March 19, 2025 • 30 mins
On this episode, Alex Bozich is joined by Austin Render to talk IU women's basketball as the Hoosiers are set to begin NCAA tournament play.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
Welcome back to a new episode of Podcasts on the Drink.
Indiana men's basketball narrowly missed the NCAA Tournament. For those
of you that watched the selection show, the Hoosiers for
the second team out of the tournament, but the Indiana
women are back in the NCAA Tournament once again, headed
to Columbia South Carolina to take on Utah Friday afternoon.
(00:41):
That game will tip one thirty pm Eastern Time. And
we've we've got an Austin render of the IU Radio Network,
the voice of the IE women's basketball program, back on
Podcast on the Brink this week. Before we get to Austin,
wanted to take a quick moment remind you that Podcast
on the Brink is always is brought to you by
our friends at Visit Bloomington. Visit Bloomington is a proud
(01:04):
partner of Podcast on the Brink. In Indiana University Athletics,
March Madness is officially kicked off and Spring is about
to begin. Catch the NCAA Men's and women's tournaments. While
enjoying some award winning wings at Buffalois go paddleboarding on
Lake Lemon, or experience one of the many Spring festivals
in Bloomington, like the Cosmic Songwriter Festival and a Grand Falloon.
(01:27):
Order your free visitor guide and plan your spring get
away at visit Bloomington dot com. Sounds like a lot
going on Bloomington this spring. But right now, the focus
of this particular podcast on the Brink is IU women's basketball.
As I mentioned at the top, Hoosiers headed to Columbia
South Carolina, Austin. Curious your thoughts just on this matchup. Initially,
(01:48):
when you look at it an eight to nine game,
these are always tricky to pick when you're filling out
a bracket. These teams look pretty evenly matched. We were
talking a little bit before you mentioned both like to
shoot the three pointer a lot, and they've had some
common opponents over the course of the season. I believe
Utah actually lost at Northwestern early in the season. Not
a great loss on the resume, but I know they
(02:09):
have some firepower when it comes to scoring. Should be
a fun game to watch if you like offense.
Speaker 2 (02:16):
I think so, Alex. I think it's going to be
a three point contest. I'm sure both coaches are currently
trying to game plan how they take that away from
the other one but I mean their coach after the
after the selection show, Gavin Peterson said, we're looking forward
to showcasing our ability to let the three pointer fly,
(02:37):
and they will shoot it. They shoot it at You
think Indiana shoots it at a high clip, Utah shoots
it at a higher clip. Indiana takes it at about
a thirty four percent rate offensively. This Utah team shoots
the three even more. They shoot it at forty percent
(02:58):
of their offensive possessions. Is just it's kind of crazy
how often they take three pointers. It's twelve most in
the country, that forty percent three point rate. They get
thirty nine percent of their points coming from the three
point line. Again, that's top fifteen of the country. So
we've thought all year that that's kind of Indiana's recipe
for success. It's absolutely Utah's. So it's a really fascinating
(03:22):
matchup of two teams who I think will probably operate
fairly similarly in the way they want to win, but
it's going to be a completely different way in the
way they want to get to those three point line.
I think two different teams will play two different styles
here to try and create those three point shots.
Speaker 1 (03:40):
In terms of preparation for a team like this. What
what goes into that from an IU perspective with the
common opponents, is it something where maybe they reach out
to some of these teams that maybe they've played and
talked to, trying to get some hints. I know Terry
Moore mentioned that possibility on Sunday night when she did
her zom with the media, mentioned maybe talking to Northwestern.
(04:01):
There's a common opponent there, But in terms of the
short prep there's not a lot of time. You know,
the Big Ten is so well scouted and all these
teams know each other so well. Given the short window,
I think how these two respective teams prepare and get
familiar with one another and are able to digest the
scouting report and carry out a game plan is gonna
(04:22):
really play a pretty big factor on how this game
turns out.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
Yeah, I totally agree, and I like Terry Moran. With
a little bit of time here this week to scout,
I think that's an advantage for Indiana. But you mentioned
the common opponents. They both have played Baylor, that's obviously
a conference opponent now for Utah, Baylor beat Utah. Indiana
beat Baylor down in the Bahamas. I wouldn't say there's
gonna be much sharing of notes there cross conference, but
(04:48):
I wouldn't be shocked if coach Moran got on the
phone end out of Joe McEwan out at Northwestern and
asked him how they were able to knock off Utah.
That was probably Northwestern's biggest win, actually definitely their biggest
win of the season coming back in November. It was
I believe their first win of the year. So that
(05:08):
was kind of one that scratched your head because it
wasn't long after that down in a tournament on November
thirtieth that Utah beat Notre Dame, So it was very
weird to juxtappose those like they went to Northwestern and lost,
but beat a team at that time was top five.
Certainly I can't believe there were three seed Notre Dame,
but certainly a team that's capable being top five or
(05:29):
six in the country. So Utah has that feather in
their cap. But also a strange loss to Utah, So
teams evolved. I mean, if you asked Butler or Harvard's
coaches what they learned about beating Indiana in November, it
probably wouldn't do you a whole lot of good This week,
Indiana plays a lot differently. They have adapted their offensive
(05:51):
style since that opening week or two, and I would
imagine Utah is a very similar way with the new
coach in Gavin Peterson. So I expect them to to
look a lot different than maybe Joe McEwan in Northwestern
saw them. But hey worth dialing them up and seeing
if he's got any advice.
Speaker 1 (06:08):
Yeah. The other thing worth pointing out, I think on
that game, it was so early in the season, and
I believe at that point Utah Lynn Roberts was still
the coach because I believe she started the season the
first three or four games before leaving for the Los
Angeles Sparks of the WNBA. So kind of an interesting
situation there with Utah. You don't often see a coach
(06:28):
begin a season and then leave in season and they've,
to their credit, they've been able to Gavin Peterson's been
able to you know. I know he was there before,
was the associate head coach, and it was kind of
a natural fit for him to take over. But just
an interesting circumstance there with them starting a season with
one coach and then obviously being able to find the
(06:49):
way into the tournament after the coaching changed with Indiana.
You mentioned just how they've changed over the course of
the season. Obviously, we've talked a couple of times this
season on podcasts on the Brink and had John the preseason.
We had John a couple of months ago. But what
are the biggest things that have changed for this Indiana
team since the beginning of the season where they struggled
(07:10):
obviously had some really tough losses. You mentioned the Butler
game as one of those as a prime example, But
I'm curious just how you've seen this team evolve and
change as the season has moved along, and maybe how
they're better now than they were early on.
