One message stood out to Addi Mack after a career-high 23-point effort against Georgetown.
Damien Lolar, Mack’s hometown trainer and owner of Verve Basketball Academy, posted a 15-plus paragraph statement on X thanking Maryland women’s basketball’s staff for seeing in the freshman. It caught coach Brenda Frese’s attention.
“She has ‘it!’” Frese responded. “We have always known that.”
Mack will play in her home state for the first time in a collegiate uniform on Sunday. The Terps are facing Minnesota — who Mack grew up watching — to open Big Ten play.
Lolar has posted multiple times a week supporting Mack. The Minnesota guard thinks her former coach’s tweets are a bit exaggerated, but they highlight the pair’s rewarding journey and partnership.
Lolar and Verve coach Robie Tensaie worked with Mack for more than six years. Now, the pair watch her flourish at the collegiate level with the Terps — a byproduct of their role as mentors in Mack’s journey.
“They’re kind of like my second dads or like, brothers, friends,” Mack said. “They kind of play all three of those roles in my life.”
[Brenda Frese relies on freshmen point guards to lead Maryland women’s basketball]
The McDonald’s All-American nominee logged 4,687 points in an illustrious high school career at Minnehaha Academy — passing now-Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs for the school record her junior year. Mack’s scoring mark is second all-time in Minnesota.
In her senior season, Mack averaged more than 30 points a game. Minnehaha coach Kendall Givens, who assisted and took over the program after Lolar, called Mack a “cheat code.”
Lolar coached Mack at Minnehaha for three years, but she knew him long before. Mack made her first visit to Lolar in seventh grade after about three years of intensive training with her father, Rich.
Mack’s interests were heavily influenced by her family. Rich Mack played college basketball at Moorhead State. Her grandmother, a North Dakota State Hall of Fame coach, built the university’s program.
Lolar found Mack through a recommendation from Grant McGinnis — a scout for Prep Girls Hoops and close friend.
“I got this kid, there’s something about her,” Lolar recalls McGinnis saying. “And I think if I can get her with you, she’s gonna be serious.”
But Lolar had reservations after he first saw Mack for the first time.
Mack stands at just 5-foot-9 now and was shorter at the time. The first article written about Mack labeled her “the pint-sized point guard,” she said.
[Maryland women’s basketball stuns No. 16 Kentucky, 74-66, to remain undefeated]
The Verve Basketball Academy owner tested Mack by making the then-12-year-old play point guard for a group of college students. He thought she would break down from the pressure.
“She just accepted the challenge,” Lolar said.
Mack’s family, who guided her journey to that point, took a step back to let her grow.
“It’s a growth opportunity for her to be able to develop,” Rich Mack said. “The last thing that she needs to have is her mom or dad in the gym, sitting there staring at them or watching them do their trade while they’re trying to navigate through these challenges and opportunities.”
Through training, Lolar and Mack’s relationship grew. Lolar teased Mack about her former swim team, the Aquajets. And behind the jokes was an impressive athletic history. Mack won state championships in middle school and credits her extracurricular activities for her stamina and strength on the court at an early age.
Frese noticed Mack at about the same time as Lolar. Her and her father recalled receiving a letter from Maryland before her seventh-grade season — her first collegiate mail.
“Maryland was just very consistent over the years,” Rich Mack said. “Addi felt her fit at Maryland was very good in terms of being able to go in and make an impact in her early years.”
Lolar remembered Frese’s continued interest. He said some other programs were unsure Mack’s scoring ability could translate to the next level early on in her career.
But Frese and Maryland’s trust earned Mack’s commitment. Still, the four-star recruit wasn’t ranked in ESPN’s Top 100 players in the class of 2025.
“She made everything look so easy that [people] questioned it,” Lolar said.
Her skill became hard to ignore.
Mack took her training to the Amateur Athletic Circuit and led the Minnesota Fury to a UAA national championship appearance in 2024.
Nick Storm, the Fury’s coach, said it’s rare for a player to be a soft person yet fierce on the court. Mack possessed both traits.
Now at Maryland, Mack averages 11.5 points in more than 26 minutes a game so far this season. The hot start earned her a National Freshman of the Week honor in mid-November. Since then, she’s been a regular starter for the Terps.
It’s a dream scenario, but Mack is still shocked when she looks back at all she’s accomplished.
“To do that, and then come here and just try to keep growing Minnesota girls basketball as a brand is an awesome thing,” Mack said.
The Verve Basketball Academy days still stick with her — Mack keeps the academy’s motto, #KeepGoing, in her Instagram bio.
Maryland’s matchup against Minnesota on Sunday won’t be Mack’s first time playing in Williams Arena — she played multiple high school games in the 14,625-seat facility.
Lolar, along with the rest of her hometown brain trust of coaches and trainers, will be watching.“She exudes joy in everything she does,” Lolar said. “It’s a joy to watch her play.”
