Indiana women's basketball head coach Teri Moren probably wasn't expecting to lose as many players to the transfer portal as she did. After not losing a single player to the portal last season, Moren was probably hoping to see the same this year, but instead, she lost six players to the portal and three to graduation.
After making it to the NCAA Tournament this season as a 9-seed, Moren knew she was going to have some holes to fill in the transfer portal, losing some key players to graduation, but some player's departure truly was a shock. Like losing leading scorer Yarden Garzon, who has now committed to Maryland, a Big Ten rival.
Some portal departures can make a little more sense with players who did get a lot of playing time and feel like they could get more, like Julianna Lamendola. Lamendola was one of the first players to enter her name in the portal and has officially picked her next school.
BREAKING: Indiana transfer Julianna Lamendola has committed to Grand Canyon.
— Talia Goodman (@TaliaGoodmanWBB) April 15, 2025
The 6-1 sophomore averaged 2.3 ppg this season.
TRACKER: https://t.co/StsxDxjTNT pic.twitter.com/53R8qAkmbZ
Former Indiana guard Julianna Lamendola chooses Grand Canyon for next season
Lamendola has officially committed to Grand Canyon University, which just hired their new head coach, Winston Grady after Molly Miller left to take the job at Arizona State University. Miller led the Antelopes women's basketball team to their first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 2025.
Grady comes from South Carolina, coaching with Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley for years, so he brings a winning mentality with him. Lamendola is the first commitment that Grady has landed, and a great one at that. Even though Lamendola did not give a huge amount of minutes in games, she did her job when given the opportunity.
In 30 appearances, five of them as a starter, Lamendola averages just under 11 minutes a game with 2.3 points per game and 2.1 rebounds. The young guard from Texas spent her first two collegiate seasons at Indiana before choosing to enter the transfer portal.
Lamendola, unfortunately, was not able to finish the season with Indiana due to an injury, as seen in the Hoosier's first-round matchup against Utah in the NCAA Tournament. The Texas native could be seen wearing street clothes and foot on her foot, keeping her out for the first two rounds until Indiana was eliminated by South Carolina.
Best of luck to Lamendola as she continues her career at Grand Canyon!