2022-23 Indiana Basketball Media Day
9/22/2022 6:45:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Women's Basketball
Below is a full transcript of press conferences of Indiana head men's basketball coach Mike Woodson, Indiana head women's basketball coach Teri Moren, fifth-year senior forward Race Thompson, senior forward Trayce Jackson-Davis, junior guard Chloe Moore-McNeil and junior guard Sydney Parrish from Thursday's Indiana Basketball Media Day.
Mike Woodson | Head Coach
Opening Statement
I've always felt as a coach, every season that I've gone in as a head coach, expectations are always high, no matter what.
I think that's a good thing.
We can't run from it. It's what it is.
I think our schedule that we've scheduled this year has put us somewhat in that light in terms of competition, really stiff competition, and then you've got to deal with the Big Ten, which is stiff every year.
Expectations are always going to be high. When I came in here and took the job, expectations were high. This program is built that way, and it should be that way.
It's what it is, man. I'm not going to run from it, and I'm not going to let my players run from it. There's a lot of big things that's got to happen this year for our ballclub, and I'm going to try to coach them up and push them in that direction.
Q. On Xavier Johnson…
WOODSON: Well, that's all behind us. He's gotten through that process. He would have to do some community service. X has grown a lot, based on the things that he's done this summer. He's put himself in a wonderful position with me being the coach that I like everything about what X is doing now, because he is doing the right things on and off the court.
He doesn't have a vehicle anymore. I took that away from him. (Laughter).
If that's punishment, it's punishment, and I don't mean that in a negative way. We're just trying to do the things that are necessary to help us win basketball games, and I think he's made a major step in that direction to help us.
Q. On Johnson's consistency…
WOODSON: Well, when you look at what happened to X, where we started with X and where he ended up, X probably caught more hell on this team than anybody from his head coach.
There's a reason why. I think when you're building a basketball team, you expect a lot out of all of your players, but that position is a pivotal position in terms of how you play on both ends of the floor.
X hung in there with me. He fought me at times, but it worked out well for him at the end and for our ballclub.
Watching him go through his summer work, because he did taste some success, it's the first time he had experienced being in the big dance, he really -- I mean, he just came in with a totally different attitude, which was kind of nice to see. It means to me he's growing up.
It has displayed nicely on the basketball court, because out of all the summer play that I've watched and been a part this summer, he's probably been the brightest of them all.
Q. On being in the college game…
WOODSON: Well, the one thing that I've learned, being in the NBA all those years and coaching, there's really not enough time to prepare and teach and really be a part of a player's life because you've got three, four games coming at you a week in the NBA. There's just not enough time in the day.
That's the frustrating part about the NBA. But it was a beautiful run for me. I'm not saying that in a negative way. The NBA was great for me. But coming back home to coach college basketball here at Indiana, I've been able to really be around the players and really be -- I'm able to coach. I'm able to prepare and teach all the basketball floor, things that I like to do.
Then when you see the results -- we had our ups and downs last year, but I thought our ups outweighed our downs. We played a lot of positive basketball. We were in a lot of basketball games. It's just going to be up to me to get them over the hump and get them to the next level because that's what it's all about.
Q. On the 3-point shooting…
WOODSON: Well, that was a big problem last year. You guys witnessed, as the media outlet, and our fans, too, but I thought we got a lot of good looks. We were in the top -- being in the top 5 in college basketball in terms of open threes that we just didn't knock down.
I'd like to think Miller having a taste of what Indiana basketball is all about now, I think he'll be a lot better this season. Xavier showed that he could make them.
I think some of the freshmen that we're bringing in will be able to knock some of those down.
Race kind of picked it up from previous years, a guy who really wasn't allowed to shoot them. He made some for us last year.
I think we'll be okay in that regard this year. It's not like we're not working on threes. We shoot them every day. We shoot free throws every day. It's just when you get to a game situation, you've got to feel comfortable and ready to knock them down.
That's my job, to relax them and get them in that position.
Q. On the upcoming NBA Pro Day…
WOODSON: Well, I think when you've got high expectations and you've got a few players that might have a crack at playing at the next level, it's okay to invite the NBA world into your life. I'm not afraid of that. I don't think it put any added pressure on our players.
I think they are excited about it really, to be able to let the NBA world come in and watch practice and see who's doing what. Hell, it might enhance them to play harder and better. That's kind of how I look at it.
I'm looking forward to it. It's something that's never been done here, I don't think, and I've got to keep my ties with the NBA world anyway. I've got a lot of friends at the big level. It will be nice to have them come in and watch what we do.
Q. On embracing expectations…
WOODSON: Well, again, the rankings is a part of college basketball, all sports in college. You can't get from under that. Hell, my senior year we were ranked No. 1 in the nation. Didn't work out that well for me. I mean, we didn't win the national title.
Rankings are what they are. You've still got to play the game, my man. That's what's important, and what happened between these two lines.
It's going to be my job to get this team to play at a level every night and put them in a position to win every time they step out on the floor. That's what it's all about to me. Rankings are what they are. I don't know what we're ranked this year. Somebody told me we're ranked in the top 20. That's great. But you've still got to play the game.
That's how I approached it as a player. I think some players it's nice to see, because some of these guys hadn't been ranked since they've been here, but they are now. So, let's go play the games and see what happens.
Q. On Teri Moren and the women's basketball program…
WOODSON: She's a hell of a coach. All you've got to do is look at the results and how her team has responded to her body of work on the floor. Watching her team, her team is a beautiful team to watch because they do all the necessary things to win basketball games, and that's a sign of Teri and the work that she's put in.
I'm not surprised that they're ranked. They deserve to be ranked. Hell, they led the Big Ten sometime last year at the top. I expect that they'll be there again this year.
I'm wishing them nothing but the best.
Q. On Trayce Jackson-Davis…
WOODSON: Well, again, I'm not going to stop him from doing that. He'll be in a position where he catches it out there and have an opportunity to shoot it. If he shoots it, fine.
You know, everybody looks at this thing where he's got to be a three-point shooter. I think if he makes a 15 to 17-foot shot, it's just as effective. That's kind of how I look at it.
He's going to be in position to shoot those shots like the little L ball and the free throw shots, and it's okay for him to shoot it.
I think this summer, the work that he's put in, he's shown that he can make that shot, and he has made them in our little pickup games and things of that nature. He's just got to carry it over to the real game when it counts.
I thought one of the biggest shots of the season was in the Big Ten Tournament against Illinois, where he faced up Kofi and he shot a jump shot. Well, he's going to have to do that some more this season. Coach is not telling him not to; put it that way.
Q. On learning on the job…
WOODSON: I've got to get better. I always put pressure on myself. I don't put it on the player. Yeah, the player has to play, but I've got to get better at finishing games, because I thought there were a number of games, I left out there last season in terms of we controlled games -- I look at the Iowa game, coming down the stretch, four and a half minutes and we're up nine and we can't close that game out.
For me, that's tough to swallow as a coach.
So those are things that I've got to go back to the drawing board and work on to the point when I'm in that position, I get them over the hump, and we're coming out of that game feeling good about ourselves.
I don't know; coaching is coaching. There are a lot of things that come into play when you're coaching. When I look at the college game and how it's being played, a lot of pick-and-rolls, a lot of three-point shots, the teams that sit at the top really get after you defensively.
I think we've got to be able to do all those things to be able to compete at a high level and beat the big-time teams. I mean, that's what it's going to take this season because that's pretty much how the college game is being played.
Q. On Jackson-Davis' leadership…
WOODSON: We talk. He knows expectations are high this year. The fact that he made the commitment to come back is huge for our program. I mean, it's like the piece to the program.
I think the body of work that Trayce has put in over the three years that he's played here has been unbelievable. But he's still got a lot of work on the table. He's got a lot of things he's got to finish.
You talk about legacy; legacy is putting another Big Ten title in here. Legacy is putting another national title. That's what it's all about. I think that's what he's thinking about more than anything.
As far as his leadership, he's making strides in that area to help lead because that's what's going to be expected of him. I'm not going to let him run from it. He's got to be our leader. He's got to push guys around him and hold guys accountable, and he's got to step up and be the guy.
I mean, that's what it's going to take for us to reach those two goals.
