IU women's basketball: Avoiding serious injury, building chemistry, finding clutch shooter

BLOOMINGTON -- When Indiana women's basketball senior Sara Scalia went down with an injury on the Hoosiers' summer trip to Greece, she thought it was bad. The guard, who transferred from Minnesota ahead of the 2022-23 season, injured her knee late in IU's game against the Patras All-Stars on Aug. 12.

"In the moment, I was (worried about my ACL)," Scalia said. "There was a lot going on, I was just stressed and I didn't know what to do."

Tests and imaging revealed only a hyper-extended knee — a much better prognosis than the ligament tear she feared. Scalia had to miss time, sitting out nearly a month and returned to practice about two weeks ago, she said at IU Basketball Media Day on Wednesday.

"For a month, I was just laying low, not doing much," Scalia said. "But I'm back doing everything now, it feels good."

Scalia will be an integral part of the Hoosiers' rotation this season, especially after losing five-year player Grace Berger. Scalia came off the bench last season, shooting 35% from the field, and she could be one of coach Teri Moren's choices to fill Berger's spot in the starting lineup.

After Grace Berger, who will be the clutch shooter?

Berger, the all-time winningest player in IU women's basketball history, leaves a large hole in the Hoosiers' starting lineup. As the Hoosiers' floor general, she shot 48% from the field and dished out 4.3 assists per game. When the Hoosiers needed a last-second shot, they usually turned to the nearly 50% shooter on the floor.

Now, who will be that person for the Hoosiers? With most shots coming in the paint as a traditional, back-to-the-basket post player, Mackenzie Holmes shot 68% from the field last season. So, if they need two points, Holmes is the natural shot-getter.

"I'll do whatever it takes for this team to win," Holmes said. "I feel like if my teammates trust me, my coaches trust me, that's all I need."

If the Hoosiers need a 3-pointer, they could turn to Sydney Parrish, a 37% 3-point shooter, or Scalia, who shot 34% from beyond the arc last season.

"If we're going for two, for sure Mack," Scalia said. "She's our go-to for sure down the stretch. But I think it depends on the circumstance, like, who's hot. We have a lot of shooters on our team."

Trip to Greece helps Hoosiers' chemistry

For the first time in six years, IU had the advantage of going on an international trip. The Hoosiers headed to Greece, playing two games against All-Star teams throughout the 10-day trip.

"We're a little bit more than a week and a half away from the official start, but we got a little bit of an early start from our trip over to Greece this summer," Moren said. "It was amazing."

The Hoosiers took down both those teams. Easily. But the most important part of IU's trip wasn't how well they played; it was how they built chemistry as a team.

IU has three newcomers to the 2023-24 team: freshmen Lenee Beaumont and Julianna LaMendola and UT-Martin transfer Sharnecce Currie-Jelks. Having the extra 10 days of practice time, as well as 10 days of exploring Athens, Delphi and Olympia, was crucial to help the Hoosiers' chemistry.

"I think it really helped our team chemistry, more than anything," Parrish said. "Obviously, it's important to play together on the court, but getting really close with the freshmen and the transfers coming in, I think that's really what's going to separate us from what we were like last year compared to this year."

The trip also got Beaumont and LaMendola an early taste of the pace of Big Ten play — including how IU wants to compete.

"It definitely helps you with the pace," LaMendola said. "The pace from high school to college is very drastically different, so that kind of helped me understand that. Then, it also helps everybody get a feel for each other and see how I was doing and where everybody's at."

Follow IndyStar sports reporter Chloe Peterson on X at @chloepeterson67.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: IU women's basketball: Sara Scalia avoids bad injury, trip helps chemistry