Teri Moren executed the state’s most impressive building project over nine years.
Nearly a decade ago, Teri Moren took charge of the Indiana women’s basketball program.
The Hoosiers, in stark contrast to the men’s program on the other side of the building, had a single Big Ten title to their name when she was hired. Even that one was already multiple decades old.
Moren had been all around the state from her high school days in Seymour, college at Purdue and coaching gigs at Butler, Indianapolis and Indiana State. All of that brought her back to Indiana in August 2014.
And yes, back. She grew up rooting for the Hoosiers from her hometown.
There’s not many people in the state who understand the sport, particularly what it means here, as well as Moren. She’s been recruiting and running programs here since 1992, with brief stops at Northwestern and Georgia Tech in assistant roles.
Now that she’s built a Big Ten contender in Bloomington, it’s worth examining and recognizing that success across the state. If you’re a basketball coach in this state at any level, you should probably make an effort to either watch the program or connect with Moren herself.
The Hoosiers share the ball, ranking third in the conference for assists per game with 19.12. It’s not uncommon for any member of Indiana’s starting five to have as many or more assists than Chloe Moore-McNeil, who runs the offense, due to all the ball movement.
They’re searching for the best shot. Not a good shot, a great one.
It’s not unlike the offensive philosophy Bob Knight popularized as the men’s coach that promptly spread across the state from Bloomington. An emphasis on selfless basketball that makes a team stronger than the sum of its parts.
The offense is complimentary, with shooters around All-American post Mackenzie Holmes. The latter’s dominance down low opens up the arc for 3s, and Sara Scalia, Sydney Parrish and Yarden Garzon are among the better shooters in the conference.
Then there’s Chloe Moore-McNeil, whose growth through the years is a perfect example of Indiana’s emphasis on putting in work, running the offense. When the pieces are clicking, it’s a tough unit to beat.
The emphasis on passing is to the point that Indiana’s men’s program noticed one of the plays Moren’s team ran in a win over Iowa and used it to open up scoring on the road against Michigan.
Mike Woodson said on his weekly radio show, Inside Indiana Basketball, that his coaching staff stole a play they used at Michigan from the women’s team.#iuwbb ran the play last Thursday night vs. Iowa. #iubb ran it just two days later. The results were nearly identical: pic.twitter.com/RwfKtggg9S
— Mason Williams (@mvsonwilliams) February 14, 2023
Indiana typically ranks around the top of the league in defense, with Moren emphasizing toughness and grit on that side of the ball.
Above all else the Hoosiers never stop competing. If there’s a loose ball to be found you can bet Parrish is going to dive on the floor for it. Indiana once scored 42 points in the fourth quarter in an ultimately ill-fated comeback attempt.
It didn’t all happen overnight. It all took time, players, coaching, development and dedication. The kind of thing any program in the state can learn from.