Q. On what makes this season successful…
WOODSON: Again, I don't look at it in that light. My thing is I take a season one game at a time, one practice at a time. Yes, we've got goals. I can't say this loud enough, guys: I came back here to win Big Ten titles and a national title. That's all I want.
I'm not going to push the team in any other direction. If they're scared of that challenge, then they shouldn't be here. That's kind of how I look at it.
I'm not scared of it. You shouldn't be scared of it. We've got to do this together as a unit. Again, I know expectations are high. I get that. That's a good thing. But we've got to go out and do it on the floor and show that we can win a Big Ten title and a national title. That's all I'm concerned about right now.
The only way to do that is get better each and every day in practice, and when we step on the floor that we're playing at a high level.
Q. On Jalen Hood-Schifino…
WOODSON: Well, again, I don't put pressure on none of these freshmen. But on the flipside of that, I've got to speed the process up. They can't play like freshmen. I'm going to need those guys to be a big part of what we do.
I always have told players; you can't play everybody 30 minutes a game. It's the minutes that you get that you've got to make the most of. If it's two minutes a game, it had better be the best two minutes that you play out on the floor for us, because if you don't, I might not come back that way.
Everybody has got to be ready to play. Schifino has been a great addition to our ballclub because he can do a lot of things on the basketball floor. But he's got to be held accountable to play at a high level and help us win basketball games. I'm going to need him to do that.
Q. On the schedule…
WOODSON: To win. That's the only thing I'm expecting. As soon as we start here with Marion in the practice game, that's when it starts to me. Whenever there's officials and we throw that ball up, I expect us to win.
Yeah, we've got some stiff competition this year with Xavier and Carolina and Kansas and Arizona. Hey, it's what it is, man. Hey, we've just got to be ready to play and compete and win.
I'm not pushing anything else. We cannot run from the schedule. The schedule is what it is.
Q. On the freshmen…
WOODSON: Well, they've had their ups and downs. They've gotten a whiff of who I'm about a little bit. But the beauty about the four freshmen that we brought in, they're very, very competitive, and that's a big part of growing as an individual player.
Because if they were non-competitive, boy, I would be very disappointed. But they are competitive. They don't like to lose.
I shared this story with you when we first started. They couldn't beat the first unit that I had out on the floor. They would go home with their heads hung and down and disappointed, and I called them in after one practice, and I said listen, there's going to come a time where you're going to beat that unit.
Well, it's been kind of back and forth ever since those first two weeks. So they've been very, very competitive. They're trying to do all the necessary things on and off the court in terms of school, which is first and foremost.
But I like how they're competing, and that's what makes coaching fun for me.
Q. On Miller Kopp…
WOODSON: Well, he's very coachable. In the big league, we call him a true pro, because he listens and he tries to do all the things that's asked of him.
I think he's trying to be more of a leader. Miller has been around a while, too, and I'm going to need him to lead and hold guys accountable as well as himself.
But I like everything about Miller. I've just got to get him making some shots for us.
I thought his defense last year was phenomenal. I mean, from where he started, when people thought he couldn't really defend, he was one of our best perimeter defenders last year, which was kind of nice to see.
Teri Moren | Head Coach
Opening Statement
Well, good afternoon. It's great to see everybody. Before I start, I just want to thank Scott and Jeremy Gray and Megan Kramper and J.D. Campbell for organizing this event this afternoon.
Thank you also to our sponsors and just friends of Indiana that are here today in support of men's and women's basketball. You guys know that we count on you in so many ways, and we're grateful for your friendship and loyalty and certainly your support that you give both men's and women's basketball.
We are excited. I can't believe another season is here. It is exciting. It's always exciting, football, but basketball is right around the corner certainly, and we have a lot to look forward to.
Although we're going to be different in many ways, we have some big shoes to fill. But I have a terrific staff that has done an outstanding job of recruiting.
We are looking forward to the seven holdovers in addition to the seven new faces that we have in our program. I think we have some interesting pieces. I think we have some exciting pieces.
But as I mentioned, we certainly have some big shoes to fill with the graduation of Aleksa Gulbe and Nikki and Ali Patberg.
But we're excited. Tomorrow will be practice number 11 for us. We haven't officially started. We had a little bit of a slow summer, just some off-season injuries, recoveries, so we're a little bit behind in terms of where we were a year ago.
But we're catching up quickly.
But I love this group. They're great people, great students. You guys will, I think, be excited to support them and watch them play once again.
Yeah, we're excited for next Thursday to get here when we officially open up, and I think you guys have a lot to look forward to with this group.
Q. On transfers helping the program…
MOREN: Well, I think you hit it on the head. I think for us it's always been about our needs. I look back at when Tyra Buss and Amanda Cahill were here and we knew that their graduation was approaching, and so we had to fill those with two transfers, Brenna Wise and Ali Patberg.
I think we just forecast with graduation, with our needs that we have. But we have, we've had a lot of success with transfers.
I think the key with all that is that the kids that do decide to transfer, they want to transfer to a place where they're going to play and they're going to have an impact and a significant place on the team.
We're not interested in becoming a program that has all transfers. I think we feel like we have to have a mixture of still the four-year high school kid, which we have several of those.
But I think one thing that we have seen with the transfers is that it gives you immediate experience, college experience, which is always good, especially when you're trying to build off of but also sustain the level of success that we've had.
You have to have, I think, a combination of the two, but the experience certainly matters.
Q. On the depth of the team…
MOREN: I certainly hope so. As I mentioned in my earlier statement, yeah, I think we have some interesting pieces. I think we have a lot of really good talent.
Any time that we have four freshmen, the key with that is just the experience piece, but it's also -- the only way you get experience is by playing; I realize that. But I do think that there is going to be a moment where you'll probably see us use our depth more than we did a year ago. We're excited about that.
We've always been a program that's wanted to be able to have a lot of pieces, different kind of pieces on the floor. Last year didn't lend itself to that. But I think that with the combination of the four freshmen but also the transfers that we have, you're going to see --
You know, but I will say this. One of the things about Nikki and Ali and even Aleksa. We talk about this, they were workhorses. You could put them out there for a lot of minutes. And I don't know that -- certainly you have Mackenzie. Grace is a workhorse. But I think we welcome the idea of being able to have having depth, and we're excited about it.
Q. On managing expectations…
MOREN: That's a great question. You know, and here's the thing that we've tried not to do, is from day one with this group, is play the comparison game. We're not the team from last year, but we do have some interesting pieces. We have some talent that we're excited about.
I think it's part of the recruiting process. Certainly, with our freshmen, they understand. They've watched us, the level of success that we've had.
But I think with adding Syd and Sarah and Alyssa, they're vets. They're experienced. They understand the expectation. They understand the level of success we've enjoyed.
So I think more than anything, it's in the recruiting process that we talk about the expectations, the standards. It's one thing to climb. It's another thing to sustain.
We're pretty clear on that in the recruiting process, what our expectations are, and how we want to continue to build off the success, but there's still more that we want to accomplish. We have goals that we have yet to accomplish, right, like winning the Big Ten championship.
Those are the things, though, that the expectations will be high, but those are the things that will keep us hungry and will keep that invisible chip that we've always played with that we haven't -- even though we have the goals, we haven't achieved the goals quite yet.
Q. On Chloe Moore-McNeil…
MOREN: Chloe I had a great summer. She had a fantastic summer. The expectations for her a year ago were big for her to come off of our bench and be a scoring power for us, but also be a great defender, which she was for us.
The expectations, I think Chloe has them for herself, that she wants to come in and do what she can do to help her team.
But I think, again, based on what she was able to do this summer, she's come back, she's stronger, she's shooting more consistently outside the arc.
But I think she's excited for her junior year, without question, and I'm excited for her, because a kid like Chloe who's spent time on the bench and has been in every practice just trying to get a little bit better, a little bit better every day, and then now she's to a point where she has that opportunity in front of her to not only start but play big minutes for us.
Q. On Title IX…
MOREN: Well, it's changed, as you mentioned. I could go into probably greater detail. Just playing for somebody like Lin Dunn, who was my college coach, and listening to some of her stories, and then fast forwarding to where we are now and everything that has changed and then continues to change.
