stop. He said: 'Believe in each other. Believe in me.' It was the best eight minutes of basketball we played all year."

For those who thought Frese would struggle with watching someone else do all the things she was in the habit of doing, she has been remarkably willing to cede her coaching responsibilities.

"I've gained a whole other perspective by sitting," Frese said. "I'm more into seeing the big picture of the game versus sometimes you get more emotional in the game. That's been interesting. . . . I think the nice thing with Daron and I, you couldn't have asked for a better relationship for us to line up as one so easily in terms of how we see the game, view the game, our philosophies. . . . It's helped me get through this pregnancy, just having that comfort level."