Indiana University Athletics
#IUWBB B1G Media Day Notebook: Chemistry, a New Point Guard and Tempo
10/15/2015 5:15:00 PM | Women's Basketball
By: Sam Beishuizen | Twitter
IUHoosiers.com
CHICAGO, Ill. - Asked separately, head coach Teri Moren, junior guard Alexis Gassion and sophomore guard Tyra Buss all had the same response when asked about the biggest difference in this year's team.
"Chemistry," each said without hesitation.
"It's kind of a buzzword, but I firmly believe we're a much closer team this year," Moren said. "The kids that are here are here because they believe in our staff. They believe in what we value, and I think there's something to be said for that. I think it gives us something we didn't necessarily have before."
Moren said the team is intentionally spending more time together away from basketball.
Whether that means going out for dinner together, watching games at a teammate's apartment or just killing time together between class, the Hoosiers have been around each other more often lately. This Saturday, the team plans to get together to carve pumpkins together at Moren's house.
"Little activities like that really make a difference," Buss said. "It just helps our team chemistry, and it's crazy to think how much better it is at this point because we've put so much emphasis on it. I think we're in a really good place as a team right now."
Because the team feels more comfortable around each other, they're less hesitant to give each other critical feedback, Gassion said.
In practice, it's not uncommon to see an older player like Gassion pull a younger teammate to the side and offer advice or work to correct a mistake together without any input from the coaches.
"I think when it's the players doing things like that, it's easy to be comfortable," Gassion said. "Just pulling someone to the side and saying, 'Hey, you can do this better or that better' is a big deal and really helps us get better."
Moren has started assigning her players assignments to do together during the week to promote stronger bonds within the team.
At the end of the first practice of the season, Moren had every player gather in a circle and share something the person to their right did well in practice. Last week, paired the players up and asked them to research one another's families and share what they've learned with the rest of the team.
Moren said the team is growing in that respect. She hopes that by the middle of the season when games start to become a grind, the players will be able to lean on each other more and be stronger because of it.
"I think we're starting to build something special with this group," Moren said. "I can tell you this, we've got good kids. They've got good hearts and their good human beings. They've all really bought in."
Position Change Going Well For Buss
Buss' new position on the floor isn't actually all that new.
Buss will take over as Indiana's starting point guard in her second season with the Hoosiers after playing as a combo guard as a freshman. It's a move that Buss said she feels comfortable with considering she's been a point guard for virtually her entire playing career before arriving in Bloomington.
"It's something that I've been really looking forward to," Buss said. "It's a chance to kind of go back to the position I've always been used to and lead this team that way."
Buss will have a greater responsibility within the offense this season, Moren said. As IU's primary ball handler, Buss will call most of the plays herself and dictate the offense based on her first move when she gets the ball up the floor.
Moren has worked closely with Buss at practice to develop offensive strategies based partially around Buss' strengths. After mostly being away from the point guard role last season as a combo 1-2 guard, Buss admitted there was still some rust to knock off in the first few practices.
"It took some time to get used to, but I'm going to get a lot closer," Buss said. "Our offense is a little different this year, but coach Moren and I have been working hard together on being able to see other people on the floor and just getting back into that point guard mentality."
So far, the reports from the first few practices have been good.
"I think everyone really trusts Tyra to handle the ball and get us all good looks," Gassion said. "We know she's a good player, and I think the move will make everyone better off."
Indiana Looks To Increase The Pace
It doesn't take long into an Indiana practice for at least one thing to be abundantly clear:
The Hoosiers will be fast.
Moren has tweaked her offense over the offseason and intends to pick up the pace during games this season both offensively and defensively.
When the Hoosiers are on the attack, they'll look to inbound the ball quickly and get to the other end of the floor. They've spent the majority of the practices so far working with a 24 second shot clock to speed everything up.
Defensively, Moren wants her team pressuring the ball more. She wants her guards to be pesky, buzzing around the ball, forcing mistakes and creating turnovers.