The needle is still quickly moving for our female athletes, and in a lot of really great ways. I think what I've always said in regards to Title IX is -- I think I speak for all female athletes, is that there should be -- when you talk about sports universally, there should be no female/male sports. We're all athletes. I think the one thing we have just wanted and we're still yearning for is that everybody sees us as that, just an athlete, not a female athlete, not a male athlete, just an athlete.
But we have benefitted. I think we'll continue to benefit. Things will continue to change with time.
Maybe they're not changing as quickly as some of us females would like, but I do think that there has been great change, even from two years ago with the Final Four, as we did see in the NCAA Tournament. They'll continue to change.
I'm hopeful -- I don't know if I'll be coaching at the time, but there's going to be more changes that are going to happen in our game, not just women's basketball, but I think for female -- we have more exposure than we've ever had, not just in women's basketball but soccer and all the other women's sports that are out there.
It's not that we're knocking on the door anymore. I think we've broken through the door. But certainly more exposure to women in sport is something that we've wanted for some time, and I think it'll continue to improve.
We're just excited now that you can turn on the TV and watch a women's basketball game. You can turn on the TV and watch a women's soccer game. For the longest time, even growing up as a young athlete, I didn't have that opportunity to see women's basketball on TV.
Now we have that opportunity.
We've made great strides. There's no question. But we'll continue to, I think, push the envelope.
Q. On Grace Berger…
MOREN: I don't know that her role has changed. She's been such a significant part of why we've had the success we've had. Obviously for her to come back was a really big deal, even though if you know Grace, there was very little fanfare when she decided to make that decision.
As a matter of fact, I'm not even -- she didn't even tell me. I think she needed to show up for something for Megan, and I think Megan said, does this mean you're going to return? And she's like, oh, yeah. I'm coming back. So, she's like, well, does Coach know? She's like, I don't know if I've told Coach or not, but you can tell her.
That's typical Grace Berger in terms of just how humble she is, what a competitor she is, how much she loves Indiana. I think that's what it really signifies is her love for this place and the love that she has, I think, for her teammates.
If anybody continues to remind me that we still have a lot of goals that we haven't accomplished yet, it's Grace. If you ask Grace, we haven't done much, and I love that. I love that about her because of her competitiveness and the spirit she has.
She obviously has left a mark, but I think she has her sights set on still winning a championship here.
Q. On what it means to coach at Indiana…
MOREN: Well, I think it means, again -- it's hard to believe that I'm going into my 10th season here, first. It just reminds me of when we arrived here nine years ago that what we set out to do was -- this is the -- the tradition has always -- and I've said this in the most respectful kind of way, the tradition has always been on the men's side of it.
So, what we set out to do when we arrived here was, we wanted to build our own tradition of winning and filling this place up with not just women's basketball fans but basketball fans. I think we've been able to accomplish that.
I think it started out as fans that just wanted to come watch the women's game, and then because of the success that we've had, it kind of has trickled through the Bloomington community and Indianapolis community that, oh, not only do they have a great men's program, they also have this great women's program, and let's go check them out.
Now you've seen the increase in our fan base, the excitement that certainly is here in Bloomington for women's basketball.
So, what it means for us is I've managed to surround myself with a great staff. Our staff has done a fantastic job, like I mentioned, of getting the right kind of players that fit us, and we're putting a product on the floor that everybody, one, appreciates, and two, really enjoys watching.
What we set out to do, we certainly have changed the way that people on the outside have always looked at this program.
That's what's most exciting, that there's a buzz about Indiana women's basketball.
Q. On taking the next step…
MOREN: Well, I think for us, a year ago we had the right pieces. We had all the pieces we needed. The one thing that you can never control is injuries. I think Mackenzie Holmes, losing her for a large part of the season, and once Mack got hurt, she wasn't quite 100 percent.
So, I think in retrospect, when we look back at what could have been different, if Mack would have been 100 percent healthier, could we have won a Big Ten championship? I think we could have.
So, we have, once again, I think all the pieces in place. Anytime that you're combining -- again, we lost a significant -- we lost three starters from a year ago, and now we have to figure out how to combine the seven holdovers with the seven new faces.
Do we have enough pieces? I think we'll have enough firepower. I think defensively we've always been at the top of this league in terms of the grittiness and the toughness.
How our chemistry -- that's the thing that has set us apart. I think our chemistry has just been off the charts the last two season, so it's going to be up to us in terms of how quickly we can build relationships with one another, how quickly our chemistry can be, once again, really, really good.
Because we feel like as a staff, we certainly have the pieces; now we've got to put it all together. I think the things -- some of those things that you can't control are the injury bug, but we feel really confident that if we can stay healthy and come together relatively quickly, we'll have a chance.
Q. On Sara Scalia and Yarden Garzon…
MOREN: Well, we know this with Sarah. Sarah came into the hall last year and stuck seven threes on us, so we know that she likes this gym, and she's told me that. So, we're excited certainly about her firepower.
A year ago, she was one of the best three-point shooters in the country, so I think she's going to fit in really well, with our ability to find her.
I'm not sure it surprised us, but with Minnesota her role was certainly to shoot a lot of shots beyond the arc, but she's been inside of practice and she's been a great facilitator.
One of the things that we were curious about was how interested she would be in defending because you know that's such a huge part of who we are, and she's been very interested defender for us, and she's probably been better than what we thought she would be, which is good.
Then Yarden, she's interesting, because she's a big -- I guess a big guard, point forward, because you'll see her at -- you might see her at the point, you might see her at the stretch 4. She can play a lot of different positions. She has a natural instinct. She'll do stuff that we don't necessarily practice. She just is a natural basketball player.
It's been kind of fun to watch her.
I think the thing with freshmen always is the pace and also the schedule of being a student here at Indiana and also figuring out how to manage her time. She's a kid that loves to be in the gym, as well, and she's been fantastic.
But I do think that she has an opportunity, I will say, to be a very, very special player.
Race Thompson | Fifth-Year Senior Forward
Q. On returning for a fifth season…
THOMPSON: I really wanted to come back as a team. Coach Woodson and just the steps we took the prior years to last year is just getting better and better, and I wanted to be a part of that.
I think the sky's the limit for our team this year. We've got a really deep team, really good freshmen coming in, really good returning players. Only lost a few guys, but I think we gained back a lot, so I'm real excited for this year.
Q. On the expectations of this season…
THOMPSON: I mean, as a team, this is all new for everybody, so I mean, obviously I've grown as a leader as I've been here. I've been here for a while. I've been taught by the people who came before me, so I'm trying just to pass my knowledge that I learned from them on down on things that worked and things that didn't work so we can build as a team and just be the best team we can be.
Q. On Malik Reneau and Jordan Geronimo…
THOMPSON: It's going to work. We have a great coach with Coach Woodson, all the other coaches. We're great players. We know how to play with each other. We've been playing with each other all summer. Me and Trayce know how to play with each, and then Malik has fit right in with us; Logan has gotten a little better; Jordan is playing inside and out. We're going to mesh because we're close off the court, and I think that's one of the most important things.
If you add that relationship, then when you guys get on the court, you guys are able to work together and just play the game within each other.
Q. On his 3-point shooting…
THOMPSON: I mean, it's like an everyday thing for me. I got shots up day in, day out, seven days a week. Definitely coaches want me shooting them.
Even my teammates push me to shoot them. They say I don't shoot them enough.
They definitely push me to shoot the ball so I can play inside and out and stretch the floor a little bit. I definitely see that being a part of my game. It's something that I did before I was even here. It's gotten better almost every year, so for me, it's really just a confidence thing, and I'm feeling real confident right now in it, so yeah.
Q. On head coach Mike Woodson…
THOMPSON: It's definitely a little more player led. He's definitely still there. He definitely has a presence.
But we had time to build a relationship over the past year than it was, so it's definitely a little different, definitely a little more comfortable knowing the coaching staff, knowing everything that's going on, knowing a couple plays, knowing what the defense is.
They really look to the older guys to show the younger guys what to do on defense, on offense, and they really want us to be player-led team because they say player-led teams are the best teams, so they're really pushing it to be that.
Q. On any pleasant surprises on the roster…
THOMPSON: I would say basically like all the underclassmen, starting from Tamar Bates, Logan Duncomb, all the freshmen. All of them are just -- everybody improved. When we went home and came back, everybody came back stronger, faster, better. It's really just exciting to see everybody grow and everybody want to take that next step in their game.
