Indiana Basketball Hoosier Hysteria Notebook: Key quotes, notes and more

Indiana Basketball hosted Hoosier Hysteria at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, giving fans their first look at the 2023-24 men’s and women’s teams with the season starting soon.

Both head coaches Mike Woodson and Teri Moren spoke to the fans in attendance, followed by player introductions, skill competitions featuring both teams and a performance from rapper Gucci Mane.

Here are some of the key points from Hoosier Hysteria 2023.

Key Quotes from the Coaches

Teri Moren

Moren had a ton of praise for the Indiana women’s basketball fans. “We’ve made Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall one of the most difficult places to play in women’s college basketball,” Moren said Friday night.

Indiana consistently had some of the biggest crowds in women’s basketball and with sky-high expectations for the team this season, the expectation is that trend will continue.

Moren shared a lot of praise for her team and especially their ability to shoot the rock from three.

“I’m biased, but I think that we have some of the best shooters in the country,” Moren said about her team.

The Indiana women’s team returns four players who shot above 33% from three a year ago. The space created by those shooters helped Mackenzie Holmes become one of the greatest players in the program’s history and her coach had a lot of praise for the All-American.

“She is one of the best teammates in the country….she has worked her tail off since she has arrived here in Bloomington,” Moren said about Holmes. “She came back to Indiana because she loves Indiana.”

Holmes averaged 22.3 PPG, 7.3 REB and 1.9 BLKs a year ago and if not for Caitlin Clark she would likely have run away with the Big Ten Player of the Year award. She led the Hoosiers to a one seed in the NCAA Tournament a year ago.

Mike Woodson

Like Teri Moren, Mike Woodson had a ton of praise for the Hoosier nation. “Indiana has the greatest fans in college basketball, without a doubt”, Woodson said about the fans.

Woodson emphasized how nothing has changed when it comes to the support of the fans over the years. When asked about his goals for the program, Woodson gave praise to Moren and the success of the women’s team.

“The only step, when I came in here two years ago, was trying to get our team to win a Big Ten title,” Woodson said about his goals. “Shout out to Teri Moren and her ladies for winning a Big Ten title. That’s the next step, and then you go from there to winning a national title.”

Moren turned the women’s program around and has built it into one of the best programs in the country over the last couple of years. Since Woodson’s arrival, he has improved each year, making the tournament in both years after the team had not qualified during Archie Miller’s tenure.

On a more serious note, Woodson urged fans to pray for Bob Knight who has been battling some health issues recently.

“When you get home tonight, get on your knees and say a prayer for Bob Knight and his family,” Woodson said. “Make no mistake about it. Bob Knight is Indiana basketball, man.”

The 82-year-old Knight has spent time in the hospital this year battling illnesses. Woodson has often praised his former coach and made an emphasis on keeping Knight involved in the program since he took over as head coach.

Highlights from Hoosier Hysteria

Teri Moren had the entrance of the night. It began with her own version of Martha the Mop Lady. She then walked out to  ‘Small Town’ by Indiana native John Mellencamp.

Mike Woodson’s introduction consisted of a compilation of fans and former players repeating his quote, “Indiana basketball is the sh*t.” He then came out to ‘So Fresh, So Clean’ by OutKast.

Sydney Parrish came out with her dog, Chanel, in her arms, which she alluded to during Indiana’s Institutional Media Day earlier this fall.

The highlight of the night came during the skills competition when senior guard Anthony Leal drained a shot from beyond half court to come back and beat his teammate Gabe Cupps. Anthony Leal and Lenee Beaumont went on to win the skills competition over Xavier Johnson and Mackenzie Holmes.

Standouts

The biggest standout from the men’s team was freshman guard Gabe Cupps. Cupps and his teammate Sara Scalia won the 3PT Contest, led by Cupps shooting 19/25 from three.

Cupps also put on a stellar performance in the skills competition, getting through the course with ease, but was eliminated by Leal’s long range shot before he could make the three-pointer.

With question marks surrounding the team’s depth at guard, Cupps could see some opportunities early in his Indiana basketball career and if his shooting can translate, he could be a surprise factor for this year’s team.

The biggest standout from the women’s team was sophomore guard Yarden Garzon. Garzon came out with an Israeli flag around her shoulders in obvious support of her home country during a difficult time for her and her family.

The highlight of Garzon’s night was her shooting. Garzon shot 45.8% from three last season and she showed off her ability during the three-point contest and knockout challenge.

Garzon shot 19/25 during the three-point contest, tying Gabe Cupps for the highest individual total. She later won the knockout challenge after eliminating Anthony Walker in the final.

Garzon averaged 11.1 PPG a year ago and her role will only continue to grow each year she’s with the Hoosiers.

Recruits in attendance

Indiana basketball hosted a ton of recruits from both the 2025 and 2026 classes.

2025

• Trent Sisley 4-star
• Malachi Moreno 4-star
• Braylon Mullins 4-star
• Azavier Robinson 3-star
• Michael Chigozie N/A

2026

• Gabriel Sularski 4-star
• Jayden Johnson 4-star
• Aiden Chronister N/A
• Gabe Weis N/A
• Taylen Kinney N/A
• Dezhon Hall N/A
• Justin Curry N/A
• EJ Hazelett N/A

SEE ALSO: Indiana basketball coach Mike Woodson wants a balanced offense in year three: ‘I don’t think I want to be a team to just rely on shooting threes’

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