"We're going to be a fun team to watch this year, I think," Gassion said. "We're playing at a quick pace and when we aren't right up in their face defensively, we're running. So it's really getting engraved in our heads how we want to play."
IUHoosiers.com
CHICAGO, Ill. - Asked separately, head coach Teri Moren, junior guard Alexis Gassion and sophomore guard Tyra Buss all had the same response when asked about the biggest difference in this year's team.
"Chemistry," each said without hesitation.
"It's kind of a buzzword, but I firmly believe we're a much closer team this year," Moren said. "The kids that are here are here because they believe in our staff. They believe in what we value, and I think there's something to be said for that. I think it gives us something we didn't necessarily have before."
Moren said the team is intentionally spending more time together away from basketball.
Whether that means going out for dinner together, watching games at a teammate's apartment or just killing time together between class, the Hoosiers have been around each other more often lately. This Saturday, the team plans to get together to carve pumpkins together at Moren's house.
"Little activities like that really make a difference," Buss said. "It just helps our team chemistry, and it's crazy to think how much better it is at this point because we've put so much emphasis on it. I think we're in a really good place as a team right now."
Because the team feels more comfortable around each other, they're less hesitant to give each other critical feedback, Gassion said.
In practice, it's not uncommon to see an older player like Gassion pull a younger teammate to the side and offer advice or work to correct a mistake together without any input from the coaches.
"I think when it's the players doing things like that, it's easy to be comfortable," Gassion said. "Just pulling someone to the side and saying, 'Hey, you can do this better or that better' is a big deal and really helps us get better."
Moren has started assigning her players assignments to do together during the week to promote stronger bonds within the team.
At the end of the first practice of the season, Moren had every player gather in a circle and share something the person to their right did well in practice. Last week, paired the players up and asked them to research one another's families and share what they've learned with the rest of the team.
Moren said the team is growing in that respect. She hopes that by the middle of the season when games start to become a grind, the players will be able to lean on each other more and be stronger because of it.
"I think we're starting to build something special with this group," Moren said. "I can tell you this, we've got good kids. They've got good hearts and their good human beings. They've all really bought in."
Position Change Going Well For Buss
Buss' new position on the floor isn't actually all that new.
Buss will take over as Indiana's starting point guard in her second season with the Hoosiers after playing as a combo guard as a freshman. It's a move that Buss said she feels comfortable with considering she's been a point guard for virtually her entire playing career before arriving in Bloomington.
"It's something that I've been really looking forward to," Buss said. "It's a chance to kind of go back to the position I've always been used to and lead this team that way."
Buss will have a greater responsibility within the offense this season, Moren said. As IU's primary ball handler, Buss will call most of the plays herself and dictate the offense based on her first move when she gets the ball up the floor.
Moren has worked closely with Buss at practice to develop offensive strategies based partially around Buss' strengths. After mostly being away from the point guard role last season as a combo 1-2 guard, Buss admitted there was still some rust to knock off in the first few practices.
"It took some time to get used to, but I'm going to get a lot closer," Buss said. "Our offense is a little different this year, but coach Moren and I have been working hard together on being able to see other people on the floor and just getting back into that point guard mentality."
So far, the reports from the first few practices have been good.
"I think everyone really trusts Tyra to handle the ball and get us all good looks," Gassion said. "We know she's a good player, and I think the move will make everyone better off."
Indiana Looks To Increase The Pace
It doesn't take long into an Indiana practice for at least one thing to be abundantly clear:
The Hoosiers will be fast.
Moren has tweaked her offense over the offseason and intends to pick up the pace during games this season both offensively and defensively.
When the Hoosiers are on the attack, they'll look to inbound the ball quickly and get to the other end of the floor. They've spent the majority of the practices so far working with a 24 second shot clock to speed everything up.
Defensively, Moren wants her team pressuring the ball more. She wants her guards to be pesky, buzzing around the ball, forcing mistakes and creating turnovers.
"We're going to be a fun team to watch this year, I think," Gassion said. "We're playing at a quick pace and when we aren't right up in their face defensively, we're running. So it's really getting engraved in our heads how we want to play."
Players Mentioned
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