Q. On the legacy he wants to leave…
THOMPSON: Just a great teammate and someone who would do anything to win a game. I mean, that's all I could ask for. Just a good teammate, good friend, good all that. All the good stuff. That's really it.
Trayce Jackson-Davis | Senior Forward
Q. On his decision to come back…
JACKSON-DAVIS: I think the biggest thing for me was obviously last season, who the coach was going to be, with Coach Miller getting fired and Coach Woodson coming in and then setting up meetings with him, I think just talking to him and seeing his vision of my game and how he's going to expand me and help me, I thought it was huge, and so I trusted him.
I think basically that's the same thing that happened this year, obviously with COVID again coming into play, I think just trusting his process and doing a little bit more out on the floor is going to be huge for me this year.
Q. On the NBA Draft feedback…
JACKSON-DAVIS: The biggest thing for me really is when I was out there, it was just shooting. That's all I was doing was shooting, from everywhere, whether it be threes, twos, free throws. It's all basically emphasis on shooting, just off the drive, off the catch. That was the biggest emphasis that my agents wanted me to do.
It was every day for two straight months of just shooting, so that's basically -- that's what they said they wanted to see. That's what the scouts said they wanted to see. So that's what I was doing.
Q. On developing his jump shot…
JACKSON-DAVIS: Yeah, I think it's a little bit of both. Obviously last year I think I had the green light, but at the same time, my presence was needed inside, but now we've got some other players like Malik and Logan who's coming along really strong that I'll be playing a lot more for this year and be able to showcase my abilities from three.
It's all about repetitions. I'm getting a lot of shots up in scrimmages and practice, so those are going to translate to game shots.
Q. On his legacy…
JACKSON-DAVIS: Yeah, absolutely. I think I have kind of set the stone of my individual legacy, being an All-American and doing all those things, but those don't really matter if you don't win something here. Winning is a big thing here, so winning a National Championship and also winning a Big Ten title, those are my two main goals this year, and if I do that, I know everything else will take care of itself.
Q. On playing more power forward this season…
JACKSON-DAVIS: Yeah, so Logan is playing at a really high level right now. He's rebounding the ball and he's defending really well, especially just playing against me, and I'm just seeing it on the floor when I'm playing against him.
He'll play a little bit of the 5. I think Malik will rotate at the 5 and 4, as well. But with our offense, everything is interchangeable.
I think it's going to be good for us this year. We're kind of spread out more and more people are going to do more things.
Q. On managing expectations…
JACKSON-DAVIS: I think just coming in here my freshman year and not having really any expectations, even sophomore year, and then junior year just having a new team. Finally coming in here to this historic program and having an expectation to do something big I think is huge.
Obviously, we're going to carry that with a chip on our shoulder, but I think our team is hungry, and we're ready to get out there and play.
Q. On adjustments made when playing against bigger defenders…
JACKSON-DAVIS: I think the biggest thing for me was just confidence. After the Michigan game, my confidence was at an all-time high. Beating them for the first time, especially at your own place in Indy where you're from I think was huge, and then me and Coach talked, and he said, Kofi has had your number and it's time to give it back to him.
That's what we did. First play of the game, I went right at him, scored, and it was a battle throughout the game, and then I got the upper hand. He's a terrific player, but I'm glad he's gone. (Laughter.)
Q. On policies to keep people accountable…
JACKSON-DAVIS: It's really just to hold everyone accountable. There's really nothing else to be said about it. I know our guys are going to do the right thing. When the season is going, we're going to be locked in and ready to go because we have really big aspirations, really big goals.
Q. On building relationships with the freshmen…
JACKSON-DAVIS: Really just talk to them. Some of them are going through it a little bit right now with Coach, but I know they're going to all do great things here. We've just got to keep talking to them, just make sure that they're okay. It's kind of a hard adjustment sometimes being a freshman, but I know they're going to all do great things, and I can't wait to watch them succeed.
Q. On Xavier Johnson…
JACKSON-DAVIS: Xavier has been locked in. He's been doing his thing. He's been in the gym working. He's being a leader. I know he's going to do great things this year, and he's going to be a huge piece for us, and he's going to be a huge leader on the floor.
Chloe Moore-McNeil | Junior Guard
Q. On taking the next step…
MOORE-McNEIL: 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. We had a lot of success the past two years, but I think taking steps forward, we need to put that behind us and focus on the pieces that we have now.
Q. On the leadership of the team…
MOORE-McNEIL: Yeah, I think even from last year into this year, we still have some great leaders, Mackenzie Holmes and Grace Berger, they have the experience, and they kind of know what they're doing and they've been leaders to me and I know to my teammates, as well.
Q. On the bonding routine…
MOORE-McNEIL: It was really all of us coming together in a circle, just opening up to each other even more, and like Sydney said, we didn't even think we needed that, but it really did open up our eyes to get to know each other a little bit more.
Q. On mid-season progress made…
MOORE-McNEIL: I would say I did gain a little bit of confidence, and just coming to the realization when we had injuries and just the COVID pandemic kind of thing, it really made me understand that I needed to grow up a little bit and give a little bit more, as Coach Moren would usually say.
Q. On the potential of an expanded role…
MOORE-McNEIL: I think the next step is just continuing to grow my game, whether it's on offense or even defense. I know our big key is getting stops, so I think being a one-on-one defender is where I want to grow.
Q. On her role model…
MOORE-McNEIL: I would definitely say once I started getting recruited by Indiana, I looked at all the girls, and even being here the past two and a half years, Ali Patberg has been a really big part of my life, and I'm so lucky to have her on the staff now.
Q. On her growth a year ago…
MOORE-McNEIL: Yes, so I would say things kind of changed after that. I had come to the realization that my teammates needed me. They depended on me a little bit more. I understood I would play a little bit more minutes. So, I just knew it was time to grow up, I guess.
Q. On when everything seemed to click…
MOORE-McNEIL: One thing that really stuck with me is an after-practice team huddle and Coach Moren gathered us all in and said, we need each and every one of you to do a little bit more and a little bit better every day.
Sydney Parrish | Junior Guard
Q. On being close to home and playing for Indiana…
PARRISH: It means a lot. I'm very excited to be here. Things didn't really start to get real until we started practicing in Assembly, and just walking in and seeing like the big arena and stuff, it's just started to get really real, but it's been great since I've come back home.
Q. On being back home…
PARRISH: It means everything. Coming back home, I wasn't expecting to come back home, so being here has just been great. It's been great being with my friends and family. I see my parents all the time now. My grandparents are just down the road. I get to see friends and family a lot, and just representing the state of Indiana, I loved playing high school basketball in Indiana, so now I can say I get to play college basketball here.
Q. On the adjustment between conferences…
PARRISH: I'd say there's a lot of adjustment. I think the two conferences are very different. Big Ten is very fast, lots of shooters, play very fast, and the difference with the Pac-12 is they're really tall, so I think it's a big difference with my position and stuff, as well, so it'll be an adjustment, but I think I'm getting used to in practice and just seeing how my teammates work through it.
Q. On the team cohesion…
PARRISH: Yeah, a lot of new faces, a lot of new faces from last season. A lot of us didn't know each other coming in. It was not hard at the beginning, but just almost that awkward stage of not knowing everyone, but we've gotten really close together.
We actually had a team bonding exercise yesterday, and after it a couple people, including myself, were like, that actually really made us closer, even though we didn't think we needed to get any closer. I think that was really good for us, and it's looking really right in the right direction right now.
Q. On the decision to transfer…
PARRISH: Entering the portal, I kept my options really open, but as soon as IU contacted me, it kind of opened my head a little bit and just realized, okay, I can go back home and play, I can be close to family, I can be on a winning program. This team is really good, and everyone knows that. They're nationally known now. That was big for me.
I just wanted to come in and contribute as much as I can and hope to get really far in both tournaments.
Q. On choosing Indiana…
PARRISH: I'd just say the winning culture they have right now, and just what Coach Moren has done with the program. Not just Coach Moren but the staff and players like Ali and Grace and Mackenzie, they've really put a face to this program, and I think that's really what's putting us on the national level.
Q. On her relationship with head coach Teri Moren…
PARRISH: Yeah, it's crazy I've known Coach Moren since I was in about eighth great. I remember her at my middle school games sitting on the sidelines.
