BIG TEN BASKETBALL MEDIA DAYS

October 8, 2021

Teri Moren

Indiana Hoosiers

Women's Head Coach

TERI MOREN: Good morning. It's a great day to be a Hoosier. It's a pleasure to be here in person. I want to thank Commissioner Warren and his staff for putting together a first-class event for not only the coaches but also for our student-athletes. It's been terrific this morning.

I also just want to thank the Big Ten and how they handled the COVID situation a year ago. The fact that we had a season was incredible. I don't think anybody could have imagined not having one. So thanks, Kevin, again, for you and your staff, in addition to our staff at Indiana, our doctors and nurses that made it possible.

We obviously are very excited about the season. It's been well noted that we have all five returners coming back from an Elite 8 run. In addition we have some I think pretty special pieces that have had a terrific summer of work.

Our non-conference schedule is once again daunting, but it's only going to prepare us for Big Ten play.

I want to thank the media. You guys are special for showing up and telling our story of women's basketball, this conference. It's an incredible one with not only great coaches but terrific players.

So with that I will open it up for questions.

Q. You mentioned some of the new pieces. How have they come along, acclimated to the team?

TERI MOREN: I think obviously the summer access. Pieces is certainly always important to the development of our young players. Chloe Moore-McNeil is also a kid that has really stood out I think early.

Our player development, what our coaches do, I have the best of the best in our staff. The fact that we get in the grind every day, in the trenches with them, roll up our sleeves, get our hands dirty. They're all getting better.

Our vets get it. They understand getting in the gym in addition to what's required will always set us apart. Those young kids have continued to come along as we had hoped and planned.

Q. You just mentioned that your vets get it. Have you made it clear to them that last year was really just a beginning and you still have higher goals, more to achieve?

TERI MOREN: There's no doubt. Anytime that you make a run the way we did, the last thing I said in our last press conference before we left San Antonio was we've gotten a taste of what it's like to make a deep run. It only fuels you and only inspires you with returning to Bloomington and starting your work all over again.

Led by Ali Patberg, a tremendous leader, but also has a bunch of help from Grace Berger and Mackenzie Holmes and Aleksa Gulbe and Nicki, our point guard. Yeah, our vets are a true example, right, especially for those younger kids, of what it takes in order to prepare yourself for NCAA play.

Q. Mental toughness, something you had lots of last year.

TERI MOREN: Sure.

Q. Is it something when you recruited these kids that you have now, that was something you were looking for? Before you got there, that was nonexistent?

TERI MOREN: Right. There's no doubt. I think a lot of that comes from our staff, as well. We're really competitive inside of our office. Yeah, I think when you look at the makeup of our team, we are tough, we're gritty, we're stingy defensively, we're always going to be willing to make the extra plays, get on the floor, rotate, take a charge. That's just sort of our DNA. That's who we are.

We're going to always play with a little bit of a chip on our shoulder. We're never going to believe that we've arrived. Again, that's what makes this team so special. They understand that. They understand that there's still a lot of work to be done.

And every day they show up, and it's just about getting a little bit better than we were the day before. That's just been how we built this thing. It's worked for us so far.

Q. How has having five starters back this year allowed you to maybe take things to a new level in the off-season in your preparation?

TERI MOREN: Well, anytime you have vets, five returners, practice is a little bit different. I think it's more efficient now. We're moving through things a little quicker than we did a year ago.

I do think they've been great examples for those young kids of what it looks like and should look like. But it is a different feeling. When you have those five that are returning, there's not a wasted day in our program. This is sort of the last go-around with Ali Patberg, I swear to God it is. This is it. I don't think we're going to get her back for an additional year. But the Aleksa Gulbes and Nicki and that group.

This is a really special, tight-knit, great chemistry group. So they've not -- they're just fun to work with every single day. We know as a staff that we're really lucky to coach these young women.

Q. Grace got to play with the national team this summer. How valuable an experience was that for her?

TERI MOREN: So valuable. Yeah, I think Grace already had a level of confidence, but when she returned you could tell she's at a whole 'nother level right now with not only the way she's playing, but her confidence.

I can tell you this. No one has worked harder than she has on her game and deserved the opportunity to play for the US of A more than Grace Berger. We were thrilled for her obviously. It did a whole lot for her confidence, without question.