Speaker 2 (07:23):
Well, they had to kind of go through an identity change,
and I think those first few games was kind of
the identity crisis for Indiana of Okay, who are we
and when you lose somebody as good as Mackenzie Holmes,
somebody who you've had in your program for so long
that you've just kind of gotten used to runing this
four out one in, let's dump into the post play
(07:46):
inside out, and Indiana tried to do that early in
the season with Meister and Striplin and that's it's just
not really their games. And Indiana figured that out as
they went that, hey, we still have a lot of
those shooters that led the country in three point shooting
last year, so they have really leaned into that. And
one of the things they do that Lindsay Gottlieb pointed
(08:08):
out after the Big Ten Tournament game is they do
a really good job of bringing your bigs out of
the paint because you do, to some extent, have to
respect the jump shot of Stripling and Meister, specifically Stripling,
She's hit a lot of those elbow free throw line
jumpers and she can make a top of the key
three pointer. So when she comes out to set that
(08:29):
high ball screen, typically the five has to follow her
and you can get into some mismatches there. You can
get some back cuts to the basket now that the
rim protector is out of the paint, and that was
causing USC a ton of issues, especially in the first
half of that tournament game. Indian was having a lot
of luck get into the basket because they were able
to bring Erie Fem and akun Wafu out of the paint.
(08:52):
They had to respect Stripland's ability to roll and hit
the jumper and it puts them in a very difficult
position defensively. That's one of the things Indiana's really utilized
this year is that high pick and roll on Garat
Zone runs it really well with Striplin. Occasionally she'll throw
it when she's anticipating it being open and it's not,
but for the most part, she runs it very well.
(09:13):
And she's such a difficult person to guard off of
that because if you sag off of her at all,
she will take that shot. If you're on her, she
can usually be tall enough to throw it around you
or over you, and she does a really good job
with that. So they've adapted the offense to say, look,
we still want to have an inside presence, but I
think they've leaned into the fact that the guard plays
(09:35):
their strength. They have spread the floor a little bit
better with stripling and the starting lineup now, and I
think recently the play of Shaye Chesky unlocks a lot
for this offense. She's played so much better here over
the last about month of the season. She's shooting almost
fifty percent from three over that time, and she's making
good decisions with the basketball. They've kind of taken her
(09:57):
off the ball a little bit more. Early in the season,
they they had the Lexi Bargaser injury, and so Shay
was having to play a lot more point guard than
she's used to. Her turnovers were up, and they've put
Lexi in that position more now as the season's gone on,
let Shaye play off the ball, and I think that's
been a good thing overall.
Speaker 1 (10:18):
In terms of the players maybe feeling more comfortable in
their roles as the season has gone along. How how
big of a factor has that been, because early in
the season it kind of felt like you'd watch some
games and it was almost like somebody who was waiting
for somebody else to step up and make a play.
And that player, you know, in the past, would have
been Grace Berger or Mackenzie Holmes or Sarah Scalia last
(10:40):
year and this year. That wasn't always that there early on,
and I can remember some of the early season press
conferences where Terry Morin was, you know, kind of searching
searching for that in terms of finding, you know, someone
that wanted to step up and make a play. And
it seems like as the season has gone along, there
have been different circumstances where a different player will step
(11:02):
up on a given night, and it seems like that's
been a pretty big area of growth. You know, you
watch these games up closer as much as anybody. How
have you maybe seen that progress as the year goes along?
And who are maybe two or three players that have
maybe embraced the idea of, Hey, you know, it might
be my night tonight and I got to go make
a play and carry trying to carry my team.
Speaker 2 (11:21):
Well, you're right. Early in the season, everybody was kind
of was kind of that Spider Man meme where everybody's
looking at each other like, Okay, are you're gonna go
do it? And it was on display late in both
the Harvard and Butler games when Indiana needed baskets and
nobody could really create. It still pops up from time
to time as issues with the offense. They still have
(11:42):
those three four minutes scoring droughts where it looks a
little bit stagnant. There's still games like Minnesota Maryland where
they just don't really they don't really have it, but
when they do, it's Shade Cheeskey get into the bucket
in the big internament. She was phenomenal off the dribble
getting to her pull up game, getting to that block
(12:02):
where she would pivot around to a step through. Has
a lot of moves in her game, and she's really
unlocked that here. Recently, I've seen Sidney Parrish become really
aggressive here over the last three or four games. She's
not the fastest person in the world, but she's been
really putting her head down and driving. And when you
shoot the ball as well as she does, it does
(12:23):
give you that opportunity to shot fake and put the
ball in the deck. She's been more aggressive. And again
when I've said this all year, when Chloe Moore McNeil
is playing downhill with the intent of getting to the
bucket and either getting foult or getting two points, that's
when Indiana's at its best. Too often this year, Indiana's
point guards will take it down the lane and stop
(12:45):
five or six feet out, pivot around and throw it
back out. And when Chloe is going downhill with intent
to get to the free throw line. She had ten
free throws against USC in that Bigton Tournament game. That's
again another element that makes Indiana so much better offensively.
It's not Garzone's game to put it on the deck
and create She's gotten better at it. This year, but
(13:08):
it's still not really her game. She's truly a catch
and shoot three pointer. Now. She showed off against USC
a couple of nice moves to get some three point shots.
But I think early in this season there was a
lot of Okay, she's our best player. She's gonna start
making things happen, and I think Indiana has kind of said, look,
it's not yard End's game. Let's let other people do
(13:30):
that and create four yard in and that's allowed her
to become this forty plus percent three point shooter that's lethal.
Speaker 1 (13:38):
There have been some games where Garzon it seems like
from an athletic standpoint, you know, she's maybe a little
bit overmatched. I'm curious when you look at this Utah matchup,
is that something that she could have potential problems with
or is this a team that maybe in terms of
the style of play and how they wanted to play,
it sets up as a pretty good matchup for her.
(13:58):
You know, you mentioned they're their tendency like to shoot
a bunch of threes. But I'm just curious, from an
athletic standpoint, are they gonna be pressuring her heavily or
is it gonna be a game where she's able to
likely be able to get some shots off from the perimeter.
Speaker 2 (14:12):
I'll be honest, I haven't watched a ton of film
yet of Utah, but just looking at the statistics of it,
I mean, this is not an overly tall Utah team.
They have no guard listed on their roster that's over
six foot. That's where the ultimate advantage is for yard
End because she is six', three she is, long she is,
(14:34):
lanky she can. Shoot she has such a quick release
that she can get the ball up and over almost.
Anybody the defensive side of the floor is the issue
when you play these smaller, guards, Though ken Yard end
get down in a stance and defend some of the
quicker players On. UTAH i do know they're going to
try and do a lot of dribble handoffs at the
top of the, key which has Given indiana some fits this.