Second time around, it was a little different just because we hadn't talked in two years, so it was kind of the awkward stage of hey, do you want to come back? That kind of thing. But it's been really good. She's been great. We've been working really hard with her, and she's put together a really good team.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
Mike Woodson | Head Coach
Opening Statement
I've always felt as a coach, every season that I've gone in as a head coach, expectations are always high, no matter what.
I think that's a good thing.
We can't run from it. It's what it is.
I think our schedule that we've scheduled this year has put us somewhat in that light in terms of competition, really stiff competition, and then you've got to deal with the Big Ten, which is stiff every year.
Expectations are always going to be high. When I came in here and took the job, expectations were high. This program is built that way, and it should be that way.
It's what it is, man. I'm not going to run from it, and I'm not going to let my players run from it. There's a lot of big things that's got to happen this year for our ballclub, and I'm going to try to coach them up and push them in that direction.
Q. On Xavier Johnson…
WOODSON: Well, that's all behind us. He's gotten through that process. He would have to do some community service. X has grown a lot, based on the things that he's done this summer. He's put himself in a wonderful position with me being the coach that I like everything about what X is doing now, because he is doing the right things on and off the court.
He doesn't have a vehicle anymore. I took that away from him. (Laughter).
If that's punishment, it's punishment, and I don't mean that in a negative way. We're just trying to do the things that are necessary to help us win basketball games, and I think he's made a major step in that direction to help us.
Q. On Johnson's consistency…
WOODSON: Well, when you look at what happened to X, where we started with X and where he ended up, X probably caught more hell on this team than anybody from his head coach.
There's a reason why. I think when you're building a basketball team, you expect a lot out of all of your players, but that position is a pivotal position in terms of how you play on both ends of the floor.
X hung in there with me. He fought me at times, but it worked out well for him at the end and for our ballclub.
Watching him go through his summer work, because he did taste some success, it's the first time he had experienced being in the big dance, he really -- I mean, he just came in with a totally different attitude, which was kind of nice to see. It means to me he's growing up.
It has displayed nicely on the basketball court, because out of all the summer play that I've watched and been a part this summer, he's probably been the brightest of them all.
Q. On being in the college game…
WOODSON: Well, the one thing that I've learned, being in the NBA all those years and coaching, there's really not enough time to prepare and teach and really be a part of a player's life because you've got three, four games coming at you a week in the NBA. There's just not enough time in the day.
That's the frustrating part about the NBA. But it was a beautiful run for me. I'm not saying that in a negative way. The NBA was great for me. But coming back home to coach college basketball here at Indiana, I've been able to really be around the players and really be -- I'm able to coach. I'm able to prepare and teach all the basketball floor, things that I like to do.
Then when you see the results -- we had our ups and downs last year, but I thought our ups outweighed our downs. We played a lot of positive basketball. We were in a lot of basketball games. It's just going to be up to me to get them over the hump and get them to the next level because that's what it's all about.
Q. On the 3-point shooting…
WOODSON: Well, that was a big problem last year. You guys witnessed, as the media outlet, and our fans, too, but I thought we got a lot of good looks. We were in the top -- being in the top 5 in college basketball in terms of open threes that we just didn't knock down.
I'd like to think Miller having a taste of what Indiana basketball is all about now, I think he'll be a lot better this season. Xavier showed that he could make them.
I think some of the freshmen that we're bringing in will be able to knock some of those down.
Race kind of picked it up from previous years, a guy who really wasn't allowed to shoot them. He made some for us last year.
I think we'll be okay in that regard this year. It's not like we're not working on threes. We shoot them every day. We shoot free throws every day. It's just when you get to a game situation, you've got to feel comfortable and ready to knock them down.
That's my job, to relax them and get them in that position.
Q. On the upcoming NBA Pro Day…
WOODSON: Well, I think when you've got high expectations and you've got a few players that might have a crack at playing at the next level, it's okay to invite the NBA world into your life. I'm not afraid of that. I don't think it put any added pressure on our players.
I think they are excited about it really, to be able to let the NBA world come in and watch practice and see who's doing what. Hell, it might enhance them to play harder and better. That's kind of how I look at it.
I'm looking forward to it. It's something that's never been done here, I don't think, and I've got to keep my ties with the NBA world anyway. I've got a lot of friends at the big level. It will be nice to have them come in and watch what we do.
Q. On embracing expectations…
WOODSON: Well, again, the rankings is a part of college basketball, all sports in college. You can't get from under that. Hell, my senior year we were ranked No. 1 in the nation. Didn't work out that well for me. I mean, we didn't win the national title.
Rankings are what they are. You've still got to play the game, my man. That's what's important, and what happened between these two lines.
It's going to be my job to get this team to play at a level every night and put them in a position to win every time they step out on the floor. That's what it's all about to me. Rankings are what they are. I don't know what we're ranked this year. Somebody told me we're ranked in the top 20. That's great. But you've still got to play the game.
That's how I approached it as a player. I think some players it's nice to see, because some of these guys hadn't been ranked since they've been here, but they are now. So, let's go play the games and see what happens.
Q. On Teri Moren and the women's basketball program…
WOODSON: She's a hell of a coach. All you've got to do is look at the results and how her team has responded to her body of work on the floor. Watching her team, her team is a beautiful team to watch because they do all the necessary things to win basketball games, and that's a sign of Teri and the work that she's put in.
I'm not surprised that they're ranked. They deserve to be ranked. Hell, they led the Big Ten sometime last year at the top. I expect that they'll be there again this year.
I'm wishing them nothing but the best.
Q. On Trayce Jackson-Davis…
WOODSON: Well, again, I'm not going to stop him from doing that. He'll be in a position where he catches it out there and have an opportunity to shoot it. If he shoots it, fine.
You know, everybody looks at this thing where he's got to be a three-point shooter. I think if he makes a 15 to 17-foot shot, it's just as effective. That's kind of how I look at it.
He's going to be in position to shoot those shots like the little L ball and the free throw shots, and it's okay for him to shoot it.
I think this summer, the work that he's put in, he's shown that he can make that shot, and he has made them in our little pickup games and things of that nature. He's just got to carry it over to the real game when it counts.
I thought one of the biggest shots of the season was in the Big Ten Tournament against Illinois, where he faced up Kofi and he shot a jump shot. Well, he's going to have to do that some more this season. Coach is not telling him not to; put it that way.
Q. On learning on the job…
WOODSON: I've got to get better. I always put pressure on myself. I don't put it on the player. Yeah, the player has to play, but I've got to get better at finishing games, because I thought there were a number of games, I left out there last season in terms of we controlled games -- I look at the Iowa game, coming down the stretch, four and a half minutes and we're up nine and we can't close that game out.
For me, that's tough to swallow as a coach.
So those are things that I've got to go back to the drawing board and work on to the point when I'm in that position, I get them over the hump, and we're coming out of that game feeling good about ourselves.
I don't know; coaching is coaching. There are a lot of things that come into play when you're coaching. When I look at the college game and how it's being played, a lot of pick-and-rolls, a lot of three-point shots, the teams that sit at the top really get after you defensively.
I think we've got to be able to do all those things to be able to compete at a high level and beat the big-time teams. I mean, that's what it's going to take this season because that's pretty much how the college game is being played.
Q. On Jackson-Davis' leadership…
WOODSON: We talk. He knows expectations are high this year. The fact that he made the commitment to come back is huge for our program. I mean, it's like the piece to the program.
I think the body of work that Trayce has put in over the three years that he's played here has been unbelievable. But he's still got a lot of work on the table. He's got a lot of things he's got to finish.
You talk about legacy; legacy is putting another Big Ten title in here. Legacy is putting another national title. That's what it's all about. I think that's what he's thinking about more than anything.
As far as his leadership, he's making strides in that area to help lead because that's what's going to be expected of him. I'm not going to let him run from it. He's got to be our leader. He's got to push guys around him and hold guys accountable, and he's got to step up and be the guy.
I mean, that's what it's going to take for us to reach those two goals.
Q. On what makes this season successful…
WOODSON: Again, I don't look at it in that light. My thing is I take a season one game at a time, one practice at a time. Yes, we've got goals. I can't say this loud enough, guys: I came back here to win Big Ten titles and a national title. That's all I want.
