Indiana University Athletics
Meister, Hoosiers, Are Ready for Next March Madness Moment
3/19/2023 8:17:00 PM | Women's Basketball
By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The future is not now. Lilly Meister understands that.
Mackenzie Holmes is the 6-3 All-American inside presence that might help lead Indiana to a women's national championship. The 6-3 Meister is the freshman backup ready when needed, whether that's selected minutes in a game or, as in Saturday's NCAA tourney first-round victory over Tennessee Tech, a starter, or whatever awaits in Monday night's second round.
With Holmes sidelined by a sore knee, Meister had seven points and four rebounds against Tennessee Tech. She scored IU's first three points on a basket and free throw off a pass from senior guard Grace Berger, an instant indication she was not just filling a position. She finished with seven points, four rebounds and three blocks.
"She was ready for the moment," coach Teri Moren says.
Meister might again get a significant role Monday night when the top-seeded Hoosiers (28-3) face No. 9 seed Miami of Florida (20-12) at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
"Lilly has played minutes off the bench for us and has provided us with a spark, whether it's rebounding, guarding, whether it's getting put-backs, hitting free throws," Moren says. "She's grown inside our program.
"She's continued to get better defensively. That's really what we wanted her to focus on (against Tennessee Tech). Not replacing Mack as far as being a scoring threat. If the ball did get to her or found her, where she could get that offensive rebound put-back, that was going to be great."
Holmes was an instant starter as a freshman, but not every player is ready for that, not every team needs that. Indiana has excelled (four straight NCAA tourneys with Elite Eight and Sweet Sixteen appearances in the past two years) as much for its ability to develop players as it is for recruiting play-right-away standouts.
"The only thing we ask them to do," Moren says, "is be open to whatever role we give them. There will be sacrifices that have to be made, but continue to come in and not just respect the process, but embrace the process of getting better."
That's true for Meister as well as for fellow freshman Lexus Bargesser, and college transfers Sara Scalia and Alyssa Geary.
"Their roles are different than they had a year ago in high school or their other institutions," Moren says. "Their games speak for themselves. It's because of all the work they do behind the scenes, work you all don't get to see."
Meister was a 2,000-point high school scorer in Minnesota with a strong family basketball connection. Her parents, Kurt and Angie, both played college ball at South Dakota State. A sister, Lincoln, plays at Minnesota-Duluth.
Moren and her staff saw the potential, recognizing Meister would get a year to develop behind Holmes. They brought in Geary, who played 118 games at Providence, the last two years as a starter, to add inside depth behind Holmes.
Geary had three points and three rebounds against Tennessee Tech, showing the wisdom of those moves.
"We missed Mackenzie," Berger says, "but obviously we had two good post players that stepped up in her absence and filled her role nicely."
Adds Moren: "These guys get reps every day in practice, just as Mack gets. For both of them to be ready, I'm not surprised by that.
"It's March. They've gotten plenty of reps. They showed up. We're going to continue to need them. Mack is not going to be able to play 40 minutes. She hasn't been able to do that all year. The experience both of them got was really good."
Meister has grown her game since arriving in Bloomington. She has scored as many as 10 points, grabbed as many as eight rebounds. The 20 minutes she played against Tennessee was a career high, as was her three blocks. She averages 2.4 points and 2.2 rebounds in 6.6 minutes. She shoots 62.2 percent from the field.
"Lilly has continued to get better," Moren says. "She puts in the work. We see it every day. That's where our confidence comes from. I'm not surprised by Lilly."
Don't overlook the support of teammates and coaches.
"They always build my confidence," Meister says. "They do most of the work. They're always congratulating me."
With or without Holmes (who averages 22.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 68.8-percent shooting), IU is primed for a deep March Madness run, in part because of its diverse offense. It shot 58 percent against Tennessee Tech.
"As great as Mackenzie is, and she's an amazing player, I think we are a complete team," Berger says. "We have really good guard play, really good back-up post players coming in off the bench.
"I think (the shooting percentage) is a testament to that and the hard
work that all of our players come in every day and get in extra shots."
IU's 30-point victory over Tennessee Tech was its largest margin ever in NCAA tourney play.
On Saturday, Miami rallied from a 17-point deficit to beat Oklahoma State. It's led by senior guard Haley Cavinder, who averages 12.8 points. The Hurricanes, in the round of 32 for the second straight season, average 70.5 points while shooting 43.4 percent from the field.
They played a strong schedule and split two games with Virginia Tech, like IU, also a No. 1 NCAA tourney seed.
"We've played great teams before," guard Jasmyne Roberts says. "We play in a great conference (the ACC) where every game was tough. We've competed against great teams, and we know what it takes to beat a great team, and they are a great team.
"Our defense is going to be what we focus on a lot. We're ready to do that."
IU's offensive firepower concerns Miami coach Katie Meier. It averages 81.5 points and 18.3 assists while basically shooting 50 percent from the field.
"They're a prolific scoring team," Meier says. "They average almost 18 assists a game. That threatens us, the fact that there's a team that will share the ball that much and can get that many assists. It's very difficult to defend, no matter what your defensive style is. Teams that will share the ball, that makes them great."
