Indiana University Athletics
Moore-McNeil Ready To Take the Next Step
10/16/2022 5:39:00 PM | Women's Basketball
By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The shots fell. Boy, did they fall. Chloe Moore-McNeil was on Hoosier Hysteria fire, an indication of elite perimeter shooting (and the result of a ton of summer work) that could be a catalyst for this junior guard and an Indiana women's team with title-winning aspirations.
Moore-McNeil made 18 three-pointers in the first round, and joined with men's forward Miller Kopp to win the three-point shooting competition last Friday.
Yes, hitting uncontested three-pointers in an entertainment setting isn't the same as doing it against, say, Maryland in the heat of a Big Ten season, but that misses the point, which is Moore-McNeil, after two seasons in an off-the-bench role, seems ready for big-time starting impact. The season opens Nov. 8 against Vermont at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
"She's stronger," coach Teri Moren says. "She's shooting more consistently outside the arc. She's to a point where she has that opportunity to not only start but play big minutes."
The 5-11 Moore-McNeil has shown patience in this start-me-now-or-I'm-gone transfer portal era. The Hoosiers were guard rich with Ali Patberg, Nicole Cardaño-Hillary and do-it-all Grace Berger for teams that reached the Elite Eight and the Sweet Sixteen in the last two seasons.
Even though Moore-McNeil was a high school superstar out of Tennessee, twice winning Class A Miss Basketball and scoring 2,598 points along with totaling more than 500 rebounds, 500 assists and 400 steals; even though as a senior, she led Greenfield High School to a 34-0 record and a state title, that guaranteed nothing as a Hoosier other than an opportunity.
So, she worked, watched and learned. She saw Patberg as a role model. She committed to Moren's defensive-first approach and believed her time would time.
Playing time was limited as a freshman (averaging 1.3 points in 7.3 minutes) and became more substantial as a sophomore (5.2 points in 21.2 minutes with a pair of starts).
Now, Moore-McNeil figures to join returning standouts Berger and Mackenzie Holmes, plus transfers Sydney Parrish (Oregon), Sara Scalia (Minnesota) and Alyssa Geary (Providence) as the foundation of a potential national powerhouse.
"The expectations for her a year ago were to come off our bench and be a scoring power, but also be a great defender, which she was," Moren said.
Now, Moren says, expectations center on doing "what she can to help her team."
Adds Moore-McNeil: "I think the next step is continuing to grow my game, whether it's on offense or defense. Our big key is getting stops, so being a one-on-one defender is where I want to grow."
Growth started last season, when Moore-McNeil's role expanded. During an overtime win against Purdue, she played 43 minutes.
Overall, she has scored as many as 11 points, grabbed as many as 10 rebounds and totaled as many as four assists and three steals.
"I had come to the realization that my teammates needed me," she says. "They depended on me a little bit more. It was time to grow up."
Buying into Moren's philosophy of every day improvement helped. During a practice team huddle, the coach let everyone know that, 'We need everyone to do a little more and be a little bit better every day.'
"That really stuck with me," Moore-McNeil says.
Now all things seem possible for her, and for the Hoosiers.
"I believe the most important part of this year is us coming to an understanding that this is a brand-new team, and this is a brand-new year," she says. "We had a lot of success the past two years, but I think we need to put that behind us and focus on the pieces that we have now."
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The shots fell. Boy, did they fall. Chloe Moore-McNeil was on Hoosier Hysteria fire, an indication of elite perimeter shooting (and the result of a ton of summer work) that could be a catalyst for this junior guard and an Indiana women's team with title-winning aspirations.
Moore-McNeil made 18 three-pointers in the first round, and joined with men's forward Miller Kopp to win the three-point shooting competition last Friday.
Yes, hitting uncontested three-pointers in an entertainment setting isn't the same as doing it against, say, Maryland in the heat of a Big Ten season, but that misses the point, which is Moore-McNeil, after two seasons in an off-the-bench role, seems ready for big-time starting impact. The season opens Nov. 8 against Vermont at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
"She's stronger," coach Teri Moren says. "She's shooting more consistently outside the arc. She's to a point where she has that opportunity to not only start but play big minutes."
The 5-11 Moore-McNeil has shown patience in this start-me-now-or-I'm-gone transfer portal era. The Hoosiers were guard rich with Ali Patberg, Nicole Cardaño-Hillary and do-it-all Grace Berger for teams that reached the Elite Eight and the Sweet Sixteen in the last two seasons.
Even though Moore-McNeil was a high school superstar out of Tennessee, twice winning Class A Miss Basketball and scoring 2,598 points along with totaling more than 500 rebounds, 500 assists and 400 steals; even though as a senior, she led Greenfield High School to a 34-0 record and a state title, that guaranteed nothing as a Hoosier other than an opportunity.
So, she worked, watched and learned. She saw Patberg as a role model. She committed to Moren's defensive-first approach and believed her time would time.
Playing time was limited as a freshman (averaging 1.3 points in 7.3 minutes) and became more substantial as a sophomore (5.2 points in 21.2 minutes with a pair of starts).
Now, Moore-McNeil figures to join returning standouts Berger and Mackenzie Holmes, plus transfers Sydney Parrish (Oregon), Sara Scalia (Minnesota) and Alyssa Geary (Providence) as the foundation of a potential national powerhouse.
"The expectations for her a year ago were to come off our bench and be a scoring power, but also be a great defender, which she was," Moren said.
Now, Moren says, expectations center on doing "what she can to help her team."
Adds Moore-McNeil: "I think the next step is continuing to grow my game, whether it's on offense or defense. Our big key is getting stops, so being a one-on-one defender is where I want to grow."
Growth started last season, when Moore-McNeil's role expanded. During an overtime win against Purdue, she played 43 minutes.
Overall, she has scored as many as 11 points, grabbed as many as 10 rebounds and totaled as many as four assists and three steals.
"I had come to the realization that my teammates needed me," she says. "They depended on me a little bit more. It was time to grow up."
Buying into Moren's philosophy of every day improvement helped. During a practice team huddle, the coach let everyone know that, 'We need everyone to do a little more and be a little bit better every day.'
"That really stuck with me," Moore-McNeil says.
Now all things seem possible for her, and for the Hoosiers.
"I believe the most important part of this year is us coming to an understanding that this is a brand-new team, and this is a brand-new year," she says. "We had a lot of success the past two years, but I think we need to put that behind us and focus on the pieces that we have now."
Players Mentioned
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Forward
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Guard
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Guard
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