Maryland women’s basketball adds former ACC star to 2025-26 season roster

brinks28
Apr 18
2 min read

Maryland women's basketball head coach Brenda Frese has been making big moves this offseason with the continuous addition of portal commits, but arguably the biggest news came on Friday morning. Oluchi Okananwa, the former Duke Blue Devil guard, announced her transfer to Maryland to become the fourth transfer this offseason.

The 5-foot-10 guard has spent her past two seasons with Duke. She capped off her sophomore season with the Blue Devils, where she averaged 10.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game. She helped Duke make a run all the way to the Elite Eight this season before falling short against South Carolina.

Okananwa was named the ACC Sixth Player of the Year and All-Freshman Team honoree in 2024 and the ACC Tournament Most Outstanding Player in 2025.

ESPNW ranked Okananwa No.27 overall in the class of 2023 before starting her collegiate career at Duke.

“What led to my decision was a deep trust in Coach [Brenda] Frese and the coaching staff to help nurture me into the player I know I can become,” Okananwa told On3. “At Maryland, they put an emphasis on skill development and that was something at the top of my list through this process. I like the pace and style that they play and feel like it would allow for a smooth transition for me.”

Shortly after Okananwa announced her decision, the program announced the latest signing as Frese pointed to Okananwa as “the final piece to a very special team.”

“She will thrive in our uptempo 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. Even given all of her talent and abilities, she’s even a better person. Her personality and humility will be something that everyone will be drawn to.” said Frese.

By: Brinkley Smith

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