“Hungry” Hoosiers Poised for Special 2019-20 Season

By Jared Rigdon
IUHoosiers.com

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - In just a week's time, 24^th-ranked Indiana will begin one of the most highly anticipated seasons the women's basketball program has ever had.

It's a product of the foundation of the culture that IU head coach Teri Moren has been building since she arrived in Bloomington. The culture has helped turn a traditionally average program into one of the Big Ten's most consistent winners.

And this year's group is special.

IU returns three players that averaged double figure scoring totals last year in redshirt junior guard Ali Patberg (15.8 ppg.), junior guard Jaelynn Penn (13.9 ppg.) and senior forward Brenna Wise (12.0 ppg.).

"I like how this group is really together," Moren said. "They're on the same page and for each other. They're hungry. They want more."

IU has crafted a well-rounded core to surround the trio of Patberg, Penn and Wise. Junior guard Bendu Yeaney averaged 9.8 ppg. before suffering an Achilles injury in the second round of the NCAA Tournament against Oregon.

Once she returns, she will join a rotation of returning players such as sophomore guard Grace Berger and sophomore forward Aleksa Gulbe.

The IU backcourt, which will also include the likes of redshirt freshman Chanel Wilson and junior Keyanna Warthen, combines to be one of the deepest and most veteran based groups in the entire conference.

The plethora of ball handling options will allow Patberg to play off the ball sometimes, giving the chance for the offense to open up.

IU wants to play faster this season. With a deep freshman class helping last season's depth issue and improved speed and size on the court, IU's going to have that ability.

"One thing that Coach Moren really emphasizes in practice is that she wants to get up and down," freshman forward Jorie Allen said. "We want to play fast. But we want to make good decisions. One of our biggest strengths is that we have scoring ability at every position even off the bench. I think we'll be able to play fast and keep that tempo up."

IU has already begun to garner attention to begin the season. It was selected third in the preseason Big Ten Coaches poll and fourth in the Big Ten Media poll. Patberg was selected to the all-conference team by both the coaches and the media. But to her, none of that means a thing until IU backs it up on the court.

"It's an honor because it's a reflection of what we did last year," Patberg said. "But we haven't done anything yet. Now we technically have a target on our backs, but we're constantly looking to get better. We're out to prove ourselves consistently."

One of the bigger questions surrounding the team is how it will deal with the absence of Yeaney who will likely miss the entire non-conference slate as she recovers from injury.

She started 33 of 34 games last season and was the team's fourth leading scorer. But IU will have to adjust without one of its most versatile players. And Moren is already looking to a returning player to take the next step.

"I think is Grace Berger is going to emerge from the beginning," Moren said. "I've never seen a kid be so dedicated about getting better than Grace has been this summer. Her body looks different. She looks completely different and is playing with a tremendous amount of confidence."

The confidence level around the program is very high coming off a successful summer workout program. The Hoosiers are balancing the integration of freshmen into the program along with some injury troubles.

However, this team is very good. It has the pieces to be one of the best teams this program has ever seen.

"I'm very proud of our locker room," Moren said. "I think it's a very healthy place to be."

IU is coming off back-to-back postseason appearances. It won the 2018 Women's National Invitational Tournament over Virginia Tech and a trip to the 2019 NCAA Tournament second round including a win over No. 7 seed Texas.

Still, Moren knows that this program still has a way to go before reaching the goals she has in-sight.

Sunday's scrimmage with McKendree is the first step to doing so.

“Hungry” Hoosiers Poised for Special 2019-20 Season

Players Mentioned

Jorie Allen

Grace Berger

Aleksa Gulbe

Ali Patberg

Jaelynn Penn

Keyanna Warthen

Chanel Wilson

Brenna Wise

Bendu Yeaney

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