IU Women’s Basketball Coach Teri Moren goes for school record 189th Win at Illinois Indiana University Women’s Basketball Coach Teri Moren will attempt to become the all-time winningest coach in Indiana Women’s Basketball History when the 6th ranked Hoosiers take on the 21st ranked Illinois Fighting Illini tonight at 8 pm at the State Farm Center in Champaign Illinois with the game televised on Big Ten Network Plus. Moren is 189-90 in her 9th season at IU and is tied with Jim Izard who was 189-159 in 12 seasons as IU head coach from 1988-2000. Moren has taken the Hoosiers to 4 NCAA Tournaments in including back Sweet 16 Appearances and the school’s first Elite 8 Appearance in 2021. The Hoosiers made it to the WNIT Quarterfinals in 2017 and won the WNIT Championship in 2018. The Hoosiers have 7 straight seasons of 20 wins are more and with a 16-1 overall record that will be extended to 8th straight season.
In the last meeting at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on December 4, 2022, the Hoosiers defeated Illinois 65-61 led by senior forward Mackenzie Holmes with 23 points. Eight games later, the Gorham, Maine native still leads the team with 21.2 average points and a team-high 8.1 rebounds. Indiana was without Grace Berger in the first meeting with a knee injury. Berger has returning playing in three games and is the team’s fourth leading scorer with 11.1 points per contest. As a whole, the Hoosiers are shooting 50 percent from the field and only allowing opponents 57.8 points per game. Indiana has won the last 14 Illinois matchups and leads the all-time series 47-29. With it being a new year and team, the history doesn’t matter as much, especially when the Hoosiers will be challenged with a road game. They have yet to lose in the Hall but did fall short to Michigan State on the road this season as their lone loss after the Christmas break. IU is 5-1 in the Big Ten but have a tough schedule ahead with a road trip to Michigan and home date with unbeaten Ohio State coming up.
Illinois is 15-3 and 5-2 in the Big Ten and ranked for the first time since 2013. The Fighting Illini have since climbed their way up the Associated Press Poll and have won eight of their last 10 matchups under first year head coach Shauna Green who came over from the University of Dayton. The Fighting Illini aren’t too far behind at 47.1 percent from the field and holding their opponents to 62.1 points per contest. They are led by junior guard Makira Cook, who is one of three players in double-figure scoring with 18.3 points. Meanwhile junior forward and Kokomo Indiana native Kendall Bostic at 6-foot-2-inches is dominating the boards with an average 10.2 rebounds per game, which leads the Big Ten. It’s worth noting the Fighting Illini only lost to Ohio State, the No. 2 team in the country, by six points on the road on Jan. 8. Illinois then hit the road a week later to beat the Golden Gophers 70-57 on Sunday.
IUWBB’s Yarden Garzon earns Big Ten Freshman of the week and National Freshman of the week Freshman guard Yarden Garzon has been named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week and the United States Basketball Writers Association (USWBA) Tamika Catchings National Freshman of the Week, announced on Tuesday. Garzon Averaged 15.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists and shot 73.3 percent from the floor and 70.0 percent at the 3-point line as Indiana picked up a pair of wins over No. 9/11 Maryland and Wisconsin. This is her second Big Ten Freshman of the Week honor and her first national honor of her career. She is the first ever player in IU women’s basketball history to be named the national freshman of the week.
The Ra’anana, Israel native went 4-for-6 with 11 points including a 3-for-5 from performance from the 3-point line and grabbed six rebounds along with two assists versus the Terps. In 27 minutes of play against Wisconsin, she came close to a triple double with scored 19 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Garzon shot 77.8 percent from the floor and 4-for-5 from the 3-point line and added a steal in the win over the Badgers on Sunday.
IU Athletics Announces naming of Sandra Eskenazi team center for Women’s Basketball after major gift The Indiana Women’s Basketball program’s newly remodeled and renovated Team Center has a new name the Sandra Eskenazi Indiana Women’s Basketball Team Center. The new name comes in recognition of a major gift from Sandra Eskenazi in support of the team center project and the IU Women’s Basketball program through the Women’s Excellence initiative. Completed in September of 2022, the Sandra Eskenazi Indiana Women’s Basketball Team Center serves as the home of the IU women’s basketball program in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. The 1,776-foot space is located off the northwest corner of Branch McCracken Court and includes the program’s locker room, team lounge, training room, and coaches meeting room.
“Sandy and the entire Eskenazi family have made an enormous difference in the lives of Hoosiers all around our state through their philanthropic efforts, and we are both appreciative of their support and proud to have their name on this beautiful space,” said IU Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Scott Dolson. “This is the latest example of Women’s Excellence making an immediate impact on the opportunities for our female student-athletes. Those opportunities, though, couldn’t happen without individuals like Sandy whose philanthropic spirit make these types of projects possible.”
