Transfers, Freshmen, and a Culture Reset: Indiana’s Bold New Era
Indiana women’s basketball is entering a rebooted era under head coach Teri Moren, following one of the most dramatic off-seasons in recent memory. Graduation and transfers have created wide gaps in experience and leadership. Moren has leaned on both the portal and incoming first-year students to build something fresh. While key returners will provide the threads of continuity, over half the new roster did not wear Hoosier red last season. The stakes are high: after six straight NCAA tournament appearances, maintaining competitiveness in the Big Ten and nationally will depend on how quickly the new pieces gel. Expect the 2025-26 season to test Indiana’s depth, chemistry, and Moren’s ability to turn turnover into opportunity.
“Out With the Old, In With the New”: Who Left, Who’s Here
Indiana saw a massive roster shake-up. Graduates Chloe Moore-McNeil, Sydney Parrish, and Karoline Striplin have all exhausted their eligibility. At the same time, six scholarship players, Yarden Garzon, Julianna LaMendola, Lexus Bargesser, Lilly Meister, Henna Sandvik, and Sharnecce Currie-Jelks, entered the transfer portal. Garzon, who averaged 14.4 points per game last season and was second-team All-Big Ten, is an exceptionally huge loss. The replacements are a mix of big names, potential upside, and under-the-radar freshmen. Returning players include Shay Ciezki, who averaged about 11.8 ppg last season, Lenee Beaumont, Valentyna Kadlecova, Sydney Fenn, and Faith Wiseman. New via the portal are guards Phoenix Stotijn, from Arkansas, Chloe Spreen, from Alabama, Duquesne’s Jerni Kiaku, forwards Edessa Noyan, from Virginia, Zania Socka-Nguemen, formerly of UCLA, and forward Jade Ondineme from Northwest Florida State College. Freshman impact also figures to matter: Maya Makalusky and Nevaeh Caffey join the Hoosiers as Class of 2025 recruits highly ranked in national prospect lists.
Culture Shift and What to Watch
Moren has spoken openly about using the turnover as an opportunity to re-teach fundamentals, reset expectations, and build a more athletic and cohesive roster. The new additions bring size and guard play, but also risk: integrating so many new players, especially those coming from different systems, takes time and effort. Continuity, particularly among returning players who saw action last season, will be crucial for maintaining defensive rotations and providing leadership in close games. Another key will be how quickly Indiana can replace production lost: Garzon’s scoring, Parrish’s leadership, Moore-McNeil’s defense and ball-handling, and Striplin’s inside presence. If those holes aren’t plugged early, the Hoosiers might look vulnerable in a deep Big Ten.
