Teri Moren Joins Tried and True Podcast to Preview Upcoming Season
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana women's basketball head coach Teri Moren joined the Tried and True podcast with Don Fischer to talk about the upcoming season.
Below are key highlights discussed during the podcast.
On Moren's seven seasons at Indiana so far
"It's hard to believe it's year seven for us."
Moren said it was tough because last season they wondered how deep of a run they could've made in the NCAA Tournament if it weren't canceled.
The Hoosiers lost a key senior in Brenna Wise, but they are returning a majority of their team.
"For how last season ended, I have a bunch of hungry ladies here."
On how COVID-19 affected the team
Moren said the team had a lot of Zoom calls over quarantine.
"We already had great chemistry, but I think it even brought us closer together."
The team was able to come back in June to start training, and the biggest lesson Moren said her team took away was not to take anything for granted.
Some players didn't have access to a gym and had to do things on their own.
"Once we've gotten back here together, I remind them all the time of those days that seemed long."
Moren said the players won't take being the gym for granted anymore.
On the makeup of the 2020-21 team
"We have the best player in the Big Ten in Ali Patberg as our leader."
Patberg's leadership is key for this Indiana team, but Moren knows she has a great supporting cast in Grace Berger, Aleksa Gulbe and Mackenzie Holmes.
Jaelynn Penn had offseason surgery on her planter fasciitis, so it's unknown when she will get back to full strength, but Moren believes there's enough depth on this team to make up for Penn's absence.
"We have a lot of different pieces, which is a great problem to have as a coach."
On the addition of Ashley Williams in the offseason
"I have such a terrific staff."
Moren said even though she sits in the "big chair" as the head coach, it's all about the coaching staff around her that makes things easy.
Indiana lost Janese Constantine, who moved to Alabama with her husband, Paul Constantine, because he moved from Indiana football to Alabama football.
But Moren brought in Ashley Williams, who was a graduate assistant for Indiana three years ago.
"She hasn't been far removed from our staff. She knows how we like to do things and has a really good rhythm with our staff."
On how to be better than last season
"We have to rebound a lot better than we did a year ago."
Moren wants more depth in the five spot for her team. Holmes has expanded her game over quarantine and will look to stretch the floor a little more.
Arielle Wisne and Hannah Noveroske are two players that saw limited minutes last season, but Moren said they have both gotten into much better shape during the offseason and hopes for both of them to contribute more this season.
"A lot of things have to go well," Moren said. "This is a really hungry and motivated group as I mentioned earlier. You always worry about no injuries and the things you can't control. It's going to be a different year, especially if we're going to be in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall with no fans.
"We've had a lot of success in there... We're excited about the year with the experience that we have. All the stars have to align right for your basketball team sometimes. These are not only great players, but they are great kids. I love this team."
You can listen to the full Tried and True podcast with Moren here.
Related Stories:
- ARCHIE MILLER JOINS TRIED AND TRUE PODCAST: Indiana men's basketball coach Archie Miller joined the Tried and True podcast with Don Fischer. Here's what he had to say. CLICK HERE
- A LOOK INTO ALEKSA GULBE'S SUMMER IN LATVIA: Junior forward Aleksa Gulbe spent the summer in her home country of Latvia, and there were times where didn't know if she could come back to Bloomington. CLICK HERE
- WOMEN'S BASKETBALL MOTIVATED FOR SUCCESSFUL SEASON: The women's basketball program is coming off one its best seasons, but it didn't get to finish due to COVID-19. They are hungry for more success this season. CLICK HERE