Indiana University Athletics
‘No-Brainer’ – Patberg Set To ‘Wow’ One Last Time
11/6/2021 12:04:00 PM | Women's Basketball
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Even for Ali Patberg, the end is coming.
Probably.
As the do-it-all guard approaches a seventh season as a college basketball player (two at Notre Dame, the rest as an Indiana Hoosier), and dodges age-related jokes that, among other things, suggest her grandchildren will get to watch her this year, she acknowledges there will not be an eighth.
"I'm an emotional person," she says. "I try not to think on it. I'm happy and joyful I got to play here. I want to treasure it all."
The 25-year-old Patberg has plenty to treasure, highlighted by a Women's NIT championship, last season's first-ever run to the Elite Eight, wrapping up a master's degree in recreational administration and enough memories to last a lifetime.
"I went to embrace and enjoy every moment," she says.
Patberg has five more months of Cream and Crimson basketball moments to enjoy, the result of the NCAA adjusting its eligibility rules in the wake of the pandemic. That gave her the opportunity to return. Given Indiana's national title prospects, there was no way she would pass it up.
"When I had the choice to come back, when I knew everyone else would come back, it was a no-brainer," she says.
"I love it at IU. I love the people. It was an easy decision for me. I'm so excited I have this opportunity."
Teammates are just as excited.
"Ali is such an incredible player and has so much experience," guard Nicole Cardaño-Hillary says. "Put her in any position and she could wow you."
"Wow" surfaced in measured doses during Friday night's 97-36 exhibition victory over the University of Indianapolis. In 15 buzz-all-over-Simon-Skjodt-Assembly-Hall minutes, Patberg totaled 14 points, three assists and two rebounds.
Beyond that, "wow" also includes durability and versatility. Patberg has played in 90 games as a Hoosier, and totaled 1,368 points (a 15.2-point career average), 416 assists (4.6 a game) and 405 rebounds (4.5).
She ranks third in school history in assists and 15th in points.
This doesn't count the 22 games she played at Notre Dame and the 7-0 run she had as part of the 2015 gold-medal-winning USA Basketball U19 World Championship team.
It follows an Indiana Miss Basketball high school career at Columbus North that included the 2015 state championship, 2,026 points and a 99-9 record.
That's a lot of winning and success, and it culminates with a final opportunity like no other.
IU has been good throughout Patberg's tenure run -- six straight 20-win seasons -- but this looms as a run to greatness unprecedented in program history.
With five returning starters (including All-Americans Mackenzie Holmes and Grace Berger) and several key reserves from an Elite Eight team, IU is loaded. Its No. 7 preseason ranking in the USA Today/WBCA poll is the best in program history, one spot better than the No. 8 ranking it received in the preseason Associated Press poll.
Still, nothing is guaranteed. The Hoosiers are picked to finish second in the Big Ten behind No. 4 Maryland, which has won three straight conference titles and also returns all five starters, led by All-Americans Ashley Owusu and Diamond Miller.
Beyond that, four Big Ten teams are ranked in the preseason top 15 and five in the top 20 (with No. 9 Iowa, No. 11 Michigan and No. 17 Ohio State), the first time that has ever happened. Iowa also returns all five starters.
"We're not the only team returning great players," Patberg says. "Every game will have a great matchup. The thing about the Big Ten is there are so many teams with different styles. That makes it more fun."
Patberg's point-guard role has evolved into extra shooting-guard responsibility with the point-guard emergence of Cardaño-Hillary, but don't let that fool you. Patberg remains a catalyst of the highest magnitude.
"She's done an incredible job," Cardaño-Hillary says. "She's a great player. Handling the ball, she can do that. Her ability to play off the ball shows how versatile she is."
Versatility demands constant refinement. Patberg hasn't lost her work-harder-than-the-other-person edge.
"I have been working on all aspects of my game," she says. "Getting comfortable with my mentality of playing off the ball with Nicky. She's great at point.
"I'm working on that score-first mentality. I've been a point guard my whole life. With that comes being ready to shoot. Just attacking. Being aggressive. Being strong in everything I do. Finish strong. Defensively being better. Moving my feet. All aspects. Get strong in the weight room. Take care of my body."
As far as adjusting to a new role, Patberg says, "Last year I started playing off the ball in the middle of the season. It was an adjustment because I hadn't done that my whole life.
"As a point guard, you have different responsibilities in getting us in our stuff or figure out what we should or shouldn't run.
"Playing off the ball comes down to scoring more. That's never been my first thought. I wouldn't say it's less work. Each position has its work. It's more freedom. Have a mentality of score first, be ready to shoot."
Patberg rotated between shooting- and point-guard duties Friday night. She was part of a push-the-pace attack designed to buckle opponents. Against over-matched Indianapolis, the Hoosiers had edges of 19-2 in fast-break points and 32-5 in points off turnovers.
"We get the ball out and get going," Cardano-Hillary says. "At any point, any of our guards can grab the ball and bring it up. Having the option to do whichever one you want to do really helps."
The Hoosiers open the season Wednesday at Butler before hosting No. 13 Kentucky on Sunday, Nov. 14, in an early indicator of their national title prospects
"It will be a challenge," Patberg says, "but we're ready for it."
