It’s only Oct. 5. But because it’s Oct. 5 in Indiana, it’s time to start talking about basketball.
IU Athletics is already doing it, and the Indiana Daily Student is following suit. Everyone is gearing up for the 2016-17 basketball season.
But let’s take it a step further — let’s talk about the 2017-18 season.
The five-star wing is ranked 39th in her class nationwide, according to ESPN, and seventh for her position. This is a big deal.
IU Coach Teri Moren’s first season was rough. In 2013-14, under former head Curt Miller, the Hoosiers went 21-13. Moren took over, and the women didn’t even reach .500 in 2014-15.
Four players transferred after that season.
With key players fleeing, 2015-16 didn’t look like it’d be much better.
Instead, they went 21-12 overall, were undefeated at home, made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament and produced two All-Big Ten players. In just Moren’s second year at IU, she was named Big Ten Coach of the Year.
The 2016-17 season won’t officially start for more than a month. So why the heck am I looking forward to next season already?
Because I don’t think this past season was a fluke.
For a five-star recruit who could have had her pick of just about any school to choose IU, the program with no national titles and just five NCAA appearances, that says a lot about this program and where it could be heading.
In ESPN’s “way-too-early” preseason rankings in April, the Hoosiers punched in at No. 23. Even though it was so early, let’s play off the assumption IU will be a nationally ranked team this season. That’ll help the Hoosiers gain even more traction going into 2018.
Barring any transfers out of the program, it’ll still be a pretty solid foundation. Junior guard Tyra Buss will be rounding out her college years, as will junior forward Amanda Cahill. The two combined for 33.5 points per game last season and both took home All-Big Ten honors — Buss on the first team and Cahill the second.
Though sophomore Kym Royster didn’t start in any games, she still made appearances in all of them, and that exposure to not just Big Ten but overall collegiate play is crucial.
By the start of the 2017 season, the current freshmen will have had their chance to shine in the program. They’ll still have their veterans, and if they really get the ball rolling, the door opens for other players to transfer to IU and be a part of this program instead of their former one.
In what will be Moren’s fourth season, she’ll have a team mostly crafted by her that knows how to work with her and succeed with her.
So, in my way, way-too-early prediction, I think IU women’s basketball will be relevant for a while.
jzega@indiana.edu
@jzeggs
