University of Tennessee Athletics
Fruendt Elevated To Women’s Hoops Assistant
June 30, 2023 | Women's Basketball
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Liza Fruendt (LYE-zuh FRU-indt), who has served as the director of recruiting operations for Tennessee women's basketball for the past two seasons, has been elevated to assistant coach, Lady Vol Head Coach Kellie Harper announced on Friday.
Fruendt's title change comes after the NCAA adopted legislation that permits NCAA Division I programs to add up to two assistant coaches to a staff. Under the new allowance, the additional coach(es) may not contact or evaluate prospective student-athletes off-campus and are subject to the restrictions related to individuals associated with recruited prospective student-athletes.
"I am thrilled to elevate Liza to our new assistant coach position," Harper said. "She has been a valued member of the Lady Vol staff over the last two years and has been a vital component of our recruiting efforts and overall operations. I look forward to working alongside Liza as we continue to elevate our program and pursue our goal of winning championships."
Fruendt, who played for Harper at Missouri State from 2014-18, has been part of a UT staff that has forged back-to-back NCAA Sweet 16 appearances and in 2023 produced its third straight first-round WNBA Draft pick. It also made its first SEC Tournament championship game appearance since 2015 after defeating LSU during the 2023 conference tourney semifinals.
On the recruiting front, Fruendt played a role in Tennessee landing the No. 6 transfer class in 2023 (Jewel Spear, Destinee Wells, Avery Strickland) and a group in 2022 that included No. 4 rated Rickea Jackson, No. 12 Jasmine Powell, No. 16 Jasmine Franklin and a somehow unranked Jillian Hollingshead.
Fruendt previously served two seasons as a graduate assistant with the women's basketball program at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. While with the Roos, she became versed in video production and scouting technology, consulted with staff on various aspects of recruiting, implemented social media strategy and also assisted with other day-to-day duties.
A standout on teams at MSU, Fruendt excelled both on and off the court as a Lady Bear. The native of Batavia, Illinois, was named to the Missouri Valley Conference All-Freshman Team (2015), All-MVC First Team (2017, 2018) and MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team (2017, 2018).
Fruendt is a 2018 graduate of Missouri State with a bachelor's degree in business administration and earned a master's in business administration in 2020 from Kansas City.
Fruendt's title change comes after the NCAA adopted legislation that permits NCAA Division I programs to add up to two assistant coaches to a staff. Under the new allowance, the additional coach(es) may not contact or evaluate prospective student-athletes off-campus and are subject to the restrictions related to individuals associated with recruited prospective student-athletes.
"I am thrilled to elevate Liza to our new assistant coach position," Harper said. "She has been a valued member of the Lady Vol staff over the last two years and has been a vital component of our recruiting efforts and overall operations. I look forward to working alongside Liza as we continue to elevate our program and pursue our goal of winning championships."
Fruendt, who played for Harper at Missouri State from 2014-18, has been part of a UT staff that has forged back-to-back NCAA Sweet 16 appearances and in 2023 produced its third straight first-round WNBA Draft pick. It also made its first SEC Tournament championship game appearance since 2015 after defeating LSU during the 2023 conference tourney semifinals.
On the recruiting front, Fruendt played a role in Tennessee landing the No. 6 transfer class in 2023 (Jewel Spear, Destinee Wells, Avery Strickland) and a group in 2022 that included No. 4 rated Rickea Jackson, No. 12 Jasmine Powell, No. 16 Jasmine Franklin and a somehow unranked Jillian Hollingshead.
Fruendt previously served two seasons as a graduate assistant with the women's basketball program at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. While with the Roos, she became versed in video production and scouting technology, consulted with staff on various aspects of recruiting, implemented social media strategy and also assisted with other day-to-day duties.
A standout on teams at MSU, Fruendt excelled both on and off the court as a Lady Bear. The native of Batavia, Illinois, was named to the Missouri Valley Conference All-Freshman Team (2015), All-MVC First Team (2017, 2018) and MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team (2017, 2018).
Fruendt is a 2018 graduate of Missouri State with a bachelor's degree in business administration and earned a master's in business administration in 2020 from Kansas City.
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