INDIANA UNIVERSITY WOMEN’S BASKETBALL EARLY SEASON PLAYER POWER RANKINGS

Through the first 10 games of the 2024-2025 NCAA season, Teri Moren’s Indiana Hoosiers have a 7-3 record and are fresh off of a big win in the conference opener at Penn State. Things started off a bit sluggish, with the team losing 2 of it’s first 3 ball games. They have progressively improved since that rugged opening trio of contest, but unfortunately have been unable to regain their place among the top 25 teams in the nation.

Regardless, this is certainly one of the better teams in the country and this could definitely still be the year that the program gets over the hump towards contention. With a pilot who is more than capable of navigating them through the obstacles that come with chasing a championship, the player passengers will be tasked with following their captain’s lead along the route.

While each and every player is undoubtedly beloved in Bloomington, there is no denying that some of them have fared better than others in terms of their on court output early on in the campaign. With that being said, here is how each respective player slots into the grander Hoosier hierarchy thus far.

13. Lenee Beaumont

Beaumont has yet to see the floor this season, so she gets this nod by default. Unfortunately, it appears that she may miss the entire season as she prepares for an operation on her injured knee in the weeks to come. We wish her a speedy recovery and cannot wait to see her play again.

12. Faith Wiseman

It is difficult to gauge Wiseman’s performance early in her freshman season, as she has amassed a total of just 6 minutes up to this point in the year. Still, she has the potential to blossom into this program’s next great big.

11. Valentyna Kadlecova

The Czech Republic product has totaled just 3 more minutes than Wiseman this season, so dissecting her production is just as foggy as her fellow freshman’s. However, Kadlecova’s experience playing professionally overseas should set her up for success in the event that her number is called.

10. Sharnecce Currie-Jelks

Once again, we have a player who has seen single digit minutes throughout Indiana’s initial 10 games. SCJ may not see the court much this year, but the hope is that she can develop back into the version of herself that we saw during her freshman season at Tennessee Martin (15.2 PPG | 6.9 RPG | 1.4 SPG | 1.0 BPG | 53.8% FG). It will take her some time to get back to that level after giving birth to her first child earlier this year in May.

9. Lexus Bargesser

After missing the first 4 games of the season with a foot injury, Bargesser is slowly shrugging the rust off and re-discovering her rhythm. As the X-factor for this team, the reserve guard does not need to score a ton of points in order to make her presence felt. However, she will need to continue her ways as a scrappy point of attack defender and secondary playmaker if her squad has any shot of making any type of serious run this season.

8. Henna Sandvik

Like her bench buddy Bargesser, Henna Sandvik is not responsible for putting the ball in the basket at a high rate. She is, however, looked upon for quality minutes defending wing scorers and shooting/hitting outside shots when she is open. Her shooting/scoring numbers have been super slight early (1.9 PPG on 45.5% FG + 20% 3FG), but her steady impact outside of the box score has been clear.

7. Julianna LaMendola

Just like Bargesser and Sandvik, Jules LaMendola is one of the unheralded hoopers of Assembly Hall. She rarely scores the basketball, but can capably defend virtually every position and has the size/strength/grittiness to battle on the boards. She is also one of the NCAA’s best when it comes to taking charges, and her willingness to sacrifice her body for her team is a big part of what makes her such a critical component of the cream and crimson.

6. Sydney Parrish

Perhaps Parrish has not performed up to par on the offensive side of the ball (9.3 PPG on 35.8% FG and 12% 3FG), but she has found other ways to contribute. Most notably, her toughness on the glass (team-high 6.3 RPG) and subliminal success as a rim protector (team-high 1.5 BPG) have been big time. We pray that the team will get her back on the floor ASAP as she continues to recover from the knee injury she suffered during the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament,

5. Karoline Striplin

Aside from her 17-point debut versus Brown and 27-point against Penn State, Karoline Striplin has not done anything glamorous on either end thus far. Still, she has been solid outside of those 2 games. Her sturdy frame and rugged style of play are huge for the Hoosiers, and if she can continue to play efficiently and maximize her offensive opportunities she could continue climbing the ladder of this list.

4. Shay Ciezki

It took her a few games to find her footing, but Ciezki has quickly validated the hype that came with her decision to transfer to Indiana this offseason. If she can cut down her turnovers (2.9 APG + 3.0 TOPG) and showcase some consistency, she could easily find herself at the top of this list by season’s end. There are not many players across the country who can replicate the type of flame-throwing that she showcases when she gets hot.

3. Chloe Moore-McNeil

CMM is without a doubt the oil that comes this team’s engine revving on the right track, and it is always going to be tough to win when she struggles. Regardless, she (similar to Parrish) leaves her mark on each game in a multitude of manners. Moore-McNeil is far and away the team’s top perimeter defender (team-high 1.9 SPG), and doubles as IU’s top table-setter (3.4 APG compared to 2.2 TOPG). Teri Moren will need her to stay aggressive in hunting shots for herself and her teammates AND sustain her superb efforts defensively.

2. Lilly Meister

Filling the shoes of a player of Mackenzie Holmes’s magnitude is impossible, but Lilly Meister has looked every part of ready for that challenge early on. She scores the ball efficiently (11.8 PPG on 53.8% FG) and lets the game come to her naturally, and also serves as a dependable backline rim protector (0.8 BPG). Any chatter regarding whether or not she was ready for a starting role this year have been silenced.

1. Yarden Garzon

Yardy! The Israelian queen has been tremendous throughout the preliminary phase of her junior season, leading the team in scoring (14.6 PPG) and made 3’s (28) by a landslide. She will need to improve her shooting efficiency (just 39.2% from the floor), but aside from that Garzon has for sure proven up to the challenge of claiming her place as the Hoosiers alpha.

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INDIANA UNIVERSITY MEN’S BASKETBALL GAME OBSERVATIONS VS. SAM HOUSTON