(14:56):
Year if you think back to The illinois, game you
think back to The maryland, Game there's been a couple
other times this. Year michigan did a lot of, that
a lot of dribble, handoffs And indiana has had issues
defending that this. Year whether it's been, communication whether it's been,
athleticism so that's certainly SOMETHING i would imagine they are
hammering home in practice this, week is trying to defend
(15:17):
those those drible. Handoffs but, again if you've got This
utah team that's not all that, tall they're going to
match up with you four guards to four, guards you
can do a lot of. Switching and that's my guess
is that they will do a lot of switching in
those drible. Handoffs it's just a question of whether or
Not utah will get stripling involved in, those WHICH i
would imagine they will try to. Do but without watching
(15:39):
a ton Of utah, tape to be, honest WHEN i
saw the, draw its, like, Okay utah's a blind spot for.
Me haven't watched a lot Of utah this, year BUT
i do think that there are times where Yard end
is a little bit out of place defensively because of the.
ATHLETICISM i think that was The illinois game when she
got benched for the fourth quarter that. Game illinois has
(16:01):
been a thorn In indiana's side ever SINCE. Shawna green got.
THERE i don't expect her to get bench for the
fourth quarter of this. GAME i THINK i think we're
gonna be okay there BUT i think the big thing
for Yar dan is that she can't get frustrated with
a Specific let's let's say she gets an offensive foul
or she gets a tic tac reach. Him she can't
(16:23):
let one foul become a quick second. Foul and at
times that she's been in foul trouble a lot this,
Year indiana needs her on the, floor so she's got
to stay mentally focused That, hey maybe she gets driven
by one time in The utah, offense but that's don't be,
reaching don't committing silly fouls because they need her on the.
Speaker 1 (16:43):
Floor, Obviously indian would have liked to gone into this
tournament on with a, win but given the circumstances of
what they were going up against in The Big ten this,
season they have to still feel pretty good about the
way they played in The Big ten, tournament taking usc
all the way to the wire playing really well against The.
(17:06):
Trojans is that is that a you, know a performance
that can actually give them a little boost of. Confidence
the fact that they went on a neutral court and
played a you, know a top two or three team
in the country to a you, KNOW i think it
was about a five point Game that's SOMETHING i think
you can build. On even though you, know coaches are
never into the idea, of you, know losing as a good,
(17:30):
thing but taking them wire to wire has to Give
indiana some confidence going into The DOUBLE a tournament play no.
Speaker 2 (17:38):
DOUBT i, mean coaches can can say they don't want to,
lose AND i get, that but you AND i can
sit on here and say that was as that to
me was as good as a. Win indiana played well
enough to win that. Game there's only so much you
can do When Juju watkins And Kikiria fen both get
double doubles both combined for like fifty five, points that
you tip your cap to to TWO wnba future stars
(18:02):
and you, say great. Job that's all you can. Do
in years, Past indiana could survive A Caitlin clark thirty
five point game because they had somebody In Mackenzie holmes
was kind of going toe to toe and they almost
did that because they had Yard end going toe to
toe there for a while With Juju, watkins but The
erie Of fen thing was very difficult to. Defend she
(18:25):
was hitting a lot of. Jumpers BUT i think there's
there's no. Doubt it's almost only positives that can come
away from that. GAME i, mean the ultimate positive would
have been pulling it off and, saying look at what
we can. Do BUT i still think it's, say, hey
if we do end up With South carolina On sunday.
Afternoon they've PLAYED usced tight. Twice they've Beaten Ohio, state
(18:49):
they PLAYED, ucla all things, considered pretty, tough AND i
know they won another crack AT ucla didn't get it
at the, tournament BUT i do think that there are
things to draw. On the big thing for this team
all season long has been. Consistency we see it for
a game or two Where, okay this is a really
(19:10):
good basketball, team and then they'll play Against maryland And
Michigan state and turn the ball over twenty times each
game not make any, threes and you're just, like what was.
That since the start Of, february they've gone two, wins two,
losses two, wins two, losses two, wins two losses basically
for the last month and a half of the. Season
so can they find a way to be a little
bit more consistent here and bring that play To. COLOMBIA
(19:34):
i actually Think indiana is one of the teams that
probably AND i don't. THINK i think they'll be. Fine
but had you played this tournament starting Last friday instead
of This, FRIDAY i Think indiana would have benefited from.
That they were playing well In, indianapolis they had some,
momentum and so to sit here now and wait two
weeks to play, AGAIN i think can be a slight
(19:55):
disadvantage For indiana as opposed To, utah who had a
really bad law The Big Twelve tournament to a Bad
Texas tech, team and they get two weeks now to reset.
Again Terry morren's a great. Coach they're gonna they have
spent these two. Weeks, Wisely i'm not worried about. It
but when you, say is there a team that could
have benefited from less time? OFF i Think indiana could
(20:17):
have because they played maybe their best game in the
season Against oregon and then maybe their second best game
against Usc certainly, offensively they played. Great SO i think
if they can kind of take that and carry it with,
them they're gonna be really. Dangerous AND i would imagine Don.
STALEY i know she's fired up about not being the
number one overall. SEED i can't imagine she was too
(20:39):
excited about Seeing indiana in her pot after the way
The hoosiers battled them last. Year SO i think If
indiana takes that with, them that's the big. Question can
they take it with? Them but if they, do they're
gonna be tough to. Beat just in.
Speaker 1 (20:52):
Terms of the, LAYOFF i, mean that's the thing every
year in the women's, tournament just based on the. Timing
how have you seen that impact in in previous. Years
is it something that where they've maybe come out slow
in some.
Speaker 2 (21:03):
Games it's been hard To it's been hard to know
the last two years because It's mackenzie's been. Hurt so
you think about two years, ago she gets hurt in
The Big Ten championship or The Big Ten tournament semi
final and doesn't even end up playing in the first
round of THE ncaa. Tournament none of us knew that
(21:24):
was going to happen until the day, of and so
that it was hard to kind of assess how that
break did for them because your best player was. Out
and then the break was crucial last year Because mackenzie
was hurt again and it gave her two. Weeks she
wasn't as hurt that year as she was the year,
before so she was able to take those two weeks
(21:48):
to rest and then was ready to go for that
run that The hoosiers made to The sweet. Sixteen so
there's certainly times where it can be very helpful when
you're battling those, injuries Like indiana has been the past couple.
Years BUT i think like two three years ago When
indiana had that crazy win Against princeton at home before
they went to go Play, yukon that was a year
(22:09):
that they did not show any rust in that first.
GAME i think they Played charlotte and just ran them
out of the. Building but this will be different because
this is the first time That indiana has gone on
the road for AN ncaa tournament game since The BUBBLE
covid year in twenty twenty, one and it'll be the
first time if they Beat, utah and they'll play a
(22:30):
team on their home floor since twenty nineteen when they
played Against. Oregon so this will be. Different BUT i
think with the relative health that this team has been
able to maintain throughout the, season the break was probably
more used for a resting. Period for a lot of
these starters that play heavy, minutes it's an opportunity for
them to get some fresher.
