Friday night marked the introduction of the 2024-25 men’s and women’s Indiana basketball squads at Hoosier Hysteria. Debuting in front of a mostly filled lower bowl of Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, players and coaches strutted onto the floor for introductions and coaches Mike Woodson and Teri Moren each addressed the crowd to start the evening.
The women’s team led the introductions, and in her speech, Moren focused her attention on high expectations – not just for her team, but for the support around her.
“I want to see those rafters filled every night,” Moren said, calling upon Hoosier fans. “I believe this team is going to be special, this program is going to be special. Show up.”
When the men’s team followed, Woodson had no reservations about this year’s goals, per usual.
“(I see) an opportunity to win a Big Ten title and a national title,” Woodson said. “We’re a deeper basketball team than in the past. I’ve got to do my job to put it all together.”
Woodson also paid homage to his former coach and mentor while expanding on his goals.
“It’s not about me, it’s about what Bob Knight built. It’d mean the world to the fans.”
In case you missed it, here are the results from this year’s Hoosier Hysteria competitions:
Skills competition
The skills competition consisted of speed dribbling around obstacles down the court, passing the ball through a ring and shooting a 3-pointer back on the opposite side of the floor. It was split into four teams, each with one men’s and women’s player plus an IU student who ran down the court and finished with a layup.
After narrowing down to two for the finals, Karoline Striplin and Myles Rice defeated Valentyna Kadlecova and Malik Reneau.
3-point contest
The 3-point contest involved shooting off a ball rack. Unless the one-minute timer expired, players took five shots from five locations around the arc.
Round one:
Shay Ciezki (17) def. Lenee Beaumont
Sydney Parrish (16) def. Lilly Meister (9)
Finals:
Ciezki (17) def. Parrish (16)
Knockout
In a traditional game of knockout from the 3-point line, five men’s and women’s players competed alongside five IU students.
Women’s competitors: Faith Wiseman, Julianna LaMendola, Sharnecce Currie-Jelks Parrish, Kadlecova
Men’s competitors: Anthony Leal, Gabe Cupps, Kanaan Carlyle, Luke Goode, Oumar Ballo
In the end, Parrish knocked down a triple to defeat Wiseman and capture the crown.
Scrimmage
While the women’s team’s scrimmage was scratched Friday afternoon, the men still participated in a 15-minute competition. Trey Galloway, who had left knee surgery this offseason, did not play but went through warm-up drills, while Jakai Newton, still recovering from a knee injury, did not participate in drills or the scrimmage.
Crimson: 29 Cream: 29
Point totals: Myles Rice 5, Gabe Cupps 2, Kanaan Carlyle 2, Anthony Leal 2, Mackenzie Mgbako 12, Bryson Tucker 4, Malik Reneau 6, Luke Goode 6, Oumar Ballo 11, Langdon Hatton 8.
The contest, which added three additional minutes midway to total 15 minutes, exhibited more defense than usually displayed in a Hoosier Hysteria scrimmage. Additionally, multiple players switched teams halfway through to balance lineups. A last-second 3-pointer from Mgbako – who switched to the Cream team – tied the friendly scrimmage.
Indiana men’s basketball will first take the court Sunday, Oct. 27 in a charity exhibition at Tennessee. Indiana women’s basketball hosts Maryville in an exhibition game Wednesday, Oct. 30 at Assembly Hall.
Filed to: Hoosier Hysteria
