As the players and coaches huddled up one last time and turned to wave to fans, friends and family, the IU women’s basketball season came to a close.
A team with a new coach that took the reins late in the summer and that had all but five of its points scored by freshmen and sophomores, the Hoosiers had to learn how to play Big Ten basketball as they went.
IU finished 5-15 in conference play after a 10-1 start to the season, but it had its night of optimism with an opening round win Wednesday against Penn State. One day later, No. 23 Rutgers sent the Hoosiers into the offseason with its 63-52 win Thursday afternoon.
Now questions begin as to where the program will go in year two under IU Coach Teri Moren.
“Without question the future is bright,” Moren said.
The entire team should be returning. Sophomore guard Taylor Agler said she will be back with her best friends next year despite seeing her role decrease. Also, 2015 commits Kym Royster and Danielle Williams will join IU next season to provide much-needed post depth.
Six young guards were consistent rotation players and gained more and more of a certain valuable asset in each game: experience.
“There were a lot of firsts for all of us,” Moren said. “I think the experience that we all gained, from a coaching staff, we got a snapshot of what the Big Ten looks like.”
A new coach, a new staff and a new system were just some of the adjustments. Moren said she saw incremental progress in each outing and only cited three games as examples of IU struggling. There was the 103-49 loss to Ohio State in January and double-digit losses to Michigan State and Michigan that stuck out too.
Promising youth is nice to have, but now the players need to put the work in ?to grow.
“Now the challenge becomes getting in the gym and improving your game,” Moren said.
Moren has said in the past she wishes she had more time before the season to get to know the team off the court. So far she has only gotten to know them as basketball players. Now she will have that time.
When freshman guard Tyra Buss injured her ankle in the second half, Moren quickly made her way out to check on her — a rare occasion for the coach. Buss put her arms around Moren and trainer Robert Black for assistance walking off the court.
The season was all but finished, but the coach and player still have three more years together.
Moren said she wants to ensure the nonconference schedule becomes more difficult next season. The 2014 slate primarily included smaller-conference competition that IU was expected to defeat.
“It needs to prepare us for Big Ten play,” Moren said. “We want to challenge ?ourselves.”
IU had its opportunities to win Thursday. The game was close early, but the Rutgers defense was too much.
The Hoosiers finally showed against Penn State that they had the ability to pull out a close game.
They were not able to build on that progress the next day.
This left freshman guard Larryn Brooks disappointed.
“You never really want the season to be over,” ?she said.
