INDIANA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL UPDATED ROSTER + REMAINING NEEDS

WRITTEN + EDITED BY JORDYN BONTRAGER

At the conclusion of the 2023-2024 NCAA season, there was not a single transfer portal entrant among eligible returnees for Teri Moren’s Indiana Hoosiers. Flash forward to the end of this past season, and there have been 6x eligible returnees whom have elected to test the portal waters: Lexus Bargesser x Sharnecce Currie-Jelks x Yarden Garzon x Julianna LaMendola x Lilly Meister x Henna Sandvik.

From the outside looking in, this program with a rich history of success has appeared to be among the nation’s most tight knit. Moren has made a name for herself as a commander who is adored by her soldiers. These recent relocations just go to show you that you never truly know what is going on behind closed doors.

Regardless of how many of her present players have decided to seek greener pastures elsewhere, that has not interrupted the interest in playing for her in the future among eligible incomers. We have already addressed how inbound freshman phenoms Maya Makalusky + Nevaeah Caffey fit into the mix next season, and that duo’s importance has amplified incredibly over the past few weeks.

Makalusky was likely set to slot into a sidekick type role next to Garzon in the frontcourt prior to Yardy’s transfer to B1G foe Maryland. Now, Makalusky could be the team’s alpha right from the jump.

Caffey was set to square off with Lexus Bargesser for the role of Shay Ciezki’s defensive-minded running mate in the starting backcourt. Following Bargesser’s exit, it looked like Missouri’s 2025 Show-Me Miss Basketball could win that designation by default..

..that was up until just a few days ago.

First, it was 2024 Indiana Miss Basketball Chloe Spreen announcing her arrival from Alabama back on April 2nd. Spreen’s freshman season with the Tide will not catch your eyes (1.2 PPG on 26.9% FG in just 6.7 MPG), but it should not take long for her fearless spirit x competitive nature to win the hearts of the Hoosier faithful. A change of scenery (kinda?) could be just what the doctor ordered for the former 4-star recruit, and she is sure to be heavily motivated to make things happen during her homecoming campaign. If she can find her footing within the walls of Assembly Hall and re-discover the tuff scoring rhythm she exuded in high school, do not sleep on Spreen as a potential breakout candidate for this team.

Just a few short days after Spreen’s onboarding, another portal perimeter piece declared their dedication to the Hoosiers in the form of fellow SEC transfer Phoenix Stotijn. The Netherlands national arrives at Indiana fresh off of a promising freshman at Arkansas. Her raw numbers (7.2 PPG | 2.2 APG vs 2.6 TOPG | 1.5 RPG | 0.6 SPG | 0.2 BPG), and more specifically her funky shooting figures (31.7% FG | 26.0% 3FG | 52.4% FT), reflect some obvious room for improvement. Still, there is no denying the flashes of brilliance she showcased throughout her first collegiate year (career-high 23 points at Texas A&M, 5x games with 4+ dimes, 12 starts as a true frosh, etc). Plus, the foreign product has an extensive resume of success on the international stage. She obliterated the opposition at the 2023 U18 European Championships, tallying nightly totals of 15.0 PPG x 2.0 RPG x 2.4 APG throughout the tournament (punctuated by a 27-point performance on 7-9 from distance against the UK). Additionally, the Nederlander produced impressive numbers (13.6 PPG + 3.3 RPG) while representing her country in FIBA’s 2022 3x3 U17 Europe Cup.

With Spreen + Stotijn on board, Teri Moren is 2x steps closer to the completion of her unforeseen roster reconstruction. Here is how things project as of this present moment when it comes to the projected depth chart:

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PG: Shay Ciezki, Nevaeh Caffey

SG: Phoenix Stotijn, Chloe Spreen

SF |Lenee Beaumont, Valentyna Kadlecova

PF |Maya Makalusky, Sydney Fenn

C|Faith Wiseman

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If you squint hard enough, you can start to see the shell of a promising unit. Ciezki was steady within a secondary role in her inaugural campaign at IU (11.8 PPG | 2.8 APG | 2.1 RPG | 0.9 SPG | 46.3% FG | 39.2% 3FG | 93.2% FT), and should be in store for a major uptick in usage. Thus, brace yourself for an uprising in Ciezki’s scoring + assist digits. There will be a heightened sense of attention to her from opposing defenses as a result of Garzon’s departure, but Makalusky’s arrival will undoubtedly relieve loads of offensive pressure from the senior-to-be.

If you know us, than you are familiar with our inclination with the idea of Lenee Beaumont’s impending eruption in the season to come. Largely overshadowed as a freshman and then sadly sidelined for her entire sophomore year, the general public is sleeping on B-Town Beau’s bounce back year in the making. Depending on how things unfold with the outstanding 5-6x scholarships, the redshirt sophomore could be thrust into much loftier responsibilities than anticipated. Regardless of her prominence in regards to role, it will certainly take her a bit of time to work off some rust. But once she overcomes that inevitable phase of her return to action, WATCH OUT.

We already touched on the (near) future battle for minutes in a quickly compiling backcourt brigade, but where the guards corps is thick (even Valentyna Kadlecova could push for court time) the frontcourt is thin. Faith Wiseman has the potential to make a big difference next year, but only stepped into live action for 38 minutes as a freshman. As of this moment, she is the undisputed starting center for this team. Sydney Fenn, who unfortunately missed her entire freshman SZN after undergoing a “significant” knee operation, is the unrival backup big as of this writing. Wiseman, in particular, seems destined for a major role regardless of the next offseason dominoes to fall. Both will need to be ready to assume whatever role assigned to them, with their primary priorities geared towards controlling the boards and protecting the paint.

With the remaining roster spots, there are a number of routes that Moren and her coaching colleagues can go. With the team’s previously outlined personnel as of the present day, the first order of business should be securing the services of a certified starting center. Faith Wiseman has a bright future ahead of her, but seems obviously overcast as a starting center given her lack of experience. The plan should be to ease her into that role, with a realistic ETA of the 2026-2027 season for Wiseman’s ascension to that level.

After solidifying the starting 5 spot, it would be nice to scoop up a bonafide #1 option offensively. Iconic former Hoosier Sara Scalia shares Minnesota roots with ESPN’s #4 available player in the portal Gianna Kneepkens. Could she slide into the former Utes’ DM’s in support of her alma mater? Kneepkens capped off an incredible 2024-2025 season (19.3 PPG | 5.0 RPG | 3.0 APG | 1.0 SPG | 50.4% FG | 44.8% 3FG | 89.0% FT) by drilling 4 triples en route to dropping 24 points on Indiana in Utah’s first round loss in the Big Dance. Moren and her staff had a chance to witness the guard’s greatness on full display from the opposing sideline, and surely hold interest in sharing the sidelines with her following that encounter.

After checking those couple boxes, it would be all about targeting girls who excel in doing the little things around the edges. Basically, the team should be looking for bench options who can shoot (like Sandvik), defend (like Bargesser + LaMendola), and rebound/protect the paint (like Meister).

No matter what the final composition of this roster resembles, the fanbase should rest assured in Moren’s ability to maximize her players within their respective roles. There is already a lot to like about the team’s current pieces, and there is no telling what the staff has up it’s sleeve in completing the puzzle. Here is to hoping that everything fits together properly when we all reflect on what is yet to come.