Fighting Illini women's basketball head coach Shauna Green has announced the hiring of Liza Fruendt (LYE-zuh FRU-indt) as an assistant coach on June 3, 2024. Fruendt joined the Illinois program after three seasons on Tennessee's staff.

During the 2024-25 campaign, Fruendt played a role the program’s continued upward trajectory with a 22-win season (22-10), a postseason appearance, and the program’s first NCAA Tournament win in 25 years. The Fighting Illini tied the program record with four wins over AP Top-25 ranked opponents. Illinois led the Big Ten in team free throw percentage (79.3%) and defensive 3-point percentage (28.1%), while Genesis Bryant (free throw percentage) and Kendall Bostic (double-doubles, minutes/game, rebounds, def. rebounds/game, rebounds/game) combined to lead the league in six individual categories. Additionally, the Illinois staff brought in the No. 7-ranked recruiting class by espnW for the 2025-26 campaign.

Fruendt joined the Lady Vols staff as the director of recruiting operations prior to the 2021-22 campaign and served two years in that position before being elevated to an assistant coach in conjunction with the NCAA legislation that went into effect on July 1, 2023.

Most recently, during the 2023-24 season, Tennessee owned a 20-13 overall record while going 10-6 in SEC play and making an SEC Tournament semifinals appearance. The Lady Vols won their NCAA Tournament First Round game over Green Bay before falling to No. 11 NC State in the Second Round to conclude the season.

Fruendt was part of the UT staff that forged back-to-back NCAA Sweet 16 appearances (2022 & 2023) and, in 2024, produced its fourth straight first-round WNBA Draft pick.

On the recruiting front, Fruendt played a role in Tennessee landing the No. 6 transfer class in 2023 and a group in 2022 that included No. 4-rated Rickea Jackson, No. 12 Jasmine Powell, and No. 16 Jasmine Franklin along with No. 35-ranked espnW 100 standout Kaniya Boyd.
 
Fruendt headed to Rocky Top after spending 2020-21 as a senior associate consultant for Cerner Corporation. Prior to that, she served two seasons as a graduate assistant with the women's basketball program at Kansas City (UMKC).
 
A standout on teams coached by Kellie Harper while she was at Missouri State, Fruendt excelled both on and off the court as a Lady Bear. She 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).
 
A native of Batavia, Illinois, Fruendt is a 2018 graduate of Missouri State with a bachelor's degree in business administration, and she earned a master's in business administration in 2020 from Kansas City.

Last updated June 2025

Coaching Career