Coach building a winner

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It has taken less than two years for Seymour’s Teri Moren to turn the Indiana University women’s basketball program into a threat.

If you’ve attended a women’s game at Assembly Hall this season, you’ve seen a Hoosier victory.

At 11-0 in Bloomington, the Hoosiers have strung together the most consecutive wins at Assembly ever in a season.

The Hoosiers stand at 17-9 (9-5 Big 10) on the season with three wins against ranked tams.

Notably, the Hoosiers have downed the likes of Iowa, Michigan State and Nebraska in conference play.

The signature win? A 17-point comeback against the Hawkeyes.

Compare that to the 15-16 (4-14 Big 10) finish last year, and backtrack to her first season with the program in 2014.

Moren inherited a roster built by former coach Curt Miller, who left due to personal matters after putting together a pair of winning seasons.

When Moren arrived at Bloomington, she got a cookie-cutter of a team.

She had to construct a team with a picked-over class of 2015 — bringing in, essentially, free agents looking for homes.

The returning players at the time didn’t sign to play for Moren, they came on to play for Miller.

That put Moren in an awkward place.

Returners were shell-shocked at Miller’s departure, and some freshmen immediately found themselves playing for a coach they didn’t sign with.

Not long after the end of the season, four of the players on the team confirmed they would not return to the program for 2015-16.

One of those players, the undeniable leader for the Hoosiers, was Larryn Brooks — who led IU in points and assists on the season.

While the departures must have initially hurt, four scholarships opened up for Moren.

From the outside, it looked like the team was in rebuilding mode over the summer.

However, that wasn’t the case.

As soon as the season was over, Moren and her staff were traveling the country building their roster and putting plans in place for the next season, and 2017.

When I sat down with Moren in December, before Big 10 play, I asked her what the recruiting process was like after the season.

She had a wide smile and laughed, and told me how much better the process was in Year 2.

One of the first things I noticed about Moren coaching at a practice is her attention to detail and care for her players.

The players have told me they often visit Moren during the day and hang out in her office, sharing meals and stories of their days.

She’s a players’ coach who genuinely cares about the well-being of the kids.

Moren has quickly become a member of the Hoosier community and embraced it.

Whether they get a ticket to the NCAA Tournament or not, the future is bright for a budding program.

Jordan Morey is the sports editor for The Tribune. Send comments to [email protected].

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