Indiana Women's Basketball Season Preview: Fighting for a Banner
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — Indiana basketball coach Teri Moren, guard Grace Berger and forward Mackenzie Holmes made the trip out to Minneapolis, Minn. for Big Ten Basketball Media Days as the team's spokeswomen.
Moren spoke at the individual podium inside Target Center and later was live on Big Ten Network with Berger and Holmes to preview the upcoming season.
Here's what we learned from the trio during Media Days:
Holmes fights back from injury
Last season, Holmes was out for eight games with a left knee injury leaving a giant hole in the Hoosiers' offense as she is usually among the top two leading scorers.
“I had never been sidelined before in my life, not during a season," Holmes said. "I had never missed a game before that point.”
Moren said the team had no choice but to adjust without her. Some good things did come out of her absence including forward Kiandra Browne and guard Chloe Moore-McNeil seeing more valuable minutes.
The team played small ball and allowed more players off the bench the opportunity to grow up and grow up fast!
Holmes made a full recovery and should be good as new this season. She played the tail end of last season, but Moren admitted she didn't think the Gorham, Maine native was at her 100 percent best following her surgery.
Grace Berger, Teri Moren and Mackenzie Holmes get set to board the plane ahead of Big Ten Basketball Media Days.
IU Athletics
How the transfer portal has positively impacted the program
The Hoosiers have highly benefitted from the transfer portal this season after gaining Minnesota guard Sara Scalia, Oregon guard Sydney Parrish and Providence forward Alyssa Geary.
"I don't think we're a program that wants to be a team full of kids that are all transfers," Moren said.
"We still want the traditional four-year high school kid. I do think there's something special about being able to blend the two together. Certainly the portal does give you some instant experience."
Moren said her and the staff are very intentional about scanning the depth chart and looking for the holes that need filling for the next couple seasons. But Moren also recognizes that players are in the transfer portal for a reason.
Some are looking for more playing time, she said, which means there needs to be a fine balance of high school graduates and players with a couple years of college ball on their resumes.
Sara Scalia's versatility
A benefit from the transfer portal was Scalia and her dynamic three-point shot that ranks second in the Big Ten with a total 111 three-pointers.
"We obviously had to play against her," Moren said. "We had to do scouting reports for a young lady like Sara, so we're excited that she's joining us."
Berger added it was very difficult playing against Scalia and she had to pick her up right at half court to have the best chance of stopping her game. Berger jokingly said Scalia has the ability to make her opposing players look pretty stupid.
Moren likes Scalia's ability to facilitate and her desire to guard. If anyone is going to join the Hoosiers' ball club, they must be willing to be a defensive force.
Indiana's sound defense
Indiana's defense ranked third in the Big Ten last season allowing its opponents an average 61.8 points per game.
Holmes described it as a "bend, don't break" type of defense. If you take risks, they have to be aggressive. Moren and company have stressed the importance of their defensive-minded game for years, and this season won't be an outlier.
Teri Moren, Grace Berger and Mackenzie Holmes interview with Big Ten Network at Big Ten Basketball Media Days.
IU Athletics
Chloe Moore-McNeil
She's sassy and one of the most competitive players on the team, Holmes said when describing Moore-McNeil. Plus, she's funny and her Tennessee accent adds to her spark.
Moren said Moore-McNeil has gained more confidence shooting from outside the arc and had a great summer of preparation.
Moore-McNeil started two games last season and played 654 valuable minutes for the Hoosiers, especially when Holmes was out with her injury. She scored 162 points and also totaled 90 rebounds.
During Indiana Basketball Media Days, Moren said Moore-McNeil has a good chance of starting this season.
The freshmen class
Indiana welcomes four freshmen to the team including two international players in guard Yarden Garzon from Ra’anana, Israel and Henna Sandvik from Helsinki, Finland.
Moren said Garzon played the 1-4 position in Israel making her versatile. Plus, her 6'3" frame adds much-needed size to the team. Moren mentioned Garzon first when talking about the freshmen, exclaiming she's excited about what she can do for the team.
Sandvik is a 6'0" guard who has also soaked up the Hoosiers' program like a sponge, Moren said.
United States residents guard Lexus Bargesser from Grass Lake, Mich. and forward Lilly Meister from Rochester, Minn. will also be options at their respective positions.
Making tournament runs
The women's team has a plethora of accomplishments including seven straight 20-win seasons, two back-to-back Sweet 16 appearances and its advancement to the Big Ten Tournament title game for the first time in 20 years.
The team is predicted by the media to place second in the Big Ten this year behind Iowa.
"Obviously we understand that Iowa is at the top of it," Moren said. "They return everybody. They're fantastic. Well-coached.
"I think the rest of us will be chasing after that. But the great thing about the parity in our league, proven night in, night out, there's no game that's safe, right? If you're talking at the top or the bottom, the bottom is making strides and they're going to compete every single night."
Moren said they'd be remiss if they thought they could easily walk in and win any Big Ten game. The Big Ten is a good league, and it's proven that across the country, Moren said.
Grace Berger gets interviewed at Big Ten Basketball Media Days.
IU Athletics
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