Speaker 1 (22:50):
Legs last THING i wanted to ask you About austin
just in terms Of Terry, moran what has made her
such a great leader of This indiana. Program Something i've
kind of thought about is The indiana men's basketball coaching
search has gone, on is just the hires Of Terry
moore and And Kurt signetti and how they've obviously both
worked out really well For. Indiana obviously different eras in
(23:12):
terms of when they were. Hired Terry moore and hired
twenty FOURTEEN i believe that summer By Fred glass and
then more Recently Kurt signetti hired By Scott. Dolson but
both have been obviously program changers for different reasons from
The indiana women's basketball, perspective a program that really didn't
have a lot of, tradition a lot of culture when
(23:34):
she took over the. Job but we sit, here what
almost eleven years, later And indiana's going to the tournament every.
Year they're winning a lot of. Games they may not
be landing five star recruits and the highest profile, recruits
but they bring in, players they developed, them they make them,
Better they maybe make their own. Stars in some, Ways
i'm curious for just being around Coach moore and talking to,
(23:57):
her watching how she's built her. Program are one or
two things that maybe stand out that she's done that
have really impressed, you just in terms of being able
to sustain this over such a long period of, time
because it's it's you, know any any coach can maybe
have a year or two where they're really good and
they ride a player who's maybe exceptional for a couple
(24:17):
of seasons and then that player goes. Away but this
has been a sustained period now over a long course of,
time and to, me that really is.
Speaker 2 (24:24):
Impressive, YEAH i think there's several things that go into.
IT i, mean number, one you mentioned they don't get
they're not going to load up on five, star top,
fifty top twenty recruits in the, country ALTHOUGH i think
that the status of the program a couple of years
ago probably could have started to enter that. Conversation but
they're more concerned about how do you fit with. Us
(24:45):
they don't want it to ever be about the. Player
it needs to be about the. Team it needs to
be about the, program and so they try to make
sure they get the right people in the, program and
THAT i think has led to so much success here
over the last four or five, years is that these
locker rooms have really jelled and these are players that
really enjoy playing with each other playing FOR. Iu AND
(25:09):
i mean big thing is like if you ever talked
to Coach, morin And i'm fortunate enough to get to do,
it whether it's pregame, interviews whether it's coaches, shows or
whether it's just in the general ebbs and flows of.
Traveling she's such a such an intelligent basketball, mind AND
i ABSOLUTELY i learned something every TIME i do a
(25:30):
coaches show with her because she will get Into she's
not afraid to get into the nitty gritty and really
talk about her, philosophy her, style what she's trying to
do offensively was pretty open and honest about how like
at the one and two starts of the, year like
something needed to, change and she got a phone call
(25:51):
from from Coach Gunn box is now At, miami and
he was kind of telling her what he had seen ON.
Tv says he watches every game still and and they
fixed it and here they are back in THE ncaa.
Tournament but she does such a good job of putting
her players in the right position to, succeed and she
has full buy in and trust from these, players and
(26:11):
there's a really really solid relationship there between her and her,
players a relationship when anybody comes, back you see how
much they love, her love the, program and the development
part of it is. BIG i, mean you think about Tyro,
buss was a great high school, player but what she
turned into It, INDIANA i don't think anybody could have
seen that. Coming Amanda cahill another showing of. That they
(26:34):
went and Got Brena wise in the transfer portal and
she was just a dynamite addition to that team when
they went on THAT wn run in The elite eight.
Run and then you think about players Like Grace. Berger
she was a pretty highly talented player That Terry moore
was able to snag away From louisville and didn't wasn't
all that impactful her freshman Year grace was on the,
(26:55):
bench played a little. Bit wasn't The Grace burger that
she eventually. Became and Obviously Mackenzie holmes is the ultimate
look at WHAT i did to, this but even, somebody
if you look at somebody Like Sarah, scalia she comes
into the program from a place At, minnesota where she
played every minute all the. Time was kind of an
ultimate green, light could do whatever she wanted on the.
(27:16):
Floor and they get her and she comes To, bloomington
but they're, like, hey it's gonna be a lot different around,
Here like you're not just gonna go up and chuck.
Threes we're also gonna need you to come off the.
Bench and it took her a little bit to get
used to that. Role but did she transfer immediately after
that season because she was frustrated with the new. Role,
no she stayed a second season and had an unbelievable
(27:39):
final year of college basketball because of her relationship with
this staff and the trust that she has in. Them
they made her a great, defender they made her a
great ball. HANDLE i, mean it was just a, really
really impressive form of. Development and we've seen that with
a lot of players in their time In. Indiana AND
i think, lastly she's a really she has built a
(27:59):
great eight staff around her and has great trust in
the people around. Her she's not afraid to. Delegate AND
i know we talked about the last time we were
on here about her journey To weslafiette and learning From
Matt painter and how he delegates WITH. Pj thompson and
how she's kind of doing that With Ali. Peppberg, now
Ratt wiers has always been right there as a really
(28:21):
top notch assistant coach along with, Her SO i think
she's not afraid of trusting her staff to come up
with a game. Plan it's gonna be best fit for these.
Players they do a lot of great work with them
behind the, scenes and it's just there's a consistency. Factor
year in a year. Out you know what you're gonna
get from A Terry moore and coach. Team they're gonna play,
(28:42):
hard they're going to play, together they're gonna play good.
Defense and, look this crop of players over the last
five to six years has been so good with the
fan base, Too AND i think that's a big part
of where this program has grown is the fan. Base
AND i, mean we're losing a couple this, year And
(29:02):
chloe And sidney that have just epitomized what it's like
to be A hoosier and the way they relate with these.
Fans they've become ginormous crowd, favorites and watching them interact
with the fans after the, game for a long, time signing,
autographs saying, hi taking. Pictures they do it and that
(29:23):
all comes From coach more and the way she appreciates the,
fans and she has made sure that these players appreciate
the fan. Base and SO i think all of, it
you mix it all, together it has created a program
that has thrived and doesn't seem to be slowing.
Speaker 1 (29:39):
Down, YEAH i think a lot of, lessons particularly and
what you talked about there late and with in terms
of the players and the fan base and just the
program connection can be applied going. FORWARD i think with
the men's, PROGRAM i think some of that's been lost
in the last couple of, years and hopefully that'll be
restored BECAUSE i know just from talking to a lot
of fans they they don't feel that. Connection SO i
(30:01):
think that's a valuable. Thing anytime that a fan base
can feel like they know the players and kind of
all working together towards the same, THING i think it's
a great. Thing So, austin thanks for sharing those, thoughts
and thank you for making the time to come on this,
week save travels out To South carolina and have a
great call for the. GAME i know it's exciting always
(30:22):
exciting to be able to call it in zaa tournament.
Speaker 2 (30:24):
Game, absolutely it's the best time of the, year looking
forward to it and hopefully we can make some magic happen. Here.
Speaker 1 (30:32):
Absolutely thanks everybody as always for listening To podcast on The.
