Six players transferred. Three players graduated. A plethora of new faces.
After falling to South Carolina early in the NCAA Tournament a year ago, the Indiana Hoosiers found themselves in a tumultuous offseason, with notable players such as Yarden Garzon and Sydney Parrish transferring and graduating, respectively.
The roster turnover developed into the reality of a much younger and less experienced team than past years, with Teri Moren’s squad retaining just five players and one starter from the year prior.
The new-look squad gave a first glimpse to the Hoosier faithful, beating Missouri S&T 100-32 in an exhibition at Assembly Hall on Monday night.
“Every season has a life of its own,” Moren said after the game. “Every journey is different for every team, that’s what makes coaching so cool.”
Veteran presence in the locker room
Among the returning players is guard Shay Ciezki. Ciezki, coming off a season in which she averaged 11.8 points while shooting an efficient 39 percent from beyond the arc, looks to make her final mark as a Hoosier.
As a senior, she is a veteran presence in a locker room that is talented but unproven. Having started most games in her first three seasons, Ciezki is in position to be the right-hand man to Moren.
“I think we are just more vocal this year,” Ciezki said after dropping 21 points in the team’s exhibition opener.
Paired up with Ciezki in the backcourt is sophomore Lenee Beaumont, who was sidelined for the entirety of the 2024 season, as she rehabbed a knee injury. Beaumont was the lead facilitator in the team’s exhibition against Missouri S&T, finishing with five assists.
New faces
Among those brought in through the transfer portal, Zania Socka-Nguemen features as the starting forward for a team that prides themselves on athleticism and quickness.
The UCLA transfer barely touched the court for the Bruins but should be expected to take on a much bigger role in the frontcourt for the Hoosiers.
In addition to recruiting from the portal, the Hoosiers were active in scouting talent for the future, as they brought in Maya Makalusky and Nevaeh Caffey, who were both ranked in the top 50 of the ESPN Top 100.
Makalusky broke numerous records at Hamilton Southeastern, notably surpassing former Hoosier Sydney Parrish’s career scoring record, en route to winning Indiana’s Miss Basketball award.
Caffey comes into a Hoosier program as a winner, leading Incarnate Word Academy to four straight Missouri State championships.
“We asked Nevaeh to set the table for us and be aggressive from the jump,” Moren said. “Her teammates took her lead and guarded extremely hard.”
Season goals
With a new squad, identity is one of the few areas that is in complete control of the players. The effort, hustle and confidence of a winning team do not simply appear out of thin air; it is accumulated through practice and ability to work together as one.
If the offseason has told us anything, it is that the Hoosiers were looking to get more athletic, on both ends of the floor, particularly the defensive side of the ball.
“If there was one area or one side of the ball that I wanted them to focus on, it was the defensive side of the ball and rebounding,” Moren said. “We did just that.”
Along with putting constant pressure on opponents, the team clearly wants to let it fly from beyond the arc, evident in the 35 3s attempted during the exhibition game, which was the second most under Moren.
While the season has yet to officially begin, optimism and energy are in the air in Bloomington.
The Hoosiers will look to build off the win, hosting Lipscomb in their regular season home opener next Tuesday.