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The future is not now. Lilly Meister understands that.
Mackenzie Holmes is the 6-3 All-American inside presence that might help lead Indiana to a women's national championship. The 6-3 Meister is the freshman backup ready when needed, whether that's selected minutes in a game or, as in Saturday's NCAA tourney first-round victory over Tennessee Tech, a starter, or whatever awaits in Monday night's second round.
With Holmes sidelined by a sore knee, Meister had seven points and four rebounds against Tennessee Tech. She scored IU's first three points on a basket and free throw off a pass from senior guard Grace Berger, an instant indication she was not just filling a position. She finished with seven points, four rebounds and three blocks.
"She was ready for the moment," coach Teri Moren says.
Meister might again get a significant role Monday night when the top-seeded Hoosiers (28-3) face No. 9 seed Miami of Florida (20-12) at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
"Lilly has played minutes off the bench for us and has provided us with a spark, whether it's rebounding, guarding, whether it's getting put-backs, hitting free throws," Moren says. "She's grown inside our program.
"She's continued to get better defensively. That's really what we wanted her to focus on (against Tennessee Tech). Not replacing Mack as far as being a scoring threat. If the ball did get to her or found her, where she could get that offensive rebound put-back, that was going to be great."
Holmes was an instant starter as a freshman, but not every player is ready for that, not every team needs that. Indiana has excelled (four straight NCAA tourneys with Elite Eight and Sweet Sixteen appearances in the past two years) as much for its ability to develop players as it is for recruiting play-right-away standouts.
"The only thing we ask them to do," Moren says, "is be open to whatever role we give them. There will be sacrifices that have to be made, but continue to come in and not just respect the process, but embrace the process of getting better."
That's true for Meister as well as for fellow freshman Lexus Bargesser, and college transfers Sara Scalia and Alyssa Geary.
"Their roles are different than they had a year ago in high school or their other institutions," Moren says. "Their games speak for themselves. It's because of all the work they do behind the scenes, work you all don't get to see."
Meister was a 2,000-point high school scorer in Minnesota with a strong family basketball connection. Her parents, Kurt and Angie, both played college ball at South Dakota State. A sister, Lincoln, plays at Minnesota-Duluth.
Moren and her staff saw the potential, recognizing Meister would get a year to develop behind Holmes. They brought in Geary, who played 118 games at Providence, the last two years as a starter, to add inside depth behind Holmes.
Geary had three points and three rebounds against Tennessee Tech, showing the wisdom of those moves.
"We missed Mackenzie," Berger says, "but obviously we had two good post players that stepped up in her absence and filled her role nicely."
Adds Moren: "These guys get reps every day in practice, just as Mack gets. For both of them to be ready, I'm not surprised by that.
"It's March. They've gotten plenty of reps. They showed up. We're going to continue to need them. Mack is not going to be able to play 40 minutes. She hasn't been able to do that all year. The experience both of them got was really good."
Meister has grown her game since arriving in Bloomington. She has scored as many as 10 points, grabbed as many as eight rebounds. The 20 minutes she played against Tennessee was a career high, as was her three blocks. She averages 2.4 points and 2.2 rebounds in 6.6 minutes. She shoots 62.2 percent from the field.
"Lilly has continued to get better," Moren says. "She puts in the work. We see it every day. That's where our confidence comes from. I'm not surprised by Lilly."
Don't overlook the support of teammates and coaches.
"They always build my confidence," Meister says. "They do most of the work. They're always congratulating me."
With or without Holmes (who averages 22.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 68.8-percent shooting), IU is primed for a deep March Madness run, in part because of its diverse offense. It shot 58 percent against Tennessee Tech.
"As great as Mackenzie is, and she's an amazing player, I think we are a complete team," Berger says. "We have really good guard play, really good back-up post players coming in off the bench.
"I think (the shooting percentage) is a testament to that and the hard
work that all of our players come in every day and get in extra shots."
IU's 30-point victory over Tennessee Tech was its largest margin ever in NCAA tourney play.
On Saturday, Miami rallied from a 17-point deficit to beat Oklahoma State. It's led by senior guard Haley Cavinder, who averages 12.8 points. The Hurricanes, in the round of 32 for the second straight season, average 70.5 points while shooting 43.4 percent from the field.
They played a strong schedule and split two games with Virginia Tech, like IU, also a No. 1 NCAA tourney seed.
"We've played great teams before," guard Jasmyne Roberts says. "We play in a great conference (the ACC) where every game was tough. We've competed against great teams, and we know what it takes to beat a great team, and they are a great team.
"Our defense is going to be what we focus on a lot. We're ready to do that."
IU's offensive firepower concerns Miami coach Katie Meier. It averages 81.5 points and 18.3 assists while basically shooting 50 percent from the field.
"They're a prolific scoring team," Meier says. "They average almost 18 assists a game. That threatens us, the fact that there's a team that will share the ball that much and can get that many assists. It's very difficult to defend, no matter what your defensive style is. Teams that will share the ball, that makes them great."
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