You ask, we answer.
With Hoosier Hysteria on the horizon, it’s time for us to turn a bit of our attention to the hardwood. We took to Twitter to ask readers what they want to know about Indiana women’s basketball as it prepares for the upcoming season.
Here’s the low-down:
On life without Mack
How does the style of play change without Mack holding down the paint? Do we become a more guard-centric team?
What may the rotation look like and how do both the transfers and young players integrate into the lineup?
— zay (@eyeguesss) October 3, 2024
Despite losing its utterly irreplaceable centerpiece, I don’t think Indiana’s offense will look too different this year.
Indiana was the nation’s most accurate team from deep a season ago and returns three dangerous perimeter shooters in Yarden Garzon (42.2% 3PT), Chloe Moore-McNeil (40.9%), and Sydney Parrish (40.0%).
The basketball goes in when those three (plus Penn State transfer Shay Ciezki) pull up from distance meaning a four-out offense will be effective no matter who mans the paint.
It’s worth noting that Teri Moren mentioned the staff has been studying five-out concepts to implement with this roster. That will be a part of the offense but I would not expect wholesale change. The Hoosiers will still make use of the post with their fives.
Last year’s bench was the deepest head coach Moren’s had at Indiana and it looks as though this year’s will be even deeper. Both transfers, Ciezki (Jr., G) and former Tennessee Volunteer Karoline Striplin (Sr., F) will compete for starting roles and log heavy minutes.
Junior guard Lexus Bargesser will reprise her role as a rotation stalwart and at least one of the sophomore guards, Lenée Beaumont and Julianna LaMendola, probably gets a bump in playing time. Junior Henna Sandvik and late-add freshman Valentýna Kadlecová are the dark horse guards at this point.
The frontcourt is more interesting. Junior forward Lilly Meister was Holmes’s understudy for two years and looks ready to start. Striplin’s experience will figure her into a good deal of the load while junior Sharnecce Currie-Jelks plus freshmen Sydney Fenn and Faith Wiseman are all competing to earn time of their own.
On unleashing SCJ
What can a player like Sharnecce Currie-Jelks bring to IU’s front court now that Holmes has moved on?
— Not A Basketball Fan (@drewhamm5) October 3, 2024
After transferring to Indiana from Tennessee-Martin in June of 2023, junior forward Sharnecce Currie-Jelks missed most of last season due to pregnancy.
Currie-Jelks was named Freshman of the Year in the Ohio Valley Conference after averaging 15.2 points and 6.9 rebounds per game in 2022-23. At 6-2, she brings good length to the defensive end and will be expected to grab boards.
Offensively, Currie-Jelks’s finishing could be better but with all the guards she’ll be flanked by she won’t have to do too much. SCJ will score the basketball if Indiana can earn the right looks for her.
On offensive threats
How does this season’s offensive firepower compare to last year?
— Ed Helinski (@MrEd315) October 3, 2024
Indiana lost 45.3% of its 2023-24 scoring with the graduation of Mackenzie Holmes and Sara Scalia. Completely replacing that is nearly impossible, no matter how many Moneyball analogies you make.
The Hoosiers did what they could though. Shay Ciezki is capable of playing the Scalia role and a deeper frontcourt should keep post scorers fresh. Mind you Lilly Meister was sneaky efficient for stretches of last season. The offense is not going off a cliff.
The other thing we need to keep in mind here is the unknowns. SCJ, Fenn, Wiseman, and Kadlecová especially could all turn into offensive contributors. A revamped Lexus Bargesser, who Moren spoke of highly at Media Day, could also keep the offense humming.
On the new Big Ten
What’s our competition look like? Who will be our biggest obstacles between today and Banner 6 having a W
— Your Indiana Hoosier (@hoosierstate100) October 3, 2024
The Hoosiers were picked to finish fifth in both the Big Ten media and coaches’ preseason polls.
The most interesting part of Indiana’s competition is the B1G’s West Coast newcomers Oregon, UCLA, USC, and Washington.
Oregon and Washington are coming off subpar seasons but are traditionally strong programs that send talent to the next level. Sabrina Ionescu (UO) and Kelsey Plum (UW) were each selected with the top choice in the WNBA draft after playing their college ball in the Pacific Northwest.
Oregon being the school graduate guard Sydney Parrish transferred home from adds an extra something to that matchup.
Their biggest obstacles will be reigning champs Ohio State, UCLA, and USC. It’s also worth keeping an eye on how Iowa adjusts to a post-Clark world, the Hawkeyes are probably being underrated in preseason projections.
The Buckeyes return phenom forward Cotie McMahon while USC added Stanford transfer Kiki Iriafen to a starting lineup that already features the nation’s best player in sophomore stud JuJu Watkins.
UCLA is less flashy than their crosstown rival but boasts an elite tandem in guard Kiki Rice and center Lauren Betts. Every opposing player mentioned here was named to the preseason All-Big Ten team but the Hoosiers got zero nods.
As a team that relies heavily on scheme, Indiana’s Big Ten destiny lies in how well it can handle the game-wreckers listed above.