Seth Tow|The Herald-Times
After losingthree foundational players in Ali Patberg, Nicole Cardaño-Hillary and Aleksa Gulbe, Indiana women's basketballreloaded.
And they reloaded fast.
Indiana landed three transfers from the portal who should all be key contributors right away. In less than 48 hours, 2020 IndyStar Miss Basketball Sydney Parrish announced her transfer to IU, and the Hoosiers formalizedher and Alyssa Geary's additions from Oregon and Providence. And they landed a third from within the Big Ten, in Minnesota's Sara Scalia.
The Hoosiers pulled it off thanks to a busy two days behind the scenes.
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A women's basketball destination
Things came together quickly for IU last weekend. Parrish visited Bloomington on Friday, and formally committed the same day. Meanwhile, Scalia flew in that evening.
So when Parrish posted her announcement on Saturday morning, and while that news made waves across the state, Scalia wasvisiting with Indiana's staff. Shespent Saturday touring IU's campus and facilities, and committed Sunday morning.
Indiana had no prior relationship with Scalia, aside from playing against each other. The Hoosiers didn't recruit her out of Stillwater (Minn.) High School. The staff just got to work when she entered the portal, and they sold her on the direction of the program.
The Golden Gophers were 0-4 against the Hoosiers during Scalia's three years in Minneapolis.
Indiana has become a destination for players seeking a shot at a conference championship and an extended NCAA tournament run, a distinct difference from the past.
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This isn't Moren's first experience with transfers. She's leaned heavily on transfers throughout the last four years. Patberg, who came in from Notre Dame in 2017, spanned that entire time frame. Brenna Wise transferred from Pittsburgh and played for two seasons, and then Cardaño-Hillary arrived from George Mason for the next two.
But bringing in players from within the Big Ten is notable, and Scalia is the first major transfer Moren has landed from within the conference.
It speaks volumes about where the program is headed when a player from the same conference chooses to come to Bloomington.
An electric shooter
Its 3-point shooting was not one of Indiana's biggest strengths last season.
They didn't hide from that. After IU's loss at Nebraska in February, Moren said her team relied too much on the outside shot, and arebetter off when they shoot around 15 threes in a game instead of the 23they attempted in that game.
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It wasn't a weakness — the Hoosiers shot just shy of 33 percent from beyond the arc as a team last season, which ranked 75th in the country andseventh in the Big Ten.
Scalia's former team, Minnesota? The Gophers finished fourth in the country in 3-point percentage at 38.2. They had two players inScalia and Deja Winters (who exhausted her eligibility last season) who ranked in the top 25 in the nation and top five in the Big Ten in 3-point percentage.
Minnesota often lived and died by the three. Indiana won't suddenly turn into that type of team, but adding one of the best shooters from a team like that will be huge. And Scalia joins a much more talented team than the Gophers, who finished 15-18 overall with a first-round Big Ten Tournament exit and a second-round WNIT loss.
Scalia's shooting ability will open up a lot for the Hoosiers. It could draw defensive attention away from Berger, Holmes, and other weapons, and give them more space to operate. But it gives IU an offensive element it didn't have last season — Scalia's 3-point percentage topped everyone on IU's roster.
A plethora of options
Over the course of one weekend, the Hoosiers went from a team that had some holes to plug to one that could beeven deeper than last year.
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There are several combinations of starting lineups IU could go with now.
Holmes and Berger are locks for the starting lineup. Given her shooting ability, her nearly 18 points per game, and her familiarity with the Big Ten, Scalia also seems like a strong candidate to start.
The Hoosiers could go with a smaller lineup with four guards, and start Parrish andChloe Moore-McNeil alongside those three. IU could also start just one of them and go with either Geary or Kiandra Browne.
And that's not even mentioning incomingIsraeli freshman guard Yarden Garzon, who could be more ready to contribute right away than many other freshmen after playing with and against WNBA players in Europe.
IU has a lot of options. And that's not something that has always described the Hoosiers over the past few years.
Indiana is now at 14 scholarships allotted for next season— and the roster may not be complete.
Whatever happens, Indiana proved its prowess in the new age of women's college basketball last weekend. Landing commitments from playerslike Parrish and Scalia within 48 hours of each other shows the Hoosiers have become one of the top dogs in the Big Ten.
Follow Herald-Times sports reporter Seth Tow on Twitter @SethTow, or email him at stow@heraldt.com.
