Indiana Women's Basketball: Teri Moren Speaks Out on Poor Las Vegas Invitational Setup
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LAS VEGAS, Nev. — Last Friday and Saturday, the Indiana Hoosiers played in the Las Vegas Invitational hosted at the Mirage Hotel & Casino. While the Hoosiers walked away with two wins, the venue, setup and injury responses were a disappointment for all teams involved.
"This was a major miss in my opinion," Indiana head coach Teri Moren said in a post game press conference.
"We have an obligation to grow our game, and we completely missed on this opportunity because you have a lot of good teams that are here representing their conferences."
First, the venue wasn't what was described to the teams. A court was set up in the middle of a ballroom with no stands for spectators, just chairs pulled up to the side of the court.
Fans and basketball teams took to social media to express their disappointment claiming the tournament was a joke with a "bare-bones" setup. Several videos have gone viral on TikTok explaining how disgraceful the tournament setup was for the women's teams.
"What's disappointing is the aesthetics," Moren said. "It's not a fan-friendly environment. As women's basketball coaches, we're trying to move our game forward and it felt like because we got so many ticks on social we had taken a couple steps backwards in this moment."
Site coordinator Ryan Polk did apologize to the coaches and teams, but Moren said there probably should be more people who need to apologize.
Aside from the lack of a proper venue, tipoff delays and injury responses were a major concern for the teams. On Friday night, Indiana's game was delayed versus Auburn and then in the first few minutes of regulation, senior guard Grace Berger went down with a right knee injury.
She sat out the rest of the game with her leg elevated and iced across a few seats. Moren said people on socials suggested the floor was a problem.
"There's no problem with the floor," Moren said. "The injury to Grace did not happen because of the floor. That was not the case, and I want to be sure I state that."
Moren, other basketball players and some fans on social media stated the ballroom tournament style gave them AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) vibes.
Moren said the team has played in ballrooms before, and it's not a problem. However, this particular tournament wasn't like the other organized ballroom-style setups.
On Saturday, the injury response was unacceptable. Auburn freshman forward Kharyssa Richardson went down in the Colorado State game after hitting the floor trying to get a loose ball.
It took medical personnel more than 40 minutes to get to the court causing a delay for the Hoosiers' final game of the weekend versus Memphis.
"I know if the shoe was on the other foot and that was my kid, I would be very frustrated, and I was very frustrated having to watch that moment for Auburn," Moren said.
Moren discussed the situation with her staff, and while the medical response was poor, the Hoosiers opted to finish out the weekend. It's not that they didn't feel safe, Moren said. Things just needed to be a lot better.
Any good tournament has an EMT and medical professionals on site, Moren said. That wasn't the case, and it was another big miss for the tournament.
"Things like that prepare us for things down the stretch, and just handling our circumstances with maturity is really important," Indiana forward Mackenzie Holmes said. "I think we did a good job of that."
Related stories on Indiana women's basketball
- GRACE BERGER INJURY UPDATE During the Las Vegas Invitational, senior guard Grace Berger went down with a right knee injury in the first game versus Auburn. Indiana head coach Teri Moren updates her injury status and Sunday plans. A video of her press conference concerning Berger is attached. CLICK HERE
- GAME STORY: HOOSIERS DEFEAT MEMPHIS The Hoosiers took down the Memphis Tigers 79-64 on Saturday to complete the Las Vegas Invitational undefeated. Senior forward Mackenzie Holmes led the way with 27 points, but it wasn't all spectacular as venue issues and a Grace Berger injury hindered the weekend. CLICK HERE
- GRACE BERGER'S INJURY In the Hoosiers' Friday night 96-81 win over Auburn, senior guard Grace Berger went down in the first quarter holding her right knee. CLICK HERE
- GAME STORY: HOOSIERS RALLY PAST AUBURN Five Hoosiers scored in double figures to give Indiana a 96-81 win over Auburn in the Las Vegas Invitational. It came at a cost as senior guard Grace Berger went down early first quarter holding her right knee. CLICK HERE
