DURHAM, N.C. – Brenda Frese won’t be getting a head start on the 2026 recruiting class.

The Terrapin women’s basketball coach gave birth to twin boys Sunday, the first children for Frese and her husband, Mark Thomas.

Markus William Thomas was born first, at 10:21 a.m., weighing five pounds, five ounces, and Tyler Joseph Thomas was born about a half an hour later, weighing six pounds, 12 ounces.

Frese and the babies are reportedly in good health.

The births came about seven hours before the No. 4 Terps tipped off their 76-69 win at No. 12 Duke, one of their biggest games of the year.

“Part of me almost felt like the game was very secondary today, just given the miracle of life that we had a small chance to experience,” assistant coach Daron Park said.

Frese had stopped traveling to road games more than a month ago, and Park coached the Terps again Sunday.

Park said after the game that he and the rest of the Terps found out about Frese’s delivery during shoot around earlier in the day, but they had yet to have a chance to talk to her.

“We tried to focus on the task at hand, which is obviously what she would have wanted,” Park said.

Park said he had exchanged text messages with Mark Thomas.

The Terps’ players said they weren’t distracted by the news during the game against the Blue Devils.

“Honestly I think Coach B would have really wanted us to have focused on this game, and win this game,” senior forward Laura Harper said. “That would have been the best thing for her. Now that we did, I think we can circle back and try and text her or get in contact with her somehow.”

Frese’s due date was originally given as March 11, but twins are generally delivered early, and Frese had said she had been told to expect to deliver in late February.

There is no word yet about how long Frese will be away from the team, but she repeatedly promised throughout the season that she will be back at least in time for the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament, which are scheduled to be held at Comcast Center on March 23 and 25.

Park, who is 8-1 filling in for Frese, will continue take Frese’s place until she is able to return.

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