I'm not going to push the team in any other direction. If they're scared of that challenge, then they shouldn't be here. That's kind of how I look at it.
I'm not scared of it. You shouldn't be scared of it. We've got to do this together as a unit. Again, I know expectations are high. I get that. That's a good thing. But we've got to go out and do it on the floor and show that we can win a Big Ten title and a national title. That's all I'm concerned about right now.
The only way to do that is get better each and every day in practice, and when we step on the floor that we're playing at a high level.
Q. On Jalen Hood-Schifino…
WOODSON: Well, again, I don't put pressure on none of these freshmen. But on the flipside of that, I've got to speed the process up. They can't play like freshmen. I'm going to need those guys to be a big part of what we do.
I always have told players; you can't play everybody 30 minutes a game. It's the minutes that you get that you've got to make the most of. If it's two minutes a game, it had better be the best two minutes that you play out on the floor for us, because if you don't, I might not come back that way.
Everybody has got to be ready to play. Schifino has been a great addition to our ballclub because he can do a lot of things on the basketball floor. But he's got to be held accountable to play at a high level and help us win basketball games. I'm going to need him to do that.
Q. On the schedule…
WOODSON: To win. That's the only thing I'm expecting. As soon as we start here with Marion in the practice game, that's when it starts to me. Whenever there's officials and we throw that ball up, I expect us to win.
Yeah, we've got some stiff competition this year with Xavier and Carolina and Kansas and Arizona. Hey, it's what it is, man. Hey, we've just got to be ready to play and compete and win.
I'm not pushing anything else. We cannot run from the schedule. The schedule is what it is.
Q. On the freshmen…
WOODSON: Well, they've had their ups and downs. They've gotten a whiff of who I'm about a little bit. But the beauty about the four freshmen that we brought in, they're very, very competitive, and that's a big part of growing as an individual player.
Because if they were non-competitive, boy, I would be very disappointed. But they are competitive. They don't like to lose.
I shared this story with you when we first started. They couldn't beat the first unit that I had out on the floor. They would go home with their heads hung and down and disappointed, and I called them in after one practice, and I said listen, there's going to come a time where you're going to beat that unit.
Well, it's been kind of back and forth ever since those first two weeks. So they've been very, very competitive. They're trying to do all the necessary things on and off the court in terms of school, which is first and foremost.
But I like how they're competing, and that's what makes coaching fun for me.
Q. On Miller Kopp…
WOODSON: Well, he's very coachable. In the big league, we call him a true pro, because he listens and he tries to do all the things that's asked of him.
I think he's trying to be more of a leader. Miller has been around a while, too, and I'm going to need him to lead and hold guys accountable as well as himself.
But I like everything about Miller. I've just got to get him making some shots for us.
I thought his defense last year was phenomenal. I mean, from where he started, when people thought he couldn't really defend, he was one of our best perimeter defenders last year, which was kind of nice to see.
Teri Moren | Head Coach
Opening Statement
Well, good afternoon. It's great to see everybody. Before I start, I just want to thank Scott and Jeremy Gray and Megan Kramper and J.D. Campbell for organizing this event this afternoon.
Thank you also to our sponsors and just friends of Indiana that are here today in support of men's and women's basketball. You guys know that we count on you in so many ways, and we're grateful for your friendship and loyalty and certainly your support that you give both men's and women's basketball.
We are excited. I can't believe another season is here. It is exciting. It's always exciting, football, but basketball is right around the corner certainly, and we have a lot to look forward to.
Although we're going to be different in many ways, we have some big shoes to fill. But I have a terrific staff that has done an outstanding job of recruiting.
We are looking forward to the seven holdovers in addition to the seven new faces that we have in our program. I think we have some interesting pieces. I think we have some exciting pieces.
But as I mentioned, we certainly have some big shoes to fill with the graduation of Aleksa Gulbe and Nikki and Ali Patberg.
But we're excited. Tomorrow will be practice number 11 for us. We haven't officially started. We had a little bit of a slow summer, just some off-season injuries, recoveries, so we're a little bit behind in terms of where we were a year ago.
But we're catching up quickly.
But I love this group. They're great people, great students. You guys will, I think, be excited to support them and watch them play once again.
Yeah, we're excited for next Thursday to get here when we officially open up, and I think you guys have a lot to look forward to with this group.
Q. On transfers helping the program…
MOREN: Well, I think you hit it on the head. I think for us it's always been about our needs. I look back at when Tyra Buss and Amanda Cahill were here and we knew that their graduation was approaching, and so we had to fill those with two transfers, Brenna Wise and Ali Patberg.
I think we just forecast with graduation, with our needs that we have. But we have, we've had a lot of success with transfers.
I think the key with all that is that the kids that do decide to transfer, they want to transfer to a place where they're going to play and they're going to have an impact and a significant place on the team.
We're not interested in becoming a program that has all transfers. I think we feel like we have to have a mixture of still the four-year high school kid, which we have several of those.
But I think one thing that we have seen with the transfers is that it gives you immediate experience, college experience, which is always good, especially when you're trying to build off of but also sustain the level of success that we've had.
You have to have, I think, a combination of the two, but the experience certainly matters.
Q. On the depth of the team…
MOREN: I certainly hope so. As I mentioned in my earlier statement, yeah, I think we have some interesting pieces. I think we have a lot of really good talent.
Any time that we have four freshmen, the key with that is just the experience piece, but it's also -- the only way you get experience is by playing; I realize that. But I do think that there is going to be a moment where you'll probably see us use our depth more than we did a year ago. We're excited about that.
We've always been a program that's wanted to be able to have a lot of pieces, different kind of pieces on the floor. Last year didn't lend itself to that. But I think that with the combination of the four freshmen but also the transfers that we have, you're going to see --
You know, but I will say this. One of the things about Nikki and Ali and even Aleksa. We talk about this, they were workhorses. You could put them out there for a lot of minutes. And I don't know that -- certainly you have Mackenzie. Grace is a workhorse. But I think we welcome the idea of being able to have having depth, and we're excited about it.
Q. On managing expectations…
MOREN: That's a great question. You know, and here's the thing that we've tried not to do, is from day one with this group, is play the comparison game. We're not the team from last year, but we do have some interesting pieces. We have some talent that we're excited about.
I think it's part of the recruiting process. Certainly, with our freshmen, they understand. They've watched us, the level of success that we've had.
But I think with adding Syd and Sarah and Alyssa, they're vets. They're experienced. They understand the expectation. They understand the level of success we've enjoyed.
So I think more than anything, it's in the recruiting process that we talk about the expectations, the standards. It's one thing to climb. It's another thing to sustain.
We're pretty clear on that in the recruiting process, what our expectations are, and how we want to continue to build off the success, but there's still more that we want to accomplish. We have goals that we have yet to accomplish, right, like winning the Big Ten championship.
Those are the things, though, that the expectations will be high, but those are the things that will keep us hungry and will keep that invisible chip that we've always played with that we haven't -- even though we have the goals, we haven't achieved the goals quite yet.
Q. On Chloe Moore-McNeil…
MOREN: Chloe I had a great summer. She had a fantastic summer. The expectations for her a year ago were big for her to come off of our bench and be a scoring power for us, but also be a great defender, which she was for us.
The expectations, I think Chloe has them for herself, that she wants to come in and do what she can do to help her team.
But I think, again, based on what she was able to do this summer, she's come back, she's stronger, she's shooting more consistently outside the arc.
But I think she's excited for her junior year, without question, and I'm excited for her, because a kid like Chloe who's spent time on the bench and has been in every practice just trying to get a little bit better, a little bit better every day, and then now she's to a point where she has that opportunity in front of her to not only start but play big minutes for us.
Q. On Title IX…
MOREN: Well, it's changed, as you mentioned. I could go into probably greater detail. Just playing for somebody like Lin Dunn, who was my college coach, and listening to some of her stories, and then fast forwarding to where we are now and everything that has changed and then continues to change.
The needle is still quickly moving for our female athletes, and in a lot of really great ways. I think what I've always said in regards to Title IX is -- I think I speak for all female athletes, is that there should be -- when you talk about sports universally, there should be no female/male sports. We're all athletes. I think the one thing we have just wanted and we're still yearning for is that everybody sees us as that, just an athlete, not a female athlete, not a male athlete, just an athlete.
