Last week Indiana basketball held its annual institutional media day, where the got the chance to chat with several members of the women's basketball team, as well as hear from head coach Teri Moren.
This gave members of the media a taste of what's to come for the 2024-25 Hoosiers, while also giving some insight into how this past offseason went for Indiana.
So, without further ado, here are a handful of takeaways from Indiana women's basketball's media day.
MOREN IS CONFIDENT IN HER GROUP
While every head coach would say they they're confident in their team, I get the sense that Teri Moren truly does have faith in her players, and her words certainly backed that up.
In her opening statement, coach Moren said that "to say that this group is ready would be an understatement," driving home the point early that she believes in what her players can accomplish this season.
To this, I have to say why wouldn't she?
The Hoosiers have been a very successful team the last few years and while she has lost a lot of talent -- mostly because of Mackenzie Holmes and Sara Scalia running out of eligibility -- Moren has retooled her program to make sure the success continues.
Moren's Hoosiers have finished top three in the Big Ten back-to-back years, winning the title outright in 2022. While they've come up short in the postseason, this has been an incredibly successful era of Indiana women's basketball.
Moren said that "we've had a little bit of a makeover, I wouldn't say a huge makeover, but a little bit of one," letting everyone know that this is not a complete overhaul and that she's still confident nonetheless.
This retool should make for another successful Hoosier season, even with the losses of Holmes and Scallia, with Moren letting everyone know that she's confident in her team and that she's "excited for the season."
TRANSFERS CIEZKI, STRIPLIN SHOULD PROVIDE A MAJOR BOOST
With key players leaving, bringing in key players became very important for Moren and staff.
IU did exactly what it needed to do, grabbing key players Shay Ciezki and Karoline Striplin from the transfer portal, both of whom should make a major impact for the Hoosiers.
Moren said that Ciezki is "a bulldog. That's only the best way to describe her. She’s a gym rat. She's ate up with the game. She’s in (the gym) all the time," illustrating just how impressed she's been with the Penn State transfer.
Moren also spoke about Striplin, saying " knowing that she was a five that (adds something) not only stature-wise, build-wise, experience-wise, but also can pick and pop. She has the ability to knock down shots from the outside."
This is high praise from Moren, as she's been around quality transfers in this program before, namely Sara Scallia and Sydney Parrish, so she knows exactly what is takes to be a successful transfer.
Moren wasn't the only member of the IU women's program to recognize what Ciezki and Striplin can bring to the table, as returning Hoosiers spoke about them as well.
Parrish said "bringing them in will definitely help us," adding that "they both have experience with big time programs" something that Parrish believes will help them in what she said has been a "seamless transition so far."
All this should give Hoosier fans confidence in what IU's new transfer can do, as if coach Moren and Sydney Parrish are giving you this praise, you're definitely cut out for success in this program.
PARRISH, MOORE-MCNEIL'S EXPERIENCE PIVOTAL
While new faces will be key on this year's team, old faces will be just as, of not more, important for the Hoosiers to have a successful season.
Two of these old faces, Chloe Moore-McNeil, along with the already mentioned Sydney Parrish should both play pivotal roles on this year's team, both on the court and in the locker room.
Coach Moren said "we know that Chloe and Syd are two of our leaders in that locker room and for our entire team," letting everyone know that these are the undisputed leaders of the team.
While that may seem obvious, Moren expanded on her statement, mentioning that Moore-McNeil "wants to lead this basketball team. 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. That's what you would expect her to do being as old as she is."
This is exactly what she's here to do, as with all the experience under her belt, Moore-McNeil will have a unique opportunity to lead this team, which is why she came back for her fifth season of eligibility.
She said "being that voice" is what she looks forward to the most as a leader, while also mentioning that she likes to support her teammates off the court saying "it doesn't have to be about basketball" when being a leader.
Similarly to Moore-McNeil, Sydney Parrish is set to have a major role as a leader for this team, Moren saying "to have her come back and for her to be an Indiana kid is great for us, great for our program. Syd is always about her team," letting everyone know just how important Parrish is to the IU locker room.
Parrish is not only one of the most important players on the court but, as coach Moren said, she's an integral part of the fabric of the program. She's a Hoosier and a fan-favorite, making her return to IU incredibly exciting for all involved.
Parrish said "just that experience carrying over into our last season is going to help, especially without Mackenzie and Sara from last season, so experience will carry us during the Big Ten season," showing just how important experience is, even from a player perspective.
As Parrish, along with Moore-McNeil and Moren said, experience should be a strongpoint of these Hoosiers, as Sydney and Chloe should bring a level of wisdom that makes up for the lost talent from a season ago.
–––––
Like this content? Join the conversation on TheHoosier.com's premium message boards and subscribe today!
– Follow TheHoosier on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook!
– Subscribe to TheHoosier on YouTube for more content
– Interact with fellow fans on TheHoosier's Premium Football Board and Premium Hoops Board
