ROSEMONT, Ill. – Indiana women’s basketball coach Teri Moren spoke to Big Ten Network viewers and to the assembled media during Big Ten Basketball Media Days on Wednesday. The women’s session is Wednesday. The men’s turn is Thursday.
The format of her comments were different from years’ past. The Big Ten had its public session with its women’s basketball coaches in a panel format.
Three Big Ten coaches spoke to moderator Mike Hall and questions were not taken from the media that was present. The assembled media got the chance to ask their questions in individual sessions later in the Media Day schedule. Moren was joined by Oregon coach Kelly Graves and UCLA coach Cori Close.
Here’s what Moren had to say during her Big Ten Media Day session. There were other parts of this session that didn’t involve Moren’s participation. Only her comments, or those she said as part of the panel by-play, are included.
On how national recruiting is now with the coast-to-coast nature of the Big Ten …
Moren: No doubt about it. You know, the competition now, right, with recruiting and going up against some of the very best in the country has made it even more challenging I think for everybody, but we’re excited. The league, the Big Ten, was already really a good league, and just with the addition of these four, it’s even that much better. We’re excited now that we can talk about expanding, right, and going West and being able to talk to recruits. Even though you’re from that part of the country, there’s an opportunity maybe to come to the Midwest, but also go back, right, where some of your family and friends are and be able to play in front of them as well. We’re excited with the addition of the four really, really great teams.
On the 18-game Big Ten schedule …
Close: I think it’s the only way you could do it. I think this first year I think it’s definitely the best road to take. I think there’s going to be some of it where we’re just going to have to feel it out this first year, but I love that it’s going to be — everybody is going to be pretty much balanced. I haven’t been a part of a balanced schedule like that for many years. Then for playing your rival twice, I think it’s going to be a really good situation and I’m excited to do it.
Moren: I think Cori hit it on the head with the balanced schedule. For the longest time — and I’ve been in this league for a little while. That was always a source of concern, was not playing a balanced schedule. So I think that it’s such an incredibly difficult challenge for the Big Ten to put together a schedule, but I think, as Cori said, I think this is the best way to do it right now.
Graves: One of the things that’s interesting as a coach is the ability to make adjustments. When you play a team twice, you know, you can – that’s kind of fun. It’s a fun challenge, and we just don’t get that opportunity. By the way, the two LA (schools) playing each other twice is going to be great for the conference, great for women’s basketball in general. I’ve seen those two programs up close for a long time, and what they have going is pretty special. But, yeah, I think it’s great. That’s a lot of different teams that we get to play, a lot of different styles. So it will be challenging as a coach for sure.
On how women’s basketball’s growing support …
Moren: Well, for me I’m obviously older and have watched this great game evolve. So I tell our kids all the time what a great time it is to be a female in sport, but particularly in women’s basketball right now with the popularity and all the people, the crowds, the fans that are coming out to watch us play and stay and keep coming back. It’s been really, really great for me to watch, watch it evolve, develop. So grateful that I’m still present here to be able to see it happening. I think we can continue to make more steps also to – our goal is to sell out Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall like our men do. That’s one of our goals. Some might say that will never happen, but I’m the optimistic one. The glass is always, right, half full for me. I think we can get it done.
Graves: Yeah, you know, just – I started my coaching journey back in the ’80s, and to see the difference in athleticism and skill and excitement has been tremendous. I mean, it’s incredible. Especially with the last few years in the Big Ten, the way the crowds have come out, that’s what I’m really looking forward to. There are some venues in our older conference that just quite frankly didn’t draw that well at times, and now to know that you’re going to go into most arenas and it’s going to be full, avid fans who are really into it, I think is going to be pretty fun. Again, to see what our counterparts down there in LA have done, and there were times, right?
Close: Oh, it was tough.
Graves: Not too many years ago where it was tough to draw fans. You would go down there and know pretty much everybody in the stands. Now you can’t get a seat. So I think it’s just — we’re riding the crest of a really big wave, and I think we need to keep that going.
Moren: Well said.
Close: I’ve been coaching 31 years. I’ve actually been in both of their arenas to play them when it was packed, and now to have that be a part of the Big Ten Conference family is spectacular. At UCLA we had our first sell-out since 1978, so over 13,000 people. We are expecting three to four of those this year. To just be a part of the progression, it’s really not about any of us. It’s about being part of something and a growth curve that’s bigger than any of us. For me just watching it is like, okay, this is going to go long past. I think you hit it great in terms of the casual fan. It’s the person that has always watched from afar and now they’re jumping in. I think we’re getting more and more of that and I think we’re just scratching the surface.
On whether the coaches convey to the players how much the sport has grown …
Close: I want them to think it is normal. I want that to be their standard. I want them to have great humility and gratitude, so I do think there’s a part of understanding the history of that, but at the same time I want them to think this is a baseline expectation, and we just want to see it grow from here.
Moren: I agree with Cori, but I try to remind our kids always, especially after the game, to take that moment, right, and just look around at all the people that are there to support them and be in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on that Saturday afternoon, because it is incredible, right? I want them to take those moments and remember those moments, what that feels like. Completely want it to be the standard, but I also want them to be in the present moment and have a tremendous amount of gratitude for the fans that come out and support us.
Graves: Well, and I’m excited for the rest of the Big Ten to see what a great venue Matthew Knight Arena is. We have avid fans. We’ve had great fan support for a long, long time. They understand basketball, and it can get really loud in there. Again, as much as I’m excited to go to other venues, I’m really excited to see fans come and enjoy Eugene.
Moderator: New floor is super cool too.
Graves: It is pretty cool. … with fewer trees. We had so many trees on the old floor we had a lot of freshmen that got lost through the trees, on the defensive end a lot. Yeah, the new floor is spectacular.
On what they’re excited about with their own team …
Moren: Well, once again, I’m excited about our team. Some experience, some veterans, but then just the development of those younger kids that have been waiting for opportunities and the work they did over the summer.
Just being in practice with them right now, once again, like I said, we have — they’re the best part of Indiana and just to work with them every day and get excited about working with them every day.
I think the sky is the limit for this group. We’ve had to play differently with the graduation of Mackenzie Holmes and Sara Scalia. That has made us become better coaches. We’ve had to go back and study and look at our personnel and really dive into playing differently than we have the last probably four or five years when we had Mackenzie on the inside. That’s something I’m excited about.
And then I’ve been to Oregon, been to UCLA. I have never been to USC. We are not doing that this year, but we are going to Washington, and I have never been to Washington, so looking forward to that trip.
On taking advantage of the transfer portal …
Moren: I feel like it changes every day. I mean, it is. It’s challenging because of the fact that now with the NIL, there’s other components to this thing as far as being able to go in and be successful diving into the transfer portal. But if you can find the right kinds of kids that for us want to be a part of the culture, want to be a part of the work ethic, they’re all looking for something different, right? It’s not always about the NIL. I’m not suggesting that, but just trying to find the pieces out there that will fit with what we have, the foundation of how we have built Indiana women’s basketball, I think that’s always a challenge for us. We’ve had a lot of success doing it. The kids that we’ve found out of the portal have been really good for our program.
