Opinion: Indiana Women's Basketball Stacked at Forward Position
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — For those wondering what Indiana women's basketball was going to do in the offseason, the answer is big things as the Hoosiers went from losing three forwards to getting the Ohio Valley Conference Freshman of the Year Sharnecce Currie-Jelks to team up with last season's leading scorer Mackenzie Holmes.
Fans could all breathe a sigh of relief when Holmes announced last season she planned to stay in Bloomington for her fifth season. Last year, the 6-foot-3 senior out of Gorham, Maine led the Hoosiers with 22.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per contest. Her 20-point performances and 58 blocks on the season led her to become the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year showing off her versatility.
Truthfully, the Hoosiers might have been fine with just Holmes and rising sophomore Lilly Meister on the roster. Meister played 31 games with one start last season when she stepped in for Holmes in the NCAA Tournament first round game versus Tennessee Tech. She averaged 2.4 points in 6.5 minutes per game.
However, it's good the Hoosiers added some insurance as the above sentences explain why that's necessary; Holmes has been injured before.
In the 2021-22 season, Holmes sat out eight games with a left knee injury that required surgery. This season, she only missed one game due to that same knee, but it wasn't serious. As one can never predict the injury clock no matter how talented a player is, it's best to have some reinforcement like Currie-Jelks in the mix.
The Hoosiers announced the UT Martin transfer as their own earlier this week following a pretty quiet offseason. The transfer portal deadline to enter passed on May 11, and the Hoosiers remained patient waiting to see who all entered before officially snagging the right choice.
The 6-foot-2 Currie-Jelks hailing from Jackson-Tenn. was also named to the OVC First Team and All-Newcomer Team. She broke the Skyhawks record with nine OVC Freshman of the Year honors averaging 15.2 points per game shooting 53.9 percent from the field.
She started 26 of her 28 games played for the Skyhawks and will fit perfectly into a Hoosier program that needs, or could benefit from, a talented player with a thick resume like that of Holmes.
In the offseason, Indiana lost forwards Mona Zaric and Kiandra Browne to the transfer portal and Alyssa Geary to graduation. The pool has been replenished, and the task is not as daunting for Holmes as she'll have help in the post. As it's Holmes's last season, she will more than likely be a sound mentor for the rising sophomore Currie-Jelks still learning the college game plus a Power Five conference.
With Meister ready to get her number called too, the Hoosiers are looking solid at the forward position in time to chase down another 28-4 (or better) season.
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