Brink if you enjoy the, show please leave us a
rating and review over On Apple, podcast leave us a
five star rating over On, spotify and we'll be back
soon with another episode Of podcast on The. Brink
Welcome back to a new episode of Podcasts on the Drink.
Indiana men's basketball narrowly missed the NCAA Tournament. For those
of you that watched the selection show, the Hoosiers for
the second team out of the tournament, but the Indiana
women are back in the NCAA Tournament once again, headed
to Columbia South Carolina to take on Utah Friday afternoon.
(00:41):
That game will tip one thirty pm Eastern Time. And
we've we've got an Austin render of the IU Radio Network,
the voice of the IE women's basketball program, back on
Podcast on the Brink this week. Before we get to Austin,
wanted to take a quick moment remind you that Podcast
on the Brink is always is brought to you by
our friends at Visit Bloomington. Visit Bloomington is a proud
(01:04):
partner of Podcast on the Brink. In Indiana University Athletics,
March Madness is officially kicked off and Spring is about
to begin. Catch the NCAA Men's and women's tournaments. While
enjoying some award winning wings at Buffalois go paddleboarding on
Lake Lemon, or experience one of the many Spring festivals
in Bloomington, like the Cosmic Songwriter Festival and a Grand Falloon.
(01:27):
Order your free visitor guide and plan your spring get
away at visit Bloomington dot com. Sounds like a lot
going on Bloomington this spring. But right now, the focus
of this particular podcast on the Brink is IU women's basketball.
As I mentioned at the top, Hoosiers headed to Columbia
South Carolina, Austin. Curious your thoughts just on this matchup. Initially,
(01:48):
when you look at it an eight to nine game,
these are always tricky to pick when you're filling out
a bracket. These teams look pretty evenly matched. We were
talking a little bit before you mentioned both like to
shoot the three pointer a lot, and they've had some
common opponents over the course of the season. I believe
Utah actually lost at Northwestern early in the season. Not
a great loss on the resume, but I know they
(02:09):
have some firepower when it comes to scoring. Should be
a fun game to watch if you like offense.
Speaker 2 (02:16):
I think so, Alex. I think it's going to be
a three point contest. I'm sure both coaches are currently
trying to game plan how they take that away from
the other one but I mean their coach after the
after the selection show, Gavin Peterson said, we're looking forward
to showcasing our ability to let the three pointer fly,
(02:37):
and they will shoot it. They shoot it at You
think Indiana shoots it at a high clip, Utah shoots
it at a higher clip. Indiana takes it at about
a thirty four percent rate offensively. This Utah team shoots
the three even more. They shoot it at forty percent
(02:58):
of their offensive possessions. Is just it's kind of crazy
how often they take three pointers. It's twelve most in
the country, that forty percent three point rate. They get
thirty nine percent of their points coming from the three
point line. Again, that's top fifteen of the country. So
we've thought all year that that's kind of Indiana's recipe
for success. It's absolutely Utah's. So it's a really fascinating
(03:22):
matchup of two teams who I think will probably operate
fairly similarly in the way they want to win, but
it's going to be a completely different way in the
way they want to get to those three point line.
I think two different teams will play two different styles
here to try and create those three point shots.
Speaker 1 (03:40):
In terms of preparation for a team like this. What
what goes into that from an IU perspective with the
common opponents, is it something where maybe they reach out
to some of these teams that maybe they've played and
talked to, trying to get some hints. I know Terry
Moore mentioned that possibility on Sunday night when she did
her zom with the media, mentioned maybe talking to Northwestern.
(04:01):
There's a common opponent there, But in terms of the
short prep there's not a lot of time. You know,
the Big Ten is so well scouted and all these
teams know each other so well. Given the short window,
I think how these two respective teams prepare and get
familiar with one another and are able to digest the
scouting report and carry out a game plan is gonna
(04:22):
really play a pretty big factor on how this game
turns out.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
Yeah, I totally agree, and I like Terry Moran. With
a little bit of time here this week to scout,
I think that's an advantage for Indiana. But you mentioned
the common opponents. They both have played Baylor, that's obviously
a conference opponent now for Utah, Baylor beat Utah. Indiana
beat Baylor down in the Bahamas. I wouldn't say there's
gonna be much sharing of notes there cross conference, but
(04:48):
I wouldn't be shocked if coach Moran got on the
phone end out of Joe McEwan out at Northwestern and
asked him how they were able to knock off Utah.
That was probably Northwestern's biggest win, actually definitely their biggest
win of the season coming back in November. It was
I believe their first win of the year. So that
(05:08):
was kind of one that scratched your head because it
wasn't long after that down in a tournament on November
thirtieth that Utah beat Notre Dame, So it was very
weird to juxtappose those like they went to Northwestern and lost,
but beat a team at that time was top five.
Certainly I can't believe there were three seed Notre Dame,
but certainly a team that's capable being top five or
(05:29):
six in the country. So Utah has that feather in
their cap. But also a strange loss to Utah, So
teams evolved. I mean, if you asked Butler or Harvard's
coaches what they learned about beating Indiana in November, it
probably wouldn't do you a whole lot of good This week,
Indiana plays a lot differently. They have adapted their offensive
(05:51):
style since that opening week or two, and I would
imagine Utah is a very similar way with the new
coach in Gavin Peterson. So I expect them to to
look a lot different than maybe Joe McEwan in Northwestern
saw them. But hey worth dialing them up and seeing
if he's got any advice.
Speaker 1 (06:08):
Yeah. The other thing worth pointing out, I think on
that game, it was so early in the season, and
I believe at that point Utah Lynn Roberts was still
the coach because I believe she started the season the
first three or four games before leaving for the Los
Angeles Sparks of the WNBA. So kind of an interesting
situation there with Utah. You don't often see a coach
(06:28):
begin a season and then leave in season and they've,
to their credit, they've been able to Gavin Peterson's been
able to you know. I know he was there before,
was the associate head coach, and it was kind of
a natural fit for him to take over. But just
an interesting circumstance there with them starting a season with
one coach and then obviously being able to find the
(06:49):
way into the tournament after the coaching changed with Indiana.
You mentioned just how they've changed over the course of
the season. Obviously, we've talked a couple of times this
season on podcasts on the Brink and had John the preseason.
We had John a couple of months ago. But what
are the biggest things that have changed for this Indiana
team since the beginning of the season where they struggled
(07:10):
obviously had some really tough losses. You mentioned the Butler
game as one of those as a prime example, But
I'm curious just how you've seen this team evolve and
change as the season has moved along, and maybe how
they're better now than they were early on.
