For the first time, Moren has to build through the transfer portal rather than augmenting her existing roster.
The transfer portal hasn’t been anything close to a threat to Indiana for a while now.
The Hoosiers were one of very, very, very few programs to see no players leave through it last offseason. Rather, the portal has given Indiana the opportunity to add onto its already-talented roster with complimentary pieces.
In 2022, Indiana added Sydney Parrish, Sara Scalia and Alyssa Geary. The former two would go on to earn starring roles during their remaining years of eligibility in Bloomington, winning an outright Big Ten title in 2022-23. The 2023 portal slate ended up being pretty quiet for the program, with the Hoosiers adding frontcourt depth in the form of Sharnecce Currie-Jelks.
Last offseason required a bit more legwork, with Indiana needing to fill in the gaps left by Sara Scalia and Mackenzie Holmes. Enter Shay Ciezki from Penn State to play a Scalia-esque role and Karoline Striplin to compete for minutes at the five.
Now, for the first time, Indiana’s own roster has atrophied through the portal. Gone are:
- G Lexus Bargesser
- G Julianna LaMendola
- G Henna Sandvik
- F Lilly Meister
- F Sharnecce Currie-Jelks
These were, on paper, sustainable losses at some level. All performed to the standards expected of a bench player at best, and it seems none were interested in that sort of role moving forward.
But combine that with the fact that the program is losing stalwart point guard Chloe Moore-McNeil and a gritty, tough all-around player in Sydney Parrish and you have problems.
Then there was the final straw, Yarden Garzon’s entry into the portal. She was no depth piece, set to not only start next season but probably be the featured player in her senior season with the program.
Make no mistake, Garzon is among the best players in the country. Guards who are 6-3, handle the basketball and shoot it at 40% from deep do not grow on trees. She’ll be very, very highly sought after. And rightfully so.
So… now what?
Indiana recruits a very particular archetype of player. The program has thrived off of seeking out the gym rats who love to work, developing those relationships over time and getting them to Bloomington with a strong track record of development.
Which leads us to the first problem: Indiana whiffed on large majorities of its past few recruiting classes from either an evaluation or development standpoint. Which, to be completely fair, could happen for a lot of reasons.
It was easy to see how an athletic point guard like Bargesser could thrive in Big Ten play. LaMendola had great positional size and shot the ball well. Meister had great length as a defender and rebounder. Sandvik had that tremendous work ethic the program prioritizes.
For one reason or another, things haven’t worked out. The lone member of the Hoosiers’ 2023-24 Sweet Sixteen roster who isn’t in the transfer portal or out of eligibility is Lenee Beaumont.
It’s a complete, total rebuild in Bloomington. Are Moren and company ready for that sort of undertaking?
Make no mistake, Moren is among the game’s best coaches. Give her a team with complimentary pieces and she’ll produce a winner if you give her enough time.
The program has turned the page to new eras before. The Tyra Buss/Amanda Cahill era eased into the Grace Berger/Mackenzie Holmes era and then to the one year Parrish/Moore-McNeil season this past year.
But Moren has never faced a task quite like this.
There’s usually been players like Ali Patberg who stick around through those transition periods. The Hoosiers don’t have that this time.
With recruiting, Indiana has thrived on its long relationship-building powered by a staff whose work ethic matches those of the players it’s now seeking out. The portal is an entirely different beast though, one akin to speed dating.
Could the program lean on those previously existing relationships, going after players it’s previously recruited but who chose to commit elsewhere? Certainly, but some of those players are in the portal for a reason and there’s a chance Indiana finds itself with the same less-than-ideal talent level it’d have without the existing roster’s portal attrition.
The staff should get, and has earned, some level of grace here. Yes, the players they recruited and developed didn’t work out. But they have a chance to rectify all that, which usually doesn’t happen overnight.
It took a while to get this program going in the first place. Moren has shown that, when given time and grace, she and her staff can deliver.
She’s earned it. But she must make good on it soon.