But we have benefitted. I think we'll continue to benefit. Things will continue to change with time.
Maybe they're not changing as quickly as some of us females would like, but I do think that there has been great change, even from two years ago with the Final Four, as we did see in the NCAA Tournament. They'll continue to change.
I'm hopeful -- I don't know if I'll be coaching at the time, but there's going to be more changes that are going to happen in our game, not just women's basketball, but I think for female -- we have more exposure than we've ever had, not just in women's basketball but soccer and all the other women's sports that are out there.
It's not that we're knocking on the door anymore. I think we've broken through the door. But certainly more exposure to women in sport is something that we've wanted for some time, and I think it'll continue to improve.
We're just excited now that you can turn on the TV and watch a women's basketball game. You can turn on the TV and watch a women's soccer game. For the longest time, even growing up as a young athlete, I didn't have that opportunity to see women's basketball on TV.
Now we have that opportunity.
We've made great strides. There's no question. But we'll continue to, I think, push the envelope.
Q. On Grace Berger…
MOREN: I don't know that her role has changed. She's been such a significant part of why we've had the success we've had. Obviously for her to come back was a really big deal, even though if you know Grace, there was very little fanfare when she decided to make that decision.
As a matter of fact, I'm not even -- she didn't even tell me. I think she needed to show up for something for Megan, and I think Megan said, does this mean you're going to return? And she's like, oh, yeah. I'm coming back. So, she's like, well, does Coach know? She's like, I don't know if I've told Coach or not, but you can tell her.
That's typical Grace Berger in terms of just how humble she is, what a competitor she is, how much she loves Indiana. I think that's what it really signifies is her love for this place and the love that she has, I think, for her teammates.
If anybody continues to remind me that we still have a lot of goals that we haven't accomplished yet, it's Grace. If you ask Grace, we haven't done much, and I love that. I love that about her because of her competitiveness and the spirit she has.
She obviously has left a mark, but I think she has her sights set on still winning a championship here.
Q. On what it means to coach at Indiana…
MOREN: Well, I think it means, again -- it's hard to believe that I'm going into my 10th season here, first. It just reminds me of when we arrived here nine years ago that what we set out to do was -- this is the -- the tradition has always -- and I've said this in the most respectful kind of way, the tradition has always been on the men's side of it.
So, what we set out to do when we arrived here was, we wanted to build our own tradition of winning and filling this place up with not just women's basketball fans but basketball fans. I think we've been able to accomplish that.
I think it started out as fans that just wanted to come watch the women's game, and then because of the success that we've had, it kind of has trickled through the Bloomington community and Indianapolis community that, oh, not only do they have a great men's program, they also have this great women's program, and let's go check them out.
Now you've seen the increase in our fan base, the excitement that certainly is here in Bloomington for women's basketball.
So, what it means for us is I've managed to surround myself with a great staff. Our staff has done a fantastic job, like I mentioned, of getting the right kind of players that fit us, and we're putting a product on the floor that everybody, one, appreciates, and two, really enjoys watching.
What we set out to do, we certainly have changed the way that people on the outside have always looked at this program.
That's what's most exciting, that there's a buzz about Indiana women's basketball.
Q. On taking the next step…
MOREN: Well, I think for us, a year ago we had the right pieces. We had all the pieces we needed. The one thing that you can never control is injuries. I think Mackenzie Holmes, losing her for a large part of the season, and once Mack got hurt, she wasn't quite 100 percent.
So, I think in retrospect, when we look back at what could have been different, if Mack would have been 100 percent healthier, could we have won a Big Ten championship? I think we could have.
So, we have, once again, I think all the pieces in place. Anytime that you're combining -- again, we lost a significant -- we lost three starters from a year ago, and now we have to figure out how to combine the seven holdovers with the seven new faces.
Do we have enough pieces? I think we'll have enough firepower. I think defensively we've always been at the top of this league in terms of the grittiness and the toughness.
How our chemistry -- that's the thing that has set us apart. I think our chemistry has just been off the charts the last two season, so it's going to be up to us in terms of how quickly we can build relationships with one another, how quickly our chemistry can be, once again, really, really good.
Because we feel like as a staff, we certainly have the pieces; now we've got to put it all together. I think the things -- some of those things that you can't control are the injury bug, but we feel really confident that if we can stay healthy and come together relatively quickly, we'll have a chance.
Q. On Sara Scalia and Yarden Garzon…
MOREN: Well, we know this with Sarah. Sarah came into the hall last year and stuck seven threes on us, so we know that she likes this gym, and she's told me that. So, we're excited certainly about her firepower.
A year ago, she was one of the best three-point shooters in the country, so I think she's going to fit in really well, with our ability to find her.
I'm not sure it surprised us, but with Minnesota her role was certainly to shoot a lot of shots beyond the arc, but she's been inside of practice and she's been a great facilitator.
One of the things that we were curious about was how interested she would be in defending because you know that's such a huge part of who we are, and she's been very interested defender for us, and she's probably been better than what we thought she would be, which is good.
Then Yarden, she's interesting, because she's a big -- I guess a big guard, point forward, because you'll see her at -- you might see her at the point, you might see her at the stretch 4. She can play a lot of different positions. She has a natural instinct. She'll do stuff that we don't necessarily practice. She just is a natural basketball player.
It's been kind of fun to watch her.
I think the thing with freshmen always is the pace and also the schedule of being a student here at Indiana and also figuring out how to manage her time. She's a kid that loves to be in the gym, as well, and she's been fantastic.
But I do think that she has an opportunity, I will say, to be a very, very special player.
Race Thompson | Fifth-Year Senior Forward
Q. On returning for a fifth season…
THOMPSON: I really wanted to come back as a team. Coach Woodson and just the steps we took the prior years to last year is just getting better and better, and I wanted to be a part of that.
I think the sky's the limit for our team this year. We've got a really deep team, really good freshmen coming in, really good returning players. Only lost a few guys, but I think we gained back a lot, so I'm real excited for this year.
Q. On the expectations of this season…
THOMPSON: I mean, as a team, this is all new for everybody, so I mean, obviously I've grown as a leader as I've been here. I've been here for a while. I've been taught by the people who came before me, so I'm trying just to pass my knowledge that I learned from them on down on things that worked and things that didn't work so we can build as a team and just be the best team we can be.
Q. On Malik Reneau and Jordan Geronimo…
THOMPSON: It's going to work. We have a great coach with Coach Woodson, all the other coaches. We're great players. We know how to play with each other. We've been playing with each other all summer. Me and Trayce know how to play with each, and then Malik has fit right in with us; Logan has gotten a little better; Jordan is playing inside and out. We're going to mesh because we're close off the court, and I think that's one of the most important things.
If you add that relationship, then when you guys get on the court, you guys are able to work together and just play the game within each other.
Q. On his 3-point shooting…
THOMPSON: I mean, it's like an everyday thing for me. I got shots up day in, day out, seven days a week. Definitely coaches want me shooting them.
Even my teammates push me to shoot them. They say I don't shoot them enough.
They definitely push me to shoot the ball so I can play inside and out and stretch the floor a little bit. I definitely see that being a part of my game. It's something that I did before I was even here. It's gotten better almost every year, so for me, it's really just a confidence thing, and I'm feeling real confident right now in it, so yeah.
Q. On head coach Mike Woodson…
THOMPSON: It's definitely a little more player led. He's definitely still there. He definitely has a presence.
But we had time to build a relationship over the past year than it was, so it's definitely a little different, definitely a little more comfortable knowing the coaching staff, knowing everything that's going on, knowing a couple plays, knowing what the defense is.
They really look to the older guys to show the younger guys what to do on defense, on offense, and they really want us to be player-led team because they say player-led teams are the best teams, so they're really pushing it to be that.
Q. On any pleasant surprises on the roster…
THOMPSON: I would say basically like all the underclassmen, starting from Tamar Bates, Logan Duncomb, all the freshmen. All of them are just -- everybody improved. When we went home and came back, everybody came back stronger, faster, better. It's really just exciting to see everybody grow and everybody want to take that next step in their game.
Q. On the legacy he wants to leave…
THOMPSON: Just a great teammate and someone who would do anything to win a game. I mean, that's all I could ask for. Just a good teammate, good friend, good all that. All the good stuff. That's really it.
