BLOOMINGTON — The IU women’s basketball team didn’t undergo a radical transformation like the men’s team, but there’s some notable differences (on and off the court) for the program.
“I think that you will once again find a team that is very much together,” coach Teri Moren said at the program’s media day Wednesday.
The Hoosiers added five new players to the roster including key transfers — sharpshooting guard Shay Ciezki (Penn State) and veteran big Karoline Striplin (Tennessee) — and highly rated recruit Faith Wiseman.
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Wiseman, an Indian Creek grad, was the No. 61 ranked recruit in ESPN’s top 100.
‘We learned that lesson, I think early when we got here, that fit is so important to what you’re trying to do when you’re trying to build a program,” Moren said. “I do believe you can find those highly competitive, character players. You just got to dig a little deeper.”
Behind the scenes, Ali Patberg was promoted to full-time assistant, Keyanna Warthen was added to the staff as the team’s recruitment coordinator and assistant coach and Kylie Durkee was hired as the new director of athletic performance.
The team’s former director of strength and conditioning Kevin Konopasek was hired by Kentucky.
Mackenzie Holmes, who is one of the players Moren is looking to replace on the floor, is remaining with the team as a graduate manager. She was drafted by the Seattle Storm in the 2024 WNBA draft, but is currently rehabbing a knee injury.
Patberg, Warthen and Holmes all played for Moren and helped build IU into a perennial Big Ten contender.
“It’s pretty cool to have Key and Ali and Mack in the suite upstairs, on the floor,” Moren said. “They can speak to the culture, can speak to the atmosphere, to speak to what it’s like to be a student-athlete here, a basketball player, what we’re like, what I’m like, the expectations, and you know how they can speak to their experience.”
“And that goes a long way, especially with the parents. You know, when you have former players that want to come back and they want to be a part of this place, want to be a part of your program. I think that speaks volumes to things that we’ve been able to do right by our players.”
Here’s some notable notes from Moren’s time speaking with reporters:
∎ Running it back: One reason for the seamless transition from last year through all changes has been the presence of fifth-year veterans Sydney Parrish and Chloe Moore-McNeil. Moren has leaned on them for preaching the standards she wants all her players to live up to.
Moore-McNeil found her voice last season — she spoke up in the locker room at multiple pivotal moments — and is flourishing in the role.
“She wants to lead this basketball team,” Moren said. “She’s a constant voice inside of practice and in our huddles. Whether that’s wisdom, whether that’s advice, whether that’s encouragement, you know, she provides it all.”
∎ Understudy no more: Junior forward Lilly Meister’s best moments last year came amidst a blowout win over Northwestern. She flashed her potential with a career-high 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting with three rebounds and a block.
It was the most minutes (23) she played in a single-game all season.
Meister’s skill has never been in question, but there wasn’t much playing time available for her while backing up one of the program’s all-time greats in Holmes. That won’t be the case this year as she’s expected to land a much more prominent role on the team.
Moren praised Meister’s all-around skill set from her ability to protect the rim and block shots to being a “tremendous passer.”
“We’re going to utilize her in different ways, not that she’s not going to be down there with her back to the basket, but she provides a lot,” Moren said. “And the thing about Lilly is she’s a pleaser. She wants to do all the right things. She’s a great teammate, super positive, very steady.”
∎ Yarden Garzon’s next step: Moren envisions Garzon picking up some of the slack for IU as it seeks to replace Holmes’ and Sara Scalia’s offensive production. Garzon averaged 11.7 points while shooting 42.2% from 3-point range.
Moren would like to see the junior forward be “super aggressive” on the offensive end while making strides as a defender to better use her length while avoiding fall trouble. She led the team with 2.8 fouls per game last season and fouled out twice.
∎ Lexus Bargesser’s change up: Bargesser was a defensive stopper for IU last season, but her offensive game remained a work in progress. She’s averaged 3.2 points over two seasons and has only attempted 10 3-pointers in 61 games.
“A year ago, her player seemed to tend to not guard anybody,” Moren said.
Bargesser tweaked her jump shot in hopes of being able to catch and shoot the ball beyond the arc and make opposing defenses think twice about leaving her open.
Michael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on X @michaelniziolek and read all his coverage by clicking here.