“I started coming to IU Basketball games with my parents as a child, and I’ve been a diehard fan of IU Basketball and this great University ever since,” said Eskenazi. “Being able to impact both is very special to me. Philanthropy is about trying to make the world a better place by creating opportunities for people, and I learned about a chance to do that through the Women’s Excellence Initiative. Because of Women’s Excellence I was able to tour the IU Women’s Basketball Team Center and to meet with Coach Moren and the team, and I came away extremely impressed. I learned that this was a special way to do something that would greatly benefit our female student-athletes, both present and future. I’m grateful to be able to enhance women’s athletics at Indiana University with the naming the Women’s Basketball Team Center.”
Following in the footsteps of her parents, Sidney and Lois Eskenazi, Sandra is committed to positively impacting the lives of her fellow Hoosiers. She is responsible for the largest single donation ever given in the state in support of mental health, a $10 million gift to Eskenazi Health in support of the Eskenazi Mental Health Center and the Sandra Eskenazi Center for Brain Care Innovation. In honor of her generosity and in recognition of her previous work as a physician’s assistant and athletic trainer, Eskenazi Health announced the naming of the Sandra Eskenazi Outpatient Care Center in 2017. She has been recognized on numerous occasions by Indiana University for her efforts. She was awarded the Indiana University Bicentennial Medal in 2019, and in 2018 she was a Presidents Circle Laurel Pin recipient.
“We are honored to name this team center after Sandy Eskenazi,” Moren said. “As a program, we want our student-athletes to experience the best of the best. This gift will have a long-lasting impact on our program that will benefit players present and future. Her philanthropic commitment to supporting the Women’s Excellence campaign means so much across all our 13 women’s sports and we will be forever grateful for Sandy’s generosity. I personally want to express my deepest thanks to Sandy for her continued support and friendship of me, my staff and our players.”
The Sandra Eskenazi Indiana Women’s Basketball Team Center is the latest example of project made possible by Women’s Excellence. Launched in 2021 with the goal of dramatically enhancing the academic, athletic, and personal development opportunities for IU’s female student-athletes, Women’s Excellence has more than doubled its initial fundraising goal. Because of funds raised through Women’s Excellence, other facility enhancements and student-athlete opportunities that that have made an impact include:
Volleyball traveled to and competed in Europe during an 11-day tour that included stops in the Czech Republic, Austria, Slovenia, and Italy. The team played seven matches in addition to maximizing the cultural opportunities giving our athletes a once in a lifetime experience. Field Hockey installed a new playing surface (FieldTurf’s Hockey Gold system) as well as covered benches for both home and away teams at Deborah Tobias Field. Softball renovated Siwy Baker Clubhouse, the year-round indoor home of the IU Softball program. Located adjacent to Andy Mohr Field along the David Baker Avenue extension, the enhancements have created a more functional space for both coaches and student-athletes. The clubhouse includes four dedicated coaches’ offices, a team room, training room, locker room, and indoor student-athlete training space. Rowing installed new docks adjacent to the Dale England Rowing Center on Lake Lemon, which provided a crucial piece to completing a state-of-the-art facility for the program. There are other important projects and opportunities for IU Women’s Basketball supporters to get involved in through Women’s Excellence. Please visit the Women’s Excellence website here for more information.
Former Indiana University Wide Receiver Javon Swinton transfers to Eastern Michigan Indiana Football transfer Javon Swinton, has announced his commitment to Eastern Michigan. Swinton, who is a Wide Receiver, played three seasons at IU before entering the transfer portal. The Stafford Virginia native caught 31 passes for 289 yards and 1 touchdown in 2021 season. Swinton returned a 4-yard punt for a touchdown in 2021 and recorded 2 solo tackles in his three seasons at IU.
He will have two seasons left at Eastern Michigan since all athletes that played in the 2020 season were given an extra year of eligibility by the NCAA due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Eastern Michigan finished the 2022 season 9-4 and 5-3 in the Mid-American Conference and beat San Jose State 41-27 in The Famous Idaho Potato Bowl December 20, 2022, in Boise Idaho.
Takuma Sato to race in the Indianapolis 500 with Chip Ganassi Racing Two-time Indianapolis 500 champion Takuma Sato has secured a ride for the month of May. Sato will drive the No. 11 Honda in the five oval races on IndyCar schedule for Chip Ganassi Racing this season, while rookie Marcus Armstrong will run the street and road courses. “Focusing on the oval races is a new chapter for me, but I’m thrilled to have the ability to race with team members and teammates that have won the championships and Indianapolis 500 in the past, which is a tremendous advantage,” Sato said in a team release.
Sato’s made 215 career starts over 13 seasons in IndyCar with 10 pole positions, 14 podium finishes and six wins, including the 2017 and 2020 Indy 500s. He became the first Japanese driver ever to win the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing”. “He is a two-time Indianapolis 500 winner who contributes with the experience of knowing how to win, by matching the strength of his three teammates, which equals four who race as one,” said Chip Ganassi Racing managing director Mike Hull. Ganassi Racing is the reigning 500 champions with driver Marcus Ericsson and has won the race five times. Sato will join Ericsson, Scott Dixon and Alex Palou as the team aims for six.
“The organization has been at the top of our sport for decades and needless to say, extremely competitive,” Sato said. “I just can’t wait to get started.” Sato spent last season driving for Dale Coyne racing, finishing 25th in the 500 and 19th in the season standings.
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