Trayce Jackson-Davis | Senior Forward
Q. On his decision to come back…
JACKSON-DAVIS: I think the biggest thing for me was obviously last season, who the coach was going to be, with Coach Miller getting fired and Coach Woodson coming in and then setting up meetings with him, I think just talking to him and seeing his vision of my game and how he's going to expand me and help me, I thought it was huge, and so I trusted him.
I think basically that's the same thing that happened this year, obviously with COVID again coming into play, I think just trusting his process and doing a little bit more out on the floor is going to be huge for me this year.
Q. On the NBA Draft feedback…
JACKSON-DAVIS: The biggest thing for me really is when I was out there, it was just shooting. That's all I was doing was shooting, from everywhere, whether it be threes, twos, free throws. It's all basically emphasis on shooting, just off the drive, off the catch. That was the biggest emphasis that my agents wanted me to do.
It was every day for two straight months of just shooting, so that's basically -- that's what they said they wanted to see. That's what the scouts said they wanted to see. So that's what I was doing.
Q. On developing his jump shot…
JACKSON-DAVIS: Yeah, I think it's a little bit of both. Obviously last year I think I had the green light, but at the same time, my presence was needed inside, but now we've got some other players like Malik and Logan who's coming along really strong that I'll be playing a lot more for this year and be able to showcase my abilities from three.
It's all about repetitions. I'm getting a lot of shots up in scrimmages and practice, so those are going to translate to game shots.
Q. On his legacy…
JACKSON-DAVIS: Yeah, absolutely. I think I have kind of set the stone of my individual legacy, being an All-American and doing all those things, but those don't really matter if you don't win something here. Winning is a big thing here, so winning a National Championship and also winning a Big Ten title, those are my two main goals this year, and if I do that, I know everything else will take care of itself.
Q. On playing more power forward this season…
JACKSON-DAVIS: Yeah, so Logan is playing at a really high level right now. He's rebounding the ball and he's defending really well, especially just playing against me, and I'm just seeing it on the floor when I'm playing against him.
He'll play a little bit of the 5. I think Malik will rotate at the 5 and 4, as well. But with our offense, everything is interchangeable.
I think it's going to be good for us this year. We're kind of spread out more and more people are going to do more things.
Q. On managing expectations…
JACKSON-DAVIS: I think just coming in here my freshman year and not having really any expectations, even sophomore year, and then junior year just having a new team. Finally coming in here to this historic program and having an expectation to do something big I think is huge.
Obviously, we're going to carry that with a chip on our shoulder, but I think our team is hungry, and we're ready to get out there and play.
Q. On adjustments made when playing against bigger defenders…
JACKSON-DAVIS: I think the biggest thing for me was just confidence. After the Michigan game, my confidence was at an all-time high. Beating them for the first time, especially at your own place in Indy where you're from I think was huge, and then me and Coach talked, and he said, Kofi has had your number and it's time to give it back to him.
That's what we did. First play of the game, I went right at him, scored, and it was a battle throughout the game, and then I got the upper hand. He's a terrific player, but I'm glad he's gone. (Laughter.)
Q. On policies to keep people accountable…
JACKSON-DAVIS: It's really just to hold everyone accountable. There's really nothing else to be said about it. I know our guys are going to do the right thing. When the season is going, we're going to be locked in and ready to go because we have really big aspirations, really big goals.
Q. On building relationships with the freshmen…
JACKSON-DAVIS: Really just talk to them. Some of them are going through it a little bit right now with Coach, but I know they're going to all do great things here. We've just got to keep talking to them, just make sure that they're okay. It's kind of a hard adjustment sometimes being a freshman, but I know they're going to all do great things, and I can't wait to watch them succeed.
Q. On Xavier Johnson…
JACKSON-DAVIS: Xavier has been locked in. He's been doing his thing. He's been in the gym working. He's being a leader. I know he's going to do great things this year, and he's going to be a huge piece for us, and he's going to be a huge leader on the floor.
Chloe Moore-McNeil | Junior Guard
Q. On taking the next step…
MOORE-McNEIL: 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. We had a lot of success the past two years, but I think taking steps forward, we need to put that behind us and focus on the pieces that we have now.
Q. On the leadership of the team…
MOORE-McNEIL: Yeah, I think even from last year into this year, we still have some great leaders, Mackenzie Holmes and Grace Berger, they have the experience, and they kind of know what they're doing and they've been leaders to me and I know to my teammates, as well.
Q. On the bonding routine…
MOORE-McNEIL: It was really all of us coming together in a circle, just opening up to each other even more, and like Sydney said, we didn't even think we needed that, but it really did open up our eyes to get to know each other a little bit more.
Q. On mid-season progress made…
MOORE-McNEIL: I would say I did gain a little bit of confidence, and just coming to the realization when we had injuries and just the COVID pandemic kind of thing, it really made me understand that I needed to grow up a little bit and give a little bit more, as Coach Moren would usually say.
Q. On the potential of an expanded role…
MOORE-McNEIL: I think the next step is just continuing to grow my game, whether it's on offense or even defense. I know our big key is getting stops, so I think being a one-on-one defender is where I want to grow.
Q. On her role model…
MOORE-McNEIL: I would definitely say once I started getting recruited by Indiana, I looked at all the girls, and even being here the past two and a half years, Ali Patberg has been a really big part of my life, and I'm so lucky to have her on the staff now.
Q. On her growth a year ago…
MOORE-McNEIL: Yes, so I would say things kind of changed after that. I had come to the realization that my teammates needed me. They depended on me a little bit more. I understood I would play a little bit more minutes. So, I just knew it was time to grow up, I guess.
Q. On when everything seemed to click…
MOORE-McNEIL: One thing that really stuck with me is an after-practice team huddle and Coach Moren gathered us all in and said, we need each and every one of you to do a little bit more and a little bit better every day.
Sydney Parrish | Junior Guard
Q. On being close to home and playing for Indiana…
PARRISH: It means a lot. I'm very excited to be here. Things didn't really start to get real until we started practicing in Assembly, and just walking in and seeing like the big arena and stuff, it's just started to get really real, but it's been great since I've come back home.
Q. On being back home…
PARRISH: It means everything. Coming back home, I wasn't expecting to come back home, so being here has just been great. It's been great being with my friends and family. I see my parents all the time now. My grandparents are just down the road. I get to see friends and family a lot, and just representing the state of Indiana, I loved playing high school basketball in Indiana, so now I can say I get to play college basketball here.
Q. On the adjustment between conferences…
PARRISH: I'd say there's a lot of adjustment. I think the two conferences are very different. Big Ten is very fast, lots of shooters, play very fast, and the difference with the Pac-12 is they're really tall, so I think it's a big difference with my position and stuff, as well, so it'll be an adjustment, but I think I'm getting used to in practice and just seeing how my teammates work through it.
Q. On the team cohesion…
PARRISH: Yeah, a lot of new faces, a lot of new faces from last season. A lot of us didn't know each other coming in. It was not hard at the beginning, but just almost that awkward stage of not knowing everyone, but we've gotten really close together.
We actually had a team bonding exercise yesterday, and after it a couple people, including myself, were like, that actually really made us closer, even though we didn't think we needed to get any closer. I think that was really good for us, and it's looking really right in the right direction right now.
Q. On the decision to transfer…
PARRISH: Entering the portal, I kept my options really open, but as soon as IU contacted me, it kind of opened my head a little bit and just realized, okay, I can go back home and play, I can be close to family, I can be on a winning program. This team is really good, and everyone knows that. They're nationally known now. That was big for me.
I just wanted to come in and contribute as much as I can and hope to get really far in both tournaments.
Q. On choosing Indiana…
PARRISH: I'd just say the winning culture they have right now, and just what Coach Moren has done with the program. Not just Coach Moren but the staff and players like Ali and Grace and Mackenzie, they've really put a face to this program, and I think that's really what's putting us on the national level.
Q. On her relationship with head coach Teri Moren…
PARRISH: Yeah, it's crazy I've known Coach Moren since I was in about eighth great. I remember her at my middle school games sitting on the sidelines.
Second time around, it was a little different just because we hadn't talked in two years, so it was kind of the awkward stage of hey, do you want to come back? That kind of thing. But it's been really good. She's been great. We've been working really hard with her, and she's put together a really good team.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
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