Speaker 2 (07:23):
Well, they had to kind of go through an identity change,
and I think those first few games was kind of
the identity crisis for Indiana of Okay, who are we
and when you lose somebody as good as Mackenzie Holmes,
somebody who you've had in your program for so long
that you've just kind of gotten used to runing this
four out one in, let's dump into the post play
(07:46):
inside out, and Indiana tried to do that early in
the season with Meister and Striplin and that's it's just
not really their games. And Indiana figured that out as
they went that, hey, we still have a lot of
those shooters that led the country in three point shooting
last year, so they have really leaned into that. And
one of the things they do that Lindsay Gottlieb pointed
(08:08):
out after the Big Ten Tournament game is they do
a really good job of bringing your bigs out of
the paint because you do, to some extent, have to
respect the jump shot of Stripling and Meister, specifically Stripling,
She's hit a lot of those elbow free throw line
jumpers and she can make a top of the key
three pointer. So when she comes out to set that
(08:29):
high ball screen, typically the five has to follow her
and you can get into some mismatches there. You can
get some back cuts to the basket now that the
rim protector is out of the paint, and that was
causing USC a ton of issues, especially in the first
half of that tournament game. Indian was having a lot
of luck get into the basket because they were able
to bring Erie Fem and akun Wafu out of the paint.
(08:52):
They had to respect Stripland's ability to roll and hit
the jumper and it puts them in a very difficult
position defensively. That's one of the things Indiana's really utilized
this year is that high pick and roll on Garat
Zone runs it really well with Striplin. Occasionally she'll throw
it when she's anticipating it being open and it's not,
but for the most part, she runs it very well.
(09:13):
And she's such a difficult person to guard off of
that because if you sag off of her at all,
she will take that shot. If you're on her, she
can usually be tall enough to throw it around you
or over you, and she does a really good job
with that. So they've adapted the offense to say, look,
we still want to have an inside presence, but I
think they've leaned into the fact that the guard plays
(09:35):
their strength. They have spread the floor a little bit
better with stripling and the starting lineup now, and I
think recently the play of Shaye Chesky unlocks a lot
for this offense. She's played so much better here over
the last about month of the season. She's shooting almost
fifty percent from three over that time, and she's making
good decisions with the basketball. They've kind of taken her
(09:57):
off the ball a little bit more. Early in the season,
they they had the Lexi Bargaser injury, and so Shay
was having to play a lot more point guard than
she's used to. Her turnovers were up, and they've put
Lexi in that position more now as the season's gone on,
let Shaye play off the ball, and I think that's
been a good thing overall.
Speaker 1 (10:18):
In terms of the players maybe feeling more comfortable in
their roles as the season has gone along. How how
big of a factor has that been, because early in
the season it kind of felt like you'd watch some
games and it was almost like somebody who was waiting
for somebody else to step up and make a play.
And that player, you know, in the past, would have
been Grace Berger or Mackenzie Holmes or Sarah Scalia last
(10:40):
year and this year. That wasn't always that there early on,
and I can remember some of the early season press
conferences where Terry Morin was, you know, kind of searching
searching for that in terms of finding, you know, someone
that wanted to step up and make a play. And
it seems like as the season has gone along, there
have been different circumstances where a different player will step
(11:02):
up on a given night, and it seems like that's
been a pretty big area of growth. You know, you
watch these games up closer as much as anybody. How
have you maybe seen that progress as the year goes along?
And who are maybe two or three players that have
maybe embraced the idea of, Hey, you know, it might
be my night tonight and I got to go make
a play and carry trying to carry my team.
Speaker 2 (11:21):
Well, you're right. Early in the season, everybody was kind
of was kind of that Spider Man meme where everybody's
looking at each other like, Okay, are you're gonna go
do it? And it was on display late in both
the Harvard and Butler games when Indiana needed baskets and
nobody could really create. It still pops up from time
to time as issues with the offense. They still have
(11:42):
those three four minutes scoring droughts where it looks a
little bit stagnant. There's still games like Minnesota Maryland where
they just don't really they don't really have it, but
when they do, it's Shade Cheeskey get into the bucket
in the big internament. She was phenomenal off the dribble
getting to her pull up game, getting to that block
(12:02):
where she would pivot around to a step through. Has
a lot of moves in her game, and she's really
unlocked that here. Recently, I've seen Sidney Parrish become really
aggressive here over the last three or four games. She's
not the fastest person in the world, but she's been
really putting her head down and driving. And when you
shoot the ball as well as she does, it does
(12:23):
give you that opportunity to shot fake and put the
ball in the deck. She's been more aggressive. And again
when I've said this all year, when Chloe Moore McNeil
is playing downhill with the intent of getting to the
bucket and either getting foult or getting two points, that's
when Indiana's at its best. Too often this year, Indiana's
point guards will take it down the lane and stop
(12:45):
five or six feet out, pivot around and throw it
back out. And when Chloe is going downhill with intent
to get to the free throw line. She had ten
free throws against USC in that Bigton Tournament game. That's
again another element that makes Indiana so much better offensively.
It's not Garzone's game to put it on the deck
and create She's gotten better at it. This year, but
(13:08):
it's still not really her game. She's truly a catch
and shoot three pointer. Now. She showed off against USC
a couple of nice moves to get some three point shots.
But I think early in this season there was a
lot of Okay, she's our best player. She's gonna start
making things happen, and I think Indiana has kind of said, look,
it's not yard End's game. Let's let other people do
(13:30):
that and create four yard in and that's allowed her
to become this forty plus percent three point shooter that's lethal.
Speaker 1 (13:38):
There have been some games where Garzon it seems like
from an athletic standpoint, you know, she's maybe a little
bit overmatched. I'm curious when you look at this Utah matchup,
is that something that she could have potential problems with
or is this a team that maybe in terms of
the style of play and how they wanted to play,
it sets up as a pretty good matchup for her.
(13:58):
You know, you mentioned they're their tendency like to shoot
a bunch of threes. But I'm just curious, from an
athletic standpoint, are they gonna be pressuring her heavily or
is it gonna be a game where she's able to
likely be able to get some shots off from the perimeter.
Speaker 2 (14:12):
I'll be honest, I haven't watched a ton of film
yet of Utah, but just looking at the statistics of it,
I mean, this is not an overly tall Utah team.
They have no guard listed on their roster that's over
six foot. That's where the ultimate advantage is for yard
End because she is six', three she is, long she is,
(14:34):
lanky she can. Shoot she has such a quick release
that she can get the ball up and over almost.
Anybody the defensive side of the floor is the issue
when you play these smaller, guards, Though ken Yard end
get down in a stance and defend some of the
quicker players On. UTAH i do know they're going to
try and do a lot of dribble handoffs at the
top of the, key which has Given indiana some fits this.
(14:56):
Year if you think back to The illinois, game you
think back to The maryland, Game there's been a couple
other times this. Year michigan did a lot of, that
a lot of dribble, handoffs And indiana has had issues
defending that this. Year whether it's been, communication whether it's been,
athleticism so that's certainly SOMETHING i would imagine they are
hammering home in practice this, week is trying to defend
(15:17):
those those drible. Handoffs but, again if you've got This
utah team that's not all that, tall they're going to
match up with you four guards to four, guards you
can do a lot of. Switching and that's my guess
is that they will do a lot of switching in
those drible. Handoffs it's just a question of whether or
Not utah will get stripling involved in, those WHICH i
would imagine they will try to. Do but without watching
(15:39):
a ton Of utah, tape to be, honest WHEN i
saw the, draw its, like, Okay utah's a blind spot for.
