The Indiana Hoosiers have been heavily included in headlines over the course of the past few weeks. Mike Woodson and his coaching staff have stolen the national spotlight with their efforts to reconstruct and resurrect the IU men's basketball program, while Teri Moren has earned prevalent praises for pulling two commitments in the past week from players who will undoubtedly become major contributors to the cream and crimson next season.
The broader lens will portray an entire basketball program that might just be ready to make some serious noise in 2024-2025, but zoom in a little closer and you will decipher the two most critical components of this entire operation: Sydney Parrish and Chloe Moore-McNeil.
Not only are these two 5th-year seniors surely eager to end their collegiate careers with a bang, but being the primary catalysts behind the Indiana basketball revolution has a resonating ring to it as well. The two of them would be wise to add this goal to their catalog of upcoming ambitions.
In Parrish's case, the 22-year-old (23 in October) from Fishers has been an integral part of this rotation since transferring from Oregon prior to the 2022-2023 season. While her scoring dipped a dash this season in comparison to her first with the Hoosiers (10.8 PPG this season compared to 12.0 PPG last season), her game expanded in essentially every other category of the sport.
Despite possessing a slightly slender 6'2" frame at the power forward position, she is a gritty rebounder (6.0 RPG this year) who is never afraid to roll her sleeves up and do the dirty work. She is also not the type of player to force things, always seeming to let the game come to her offensively. Her 2.3 APG (compared to just 1.6 TOPG) this season may not seem staggering, but she is more than capable of making a play for her teammates. Her 40.0% connection rate (on 4.8 attempts per contest) should also tell you all you need to know about how dangerous a threat she can and will be.
When it comes to the sensational southpaw Moore-McNeil, who will turn 22 in June, Indiana University has been the only school she has represented since her commitment prior to the 2020-2021 campaign. Her scoring elevated just a hair in 2023-2024 (10.2 PPG compared to 9.5 PPG in 2022-2023), yet it is her all around feel for the game and high basketball IQ which should sprout the most excitement within the hearts of the Hoosier faithful for what is to come of her final chapter at IU.
CMM is a certified floor general, and has been this team's full-time point guard and primary table setter for the past two seasons. The 4.9 APG over the course of that time frame and 40.9% success rate from deep last season (on 2.9 attempts per game) are trill, but the 1.4 SPG and consistent point of attack, in your grill defense are absolutely treasure. She is nothing shy of a dog on the less glamorous end of the floor, and arguably had the most success of ANY defender in the country who tried to contain Caitlin Clark this past season.
Chloe Moore-McNeil is all caps TOUGH, and Hoosier Nation should be psyched to have her back out on the court as Teri Moren's vicarious extension.
One πππππ ball player. @ChloeMoore35 β #IUWBB pic.twitter.com/ExCGLYFW7L
β Indiana Womenβs Basketball (@IndianaWBB) April 27, 2024
This article is not meant to claim that either of these ladies will be in the conversation for the nation's best overall players in 2024-2025, but this article is also not meant to rule out that idea. SP and CMM are very realistic candidates to catapult from role to star player status next season, and this article is meant to put the rest of the NCAA women's basketball universe on notice.
Regardless of the success that Indiana basketball has had thus far in the offseason and no matter what else transpires over the course of the next few months, do NOT snooze on the Sydney Parrish- Chloe Moore-McNeil combination in 2024-2025.
Their time is NOW.