Sometimes it seems like IU senior guard Tyra Buss is never taking a break.
During her junior season, she averaged 35.5 minutes per game. While that's nearly all of the game, it's actually close to two minutes fewer than her minutes average from the previous season. One would think the offseason is the time for Buss to take a break, maybe. At times, it was the opposite.
Before joining her IU team in Italy for its excursion to Europe, Buss attended USA Basketball U-23 Women’s Team Trials in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It was a chance for the guard to show her skills to some of the best of the best.
“It’s been a pretty busy summer,” Buss said. “I’ve had a lot of great opportunities and experiences, starting with going to Colorado Springs and trying out for the USA U-23 trials. That was fun, an awesome experience.”
Buss was crisscrossing the planet with all of the opportunities she had. She was one of six Big Ten players to get the call to compete for a spot on the U-23 team. Buss said she didn’t know what to expect going into it, but she said she ended up meeting new players and seeing some other Big Ten foes.
Not only did she get to learn from other players but also from some big-time coaches. UCONN head basketball coach Geno Auriemma, the lead clinician at the camp, was one of them. Buss added it was great to learn from a coach like Auriemma.
“I found out a lot about myself there as a player,” Buss said. “I have some things I can work on, but also I thought I did really well while I was there, so I was pretty proud of myself.”
Buss did not make the USA team.
She said she thought she played well, but it wasn’t good enough to make a competitive roster. Because of that, Buss was able to join her IU team in Italy. IU Coach Teri Moren said it was a bittersweet feeling because she wanted Buss to make the team, but instead she was able to join her IU team abroad.
Moren said it was great for the IU program to have her at the team trials, and she was disappointed not to have Buss make the roster. It isn’t often that the coach and the point guard are communicating from two different continents, but that was the case when Moren was in Italy and Buss was in Colorado. However, Buss was able to make it to Italy in time for all three of IU’s games.
“We’re in Italy, and she’s telling me how well she’s playing,” Moren said. “Normally, it’s the opposite of that. Normally, she’s such a humble kid. From a leadership standpoint, having her with our team in those three games was very important. I’m very, very proud of her and well deserved, and it’s something she’ll continue to build off of.”
With a roster with a lot of new faces, having Buss play in all three games in Italy was helpful, she said. There are five new freshmen. There will be some growing pains, but getting time on the court together will only help this group mesh as soon as possible.
Buss said going to Italy was not only a great experience but a great bonding experience with her new teammates, as well.
“Not only did we get to play three games on the court, but we got to be with each other all of the time off the court,” Buss said. “It was a busy summer, but it was a lot of fun. It’s probably been one of the best summers since I’ve been at IU.”