Me haven't watched a lot Of utah this, year BUT
i do think that there are times where Yard end
is a little bit out of place defensively because of the.
ATHLETICISM i think that was The illinois game when she
got benched for the fourth quarter that. Game illinois has
(16:01):
been a thorn In indiana's side ever SINCE. Shawna green got.
THERE i don't expect her to get bench for the
fourth quarter of this. GAME i THINK i think we're
gonna be okay there BUT i think the big thing
for Yar dan is that she can't get frustrated with
a Specific let's let's say she gets an offensive foul
or she gets a tic tac reach. Him she can't
(16:23):
let one foul become a quick second. Foul and at
times that she's been in foul trouble a lot this,
Year indiana needs her on the, floor so she's got
to stay mentally focused That, hey maybe she gets driven
by one time in The utah, offense but that's don't be,
reaching don't committing silly fouls because they need her on the.
Speaker 1 (16:43):
Floor, Obviously indian would have liked to gone into this
tournament on with a, win but given the circumstances of
what they were going up against in The Big ten this,
season they have to still feel pretty good about the
way they played in The Big ten, tournament taking usc
all the way to the wire playing really well against The.
(17:06):
Trojans is that is that a you, know a performance
that can actually give them a little boost of. Confidence
the fact that they went on a neutral court and
played a you, know a top two or three team
in the country to a you, KNOW i think it
was about a five point Game that's SOMETHING i think
you can build. On even though you, know coaches are
never into the idea, of you, know losing as a good,
(17:30):
thing but taking them wire to wire has to Give
indiana some confidence going into The DOUBLE a tournament play no.
Speaker 2 (17:38):
DOUBT i, mean coaches can can say they don't want to,
lose AND i get, that but you AND i can
sit on here and say that was as that to
me was as good as a. Win indiana played well
enough to win that. Game there's only so much you
can do When Juju watkins And Kikiria fen both get
double doubles both combined for like fifty five, points that
you tip your cap to to TWO wnba future stars
(18:02):
and you, say great. Job that's all you can. Do
in years, Past indiana could survive A Caitlin clark thirty
five point game because they had somebody In Mackenzie holmes
was kind of going toe to toe and they almost
did that because they had Yard end going toe to
toe there for a while With Juju, watkins but The
erie Of fen thing was very difficult to. Defend she
(18:25):
was hitting a lot of. Jumpers BUT i think there's
there's no. Doubt it's almost only positives that can come
away from that. GAME i, mean the ultimate positive would
have been pulling it off and, saying look at what
we can. Do BUT i still think it's, say, hey
if we do end up With South carolina On sunday.
Afternoon they've PLAYED usced tight. Twice they've Beaten Ohio, state
(18:49):
they PLAYED, ucla all things, considered pretty, tough AND i
know they won another crack AT ucla didn't get it
at the, tournament BUT i do think that there are
things to draw. On the big thing for this team
all season long has been. Consistency we see it for
a game or two Where, okay this is a really
(19:10):
good basketball, team and then they'll play Against maryland And
Michigan state and turn the ball over twenty times each
game not make any, threes and you're just, like what was.
That since the start Of, february they've gone two, wins two,
losses two, wins two, losses two, wins two losses basically
for the last month and a half of the. Season
so can they find a way to be a little
bit more consistent here and bring that play To. COLOMBIA
(19:34):
i actually Think indiana is one of the teams that
probably AND i don't. THINK i think they'll be. Fine
but had you played this tournament starting Last friday instead
of This, FRIDAY i Think indiana would have benefited from.
That they were playing well In, indianapolis they had some,
momentum and so to sit here now and wait two
weeks to play, AGAIN i think can be a slight
(19:55):
disadvantage For indiana as opposed To, utah who had a
really bad law The Big Twelve tournament to a Bad
Texas tech, team and they get two weeks now to reset.
Again Terry morren's a great. Coach they're gonna they have
spent these two. Weeks, Wisely i'm not worried about. It
but when you, say is there a team that could
have benefited from less time? OFF i Think indiana could
(20:17):
have because they played maybe their best game in the
season Against oregon and then maybe their second best game
against Usc certainly, offensively they played. Great SO i think
if they can kind of take that and carry it with,
them they're gonna be really. Dangerous AND i would imagine Don.
STALEY i know she's fired up about not being the
number one overall. SEED i can't imagine she was too
(20:39):
excited about Seeing indiana in her pot after the way
The hoosiers battled them last. Year SO i think If
indiana takes that with, them that's the big. Question can
they take it with? Them but if they, do they're
gonna be tough to. Beat just in.
Speaker 1 (20:52):
Terms of the, LAYOFF i, mean that's the thing every
year in the women's, tournament just based on the. Timing
how have you seen that impact in in previous. Years
is it something that where they've maybe come out slow
in some.
Speaker 2 (21:03):
Games it's been hard To it's been hard to know
the last two years because It's mackenzie's been. Hurt so
you think about two years, ago she gets hurt in
The Big Ten championship or The Big Ten tournament semi
final and doesn't even end up playing in the first
round of THE ncaa. Tournament none of us knew that
(21:24):
was going to happen until the day, of and so
that it was hard to kind of assess how that
break did for them because your best player was. Out
and then the break was crucial last year Because mackenzie
was hurt again and it gave her two. Weeks she
wasn't as hurt that year as she was the year,
before so she was able to take those two weeks
(21:48):
to rest and then was ready to go for that
run that The hoosiers made to The sweet. Sixteen so
there's certainly times where it can be very helpful when
you're battling those, injuries Like indiana has been the past couple.
Years BUT i think like two three years ago When
indiana had that crazy win Against princeton at home before
they went to go Play, yukon that was a year
(22:09):
that they did not show any rust in that first.
GAME i think they Played charlotte and just ran them
out of the. Building but this will be different because
this is the first time That indiana has gone on
the road for AN ncaa tournament game since The BUBBLE
covid year in twenty twenty, one and it'll be the
first time if they Beat, utah and they'll play a
(22:30):
team on their home floor since twenty nineteen when they
played Against. Oregon so this will be. Different BUT i
think with the relative health that this team has been
able to maintain throughout the, season the break was probably
more used for a resting. Period for a lot of
these starters that play heavy, minutes it's an opportunity for
them to get some fresher.
