Title Focused – IU Women Have ‘All the ‘Pieces”
By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - NCAA championship banners loom large in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, in physical reality and tradition mystique.
Teri Moren glances at them from a podium perch, a media gathering in full force, opportunity and potential in full display.
“We want one of those,” the veteran coach says about the five men’s title banners. “I’ll continue to say it.”
The Hoosier women, fresh off a 28-4 season that included their first Big Ten title in 40 years, are determined to take what they want.
“We've tasted it,” Moren says. “We know what it takes to get there.
“There's no question that we have everything we need to do that, to win a national championship.”
Elite basketball success at IU was once reserved for the men’s program, but recent trips to the Elite Eight and Sweet 16, eight straight seasons of at least 21 victories, plus booming attendance (8,164 home average last year) reflect a women’s program building for a title run.
This was what Moren and associate head coach Rhet Wierzba envisioned when they arrived in Bloomington a decade ago.
“The tradition had always been on the men’s side,” Moren says, “and we wanted to build our own tradition. We wanted to create excitement that people in Bloomington, in Indianapolis, in the surrounding area, wanted to watch Indiana women’s basketball.”
Mission accomplished. Women’s games have become must-see events.
Moren is quick to credit her staff and university support at all levels.
“It takes a small village to do something like we've been able to do,” she says.
Championships are won, not only by remarkable performances and clutch victories, but by simple things such as consistency and attention to detail.
“Going into this year,” guard Sara Scalia says, “the goal is keep doing what we've been doing, taking it game by game, and play our best basketball by the end of the year. We're going to keep striving towards doing that.
Motivation comes from last March’s early NCAA tourney exit. The second-round home loss to No. 9 seed Miami was a big blow to a top-seeded team that seemed positioned for a national title run.
“I don't think we're over it,” forward Sydney Parrish says. “I'm not over it. People still mention it a lot and it hurts. That'll just be another thing that drives us through the season.”
Disappointment doesn’t ruin the perspective of what was, in every way, a remarkable season.
“The biggest thing is to also realize how much we accomplished,” Scalia says. “We did a lot of good things. We can't let one game dictate how well we did throughout the season.”
As far as this season, the Hoosiers lost All-America guard Grace Berger, now with the WNBA’s Indiana Fever, but return All-America forward Mackenzie Holmes (22.3 points, 7.3 rebounds last year) as well as starters Chloe Moore-McNeil (9.5 points, team-leading 155 assists), Yarden Garzon (11.1, 5.3, team-leading 70 three-pointers), Parrish (12.0, 5.4, 55 three-pointers) and Scalia (9.5, 53 three-pointers).
They added three talented newcomers in freshman guards Lenée Beaumont and Julianna LaMendola, and Tennessee-Martin transfer forward Sharnecce Currie-Jelks.
The 6-1 Beaumont was the Illinois Miss Basketball. The 6-1 LaMendola was the Texas Gatorade player of the year. The 6-2 Currie-Jelks won Ohio Valley Conference freshman of the year honors after averaging 15.2 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.4 steals last season.
“We’ve got a lot of very interesting talented pieces,” Moren says. “We’ve got some big shoes to fill with the departure of Grace Berger, but I’m very confident that we have added some really great pieces in Lenée and Jules and Sharnecce. We are excited about what's ahead of us.”
A summer trip to Greece accelerated team growth and chemistry.
“We got a really good look at our squad for this upcoming season,” Moren says.
IU’s challenging non-conference schedule includes games against perennial national powers Stanford and Tennessee.
“Our schedule is incredibly difficult,” Moren says, “but that’s how we want it.”
The Hoosiers have the talent and experience to handle it, and perhaps win a national championship banner of their own.
“I really like our pieces,” Moren says. “I'll bet on these guys. By seeing what I've been able to see with them inside of practice, I do think we have a chance."