Her grandchildren couldn't have said it any better.
Probably.
As the do-it-all guard approaches a seventh season as a college basketball player (two at Notre Dame, the rest as an Indiana Hoosier), and dodges age-related jokes that, among other things, suggest her grandchildren will get to watch her this year, she acknowledges there will not be an eighth.
"I'm an emotional person," she says. "I try not to think on it. I'm happy and joyful I got to play here. I want to treasure it all."
The 25-year-old Patberg has plenty to treasure, highlighted by a Women's NIT championship, last season's first-ever run to the Elite Eight, wrapping up a master's degree in recreational administration and enough memories to last a lifetime.
"I went to embrace and enjoy every moment," she says.
Patberg has five more months of Cream and Crimson basketball moments to enjoy, the result of the NCAA adjusting its eligibility rules in the wake of the pandemic. That gave her the opportunity to return. Given Indiana's national title prospects, there was no way she would pass it up.
"When I had the choice to come back, when I knew everyone else would come back, it was a no-brainer," she says.
"I love it at IU. I love the people. It was an easy decision for me. I'm so excited I have this opportunity."
Teammates are just as excited.
"Ali is such an incredible player and has so much experience," guard Nicole Cardaño-Hillary says. "Put her in any position and she could wow you."
"Wow" surfaced in measured doses during Friday night's 97-36 exhibition victory over the University of Indianapolis. In 15 buzz-all-over-Simon-Skjodt-Assembly-Hall minutes, Patberg totaled 14 points, three assists and two rebounds.
Beyond that, "wow" also includes durability and versatility. Patberg has played in 90 games as a Hoosier, and totaled 1,368 points (a 15.2-point career average), 416 assists (4.6 a game) and 405 rebounds (4.5).
She ranks third in school history in assists and 15th in points.
This doesn't count the 22 games she played at Notre Dame and the 7-0 run she had as part of the 2015 gold-medal-winning USA Basketball U19 World Championship team.
It follows an Indiana Miss Basketball high school career at Columbus North that included the 2015 state championship, 2,026 points and a 99-9 record.
That's a lot of winning and success, and it culminates with a final opportunity like no other.
IU has been good throughout Patberg's tenure run -- six straight 20-win seasons -- but this looms as a run to greatness unprecedented in program history.
With five returning starters (including All-Americans Mackenzie Holmes and Grace Berger) and several key reserves from an Elite Eight team, IU is loaded. Its No. 7 preseason ranking in the USA Today/WBCA poll is the best in program history, one spot better than the No. 8 ranking it received in the preseason Associated Press poll.
Still, nothing is guaranteed. The Hoosiers are picked to finish second in the Big Ten behind No. 4 Maryland, which has won three straight conference titles and also returns all five starters, led by All-Americans Ashley Owusu and Diamond Miller.
Beyond that, four Big Ten teams are ranked in the preseason top 15 and five in the top 20 (with No. 9 Iowa, No. 11 Michigan and No. 17 Ohio State), the first time that has ever happened. Iowa also returns all five starters.
"We're not the only team returning great players," Patberg says. "Every game will have a great matchup. The thing about the Big Ten is there are so many teams with different styles. That makes it more fun."
Patberg's point-guard role has evolved into extra shooting-guard responsibility with the point-guard emergence of Cardaño-Hillary, but don't let that fool you. Patberg remains a catalyst of the highest magnitude.
"She's done an incredible job," Cardaño-Hillary says. "She's a great player. Handling the ball, she can do that. Her ability to play off the ball shows how versatile she is."
Versatility demands constant refinement. Patberg hasn't lost her work-harder-than-the-other-person edge.
"I have been working on all aspects of my game," she says. "Getting comfortable with my mentality of playing off the ball with Nicky. She's great at point.
"I'm working on that score-first mentality. I've been a point guard my whole life. With that comes being ready to shoot. Just attacking. Being aggressive. Being strong in everything I do. Finish strong. Defensively being better. Moving my feet. All aspects. Get strong in the weight room. Take care of my body."
As far as adjusting to a new role, Patberg says, "Last year I started playing off the ball in the middle of the season. It was an adjustment because I hadn't done that my whole life.
"As a point guard, you have different responsibilities in getting us in our stuff or figure out what we should or shouldn't run.
"Playing off the ball comes down to scoring more. That's never been my first thought. I wouldn't say it's less work. Each position has its work. It's more freedom. Have a mentality of score first, be ready to shoot."
Patberg rotated between shooting- and point-guard duties Friday night. She was part of a push-the-pace attack designed to buckle opponents. Against over-matched Indianapolis, the Hoosiers had edges of 19-2 in fast-break points and 32-5 in points off turnovers.
"We get the ball out and get going," Cardano-Hillary says. "At any point, any of our guards can grab the ball and bring it up. Having the option to do whichever one you want to do really helps."
The Hoosiers open the season Wednesday at Butler before hosting No. 13 Kentucky on Sunday, Nov. 14, in an early indicator of their national title prospects
"It will be a challenge," Patberg says, "but we're ready for it."
Her grandchildren couldn't have said it any better.
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