Speaker 1 (22:50):
Legs last THING i wanted to ask you About austin
just in terms Of Terry, moran what has made her
such a great leader of This indiana. Program Something i've
kind of thought about is The indiana men's basketball coaching
search has gone, on is just the hires Of Terry
moore and And Kurt signetti and how they've obviously both
worked out really well For. Indiana obviously different eras in
(23:12):
terms of when they were. Hired Terry moore and hired
twenty FOURTEEN i believe that summer By Fred glass and
then more Recently Kurt signetti hired By Scott. Dolson but
both have been obviously program changers for different reasons from
The indiana women's basketball, perspective a program that really didn't
have a lot of, tradition a lot of culture when
(23:34):
she took over the. Job but we sit, here what
almost eleven years, later And indiana's going to the tournament every.
Year they're winning a lot of. Games they may not
be landing five star recruits and the highest profile, recruits
but they bring in, players they developed, them they make them,
Better they maybe make their own. Stars in some, Ways
i'm curious for just being around Coach moore and talking to,
(23:57):
her watching how she's built her. Program are one or
two things that maybe stand out that she's done that
have really impressed, you just in terms of being able
to sustain this over such a long period of, time
because it's it's you, know any any coach can maybe
have a year or two where they're really good and
they ride a player who's maybe exceptional for a couple
(24:17):
of seasons and then that player goes. Away but this
has been a sustained period now over a long course of,
time and to, me that really is.
Speaker 2 (24:24):
Impressive, YEAH i think there's several things that go into.
IT i, mean number, one you mentioned they don't get
they're not going to load up on five, star top,
fifty top twenty recruits in the, country ALTHOUGH i think
that the status of the program a couple of years
ago probably could have started to enter that. Conversation but
they're more concerned about how do you fit with. Us
(24:45):
they don't want it to ever be about the. Player
it needs to be about the. Team it needs to
be about the, program and so they try to make
sure they get the right people in the, program and
THAT i think has led to so much success here
over the last four or five, years is that these
locker rooms have really jelled and these are players that
really enjoy playing with each other playing FOR. Iu AND
(25:09):
i mean big thing is like if you ever talked
to Coach, morin And i'm fortunate enough to get to do,
it whether it's pregame, interviews whether it's coaches, shows or
whether it's just in the general ebbs and flows of.
Traveling she's such a such an intelligent basketball, mind AND
i ABSOLUTELY i learned something every TIME i do a
(25:30):
coaches show with her because she will get Into she's
not afraid to get into the nitty gritty and really
talk about her, philosophy her, style what she's trying to
do offensively was pretty open and honest about how like
at the one and two starts of the, year like
something needed to, change and she got a phone call
(25:51):
from from Coach Gunn box is now At, miami and
he was kind of telling her what he had seen ON.
Tv says he watches every game still and and they
fixed it and here they are back in THE ncaa.
Tournament but she does such a good job of putting
her players in the right position to, succeed and she
has full buy in and trust from these, players and
(26:11):
there's a really really solid relationship there between her and her,
players a relationship when anybody comes, back you see how
much they love, her love the, program and the development
part of it is. BIG i, mean you think about Tyro,
buss was a great high school, player but what she
turned into It, INDIANA i don't think anybody could have
seen that. Coming Amanda cahill another showing of. That they
(26:34):
went and Got Brena wise in the transfer portal and
she was just a dynamite addition to that team when
they went on THAT wn run in The elite eight.
Run and then you think about players Like Grace. Berger
she was a pretty highly talented player That Terry moore
was able to snag away From louisville and didn't wasn't
all that impactful her freshman Year grace was on the,
(26:55):
bench played a little. Bit wasn't The Grace burger that
she eventually. Became and Obviously Mackenzie holmes is the ultimate
look at WHAT i did to, this but even, somebody
if you look at somebody Like Sarah, scalia she comes
into the program from a place At, minnesota where she
played every minute all the. Time was kind of an
ultimate green, light could do whatever she wanted on the.
(27:16):
Floor and they get her and she comes To, bloomington
but they're, like, hey it's gonna be a lot different around,
Here like you're not just gonna go up and chuck.
Threes we're also gonna need you to come off the.
Bench and it took her a little bit to get
used to that. Role but did she transfer immediately after
that season because she was frustrated with the new. Role,
no she stayed a second season and had an unbelievable
(27:39):
final year of college basketball because of her relationship with
this staff and the trust that she has in. Them
they made her a great, defender they made her a
great ball. HANDLE i, mean it was just a, really
really impressive form of. Development and we've seen that with
a lot of players in their time In. Indiana AND
i think, lastly she's a really she has built a
(27:59):
great eight staff around her and has great trust in
the people around. Her she's not afraid to. Delegate AND
i know we talked about the last time we were
on here about her journey To weslafiette and learning From
Matt painter and how he delegates WITH. Pj thompson and
how she's kind of doing that With Ali. Peppberg, now
Ratt wiers has always been right there as a really
(28:21):
top notch assistant coach along with, Her SO i think
she's not afraid of trusting her staff to come up
with a game. Plan it's gonna be best fit for these.
Players they do a lot of great work with them
behind the, scenes and it's just there's a consistency. Factor
year in a year. Out you know what you're gonna
get from A Terry moore and coach. Team they're gonna play,
(28:42):
hard they're going to play, together they're gonna play good.
Defense and, look this crop of players over the last
five to six years has been so good with the
fan base, Too AND i think that's a big part
of where this program has grown is the fan. Base
AND i, mean we're losing a couple this, year And
(29:02):
chloe And sidney that have just epitomized what it's like
to be A hoosier and the way they relate with these.
Fans they've become ginormous crowd, favorites and watching them interact
with the fans after the, game for a long, time signing,
autographs saying, hi taking. Pictures they do it and that
(29:23):
all comes From coach more and the way she appreciates the,
fans and she has made sure that these players appreciate
the fan. Base and SO i think all of, it
you mix it all, together it has created a program
that has thrived and doesn't seem to be slowing.
Speaker 1 (29:39):
Down, YEAH i think a lot of, lessons particularly and
what you talked about there late and with in terms
of the players and the fan base and just the
program connection can be applied going. FORWARD i think with
the men's, PROGRAM i think some of that's been lost
in the last couple of, years and hopefully that'll be
restored BECAUSE i know just from talking to a lot
of fans they they don't feel that. Connection SO i
(30:01):
think that's a valuable. Thing anytime that a fan base
can feel like they know the players and kind of
all working together towards the same, THING i think it's
a great. Thing So, austin thanks for sharing those, thoughts
and thank you for making the time to come on this,
week save travels out To South carolina and have a
great call for the. GAME i know it's exciting always
(30:22):
exciting to be able to call it in zaa tournament.
Speaker 2 (30:24):
Game, absolutely it's the best time of the, year looking
forward to it and hopefully we can make some magic happen. Here.
Speaker 1 (30:32):
Absolutely thanks everybody as always for listening To podcast on The.
Brink if you enjoy the, show please leave us a
rating and review over On Apple, podcast leave us a
five star rating over On, spotify and we'll be back
soon with another episode Of podcast on The. Brink
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