IUWBB May Have a Hidden Gem in Sydney Fenn

Faith Wiseman may be the more highly touted of Indiana's tandem of incoming freshman, but do not neglect the enormous potential of Teri Moren's other 2024 commit, Sydney Fenn.

Of all the talented frontcourt players featured on this team, Fenn stands out as the one who probably has the most work to do in order to garner some game time in 2024-2025. Mackenzie Holmes is (sort of) out, and a bevy of bigs with varying skillsets are in: Karoline Striplin, Lilly Meister, Wiseman, Sharnecce Currie-Jelks, and Fenn.

Striplin does not necessarily do anything at an elite level, but she is a solid big with a lot of experience who can rationally be counted on to do the things you look for in a center (rebound, screen, defend in the paint, shoot [at a respectable 32.3% connection rate through her first 3 seasons], etc.). Meister is a lot like Striplin in the sense that she may not do anything flashy, but you can count on her to come out and do the little things whenever she is on the floor. Wiseman and SCJ offer the most polarizing potential of the pack via their extreme athleticism and versatile skillsets on both ends of the floor. Where Meister and Striplin would fall more under the traditional category of bigs, Wiseman and SCJ are a bit more modern in that they can make a lot of things happen that you would not normally expect from the center position.

Hailing from Buffalo, Fenn brings a lot of game to the table. With that in mind, one of her skill's in particular offers the newcomer the clearest chance to distinguish herself from her comrades: outside marksmanship. While she has illustrated a highly unselfish style of play throughout her high school career, Fenn must come in and shoot the ball with confidence whenever the opportunity to do so arises when she sees the floor. As a freshman, she will assuredly be on a short leash early on as she builds comfort and adapts to the enhanced pace of the college game. But if you have seen her highlights (if you have not, now would be a good time to do so), you know that she has a pure jumper.

If she can find her rhythm from beyond the arc and earn a green light badge from her coaching staff, there could undoubtedly be a nice stretch big role carved out for Sydney Fenn during her freshman season. Realistically, her minutes will likely be limited this season with such a deep frontcourt rotation (and team rotation entirely). However, Fenn will stand to absorb an abundance of wisdom and knowledge from her peers, with one of them being the team's newest graduate assistant, Mackenzie Holmes.

While the season to come may not yield a ton of glamorous moments for Sydney Fenn, prepare yourself to become a big fan of hers in the seasons to come.

Keep going, Sydney!