IUPUI… Who’s That?
IUPUI is no more, the moniker gone in the split between Indiana University and Purdue University. Purdue University got the engineering and technical degrees and Indiana University got everything else, including the athletics from the Indianapolis campus. IU Indy, which is a much sleeker name than the nickname “Eewy Puey” as some on the outside used to refer to the campus, will look to regain its spot among the elite of the conference under third year head coach Kate Bruce.
Last season was a season of firsts for Coach Bruce and the IU Indy Jaguars. As a head coach at Walsh for six years and in the first year at IU Indy, Bruce had yet to have a losing season at the helm. Last season’s 7-23 record stands like an unnatural blip in the legacy of Bruce and also the IU Indy squad as a whole. 2023-2024 was the first time since Austin Parkinson first took the reins in 2010 that the Jaguars have posted a single digit winning season, and had the highest ever points allowed per game margin in the Division I history of the school at 75.1.
“It was a great opportunity for me to kind of reflect on some things and find some things that I could be doing better as a coach, our staff could be doing better as far as recruiting,” Bruce remarked about last season. “It was good, we learned a lot. At the end of the day, we’re not gonna reinvent the wheel. The stuff we did at Walsh that worked, we feel confident doing here.”
This season, Coach Bruce will be looking to retool in an effort to put IU Indy back on top. The charge will be led by Katie Davidson, an all-league Second Team selection last year who is poised to make a breakthrough on this Jaguar squad.
Alongside Katie Davidson in the returning starting lineup is Faith Stinson and Logan Lewis, and from the bench Alexa Hocevar and Camron Blank. From the sidelines, redshirt freshmen Azyah Newson-Cole and Kaylin Moorehead return from injury fresh and ready to begin their careers on the court.
“I think we brought back the players that fit what we do, the seven we brought back, and they’ve gotten even better over the summer,” Bruce said about the team.
For transfers, Bruce pulled a variety of talent from all different areas. In the home state of Indiana, Bruce brought in grad transfer Kendall Wingler from Butler, where IU Indy’s former coach resides, and Jada Patton from D2 University of Indianapolis. From Division I schools with “Western” in their names, Bruce pulled Denali Craig-Edwards from Western Michigan, Nevaeh Foster from Western Kentucky, and Tamori Plantin from Western Carolina. At the JUCO level, Shania Nichols-Vannett comes in after impressing the staff at the NJCAA championships.
“We needed to get players that could make threes and were athletic enough to play in the Horizon League,” Bruce recalled about their strategy for the transfer portal. “We didn’t necessary limit ourselves to location… and we have a lot of competition in each spot, which is a good problem to have.”
So, with a new moniker, new merch, some new uniforms, and some new faces to compete for starting spots, what will the new Jags look like?
Projected Starting Lineup
G Azyah Newson-Cole – What some people may not know about the redshirt freshman point guard is that prior to her injury, Newson-Cole had been slotted as the starting point guard for last season. After being sidelined, Newson-Cole has been getting reps in during the summer with the Jaguars as their point guard hoping to reclaim that spot. There will be competition in this role, so time will tell if we see this newcomer explode onto the court.
G Kendall Wingler – A graduate transfer from Butler who was a consistent role player from the bench, Wingler will look to bring veteran experience in the guard role. At Butler during her last go-around, she averaged 2.5 PPG and around 12 minutes per game. Against fellow Horizon opponent Detroit Mercy, Wingler scored a season high 18 points.
G/F Katie Davidson – After putting the Horizon League on notice following a 16.4 PPG, 3.5 RPG, and 1.3 APG season, Davidson will be looking to follow up that performance with even better stats across the board. As the number one scorer to IU Indy’s offense last season, Davidson’s success on the court this season could foretell IU Indy’s aspirations in the playoff race. Bruce had nothing but positives to say about Davidson’s development this offseason.
“She’s had a terrific summer and she’s really bought into the offensive and defensive philosophies that we are teaching here,” Bruce complimented. “The way she’s playing right now, you would refer to her as one of the best players in the league.”
F Alexa Hocevar – Fresh off a freshman season bringing in 12 minutes per game and a sizable number of rebounds, Hocevar is my pick for the forward who could receive the nod for starting minutes. The only problem? Last season was marred by turnovers while she was on the court. More experience learning the game should help and entering her sophomore season Hocevar is poised to come in with less of the hiccups from last year.
F Faith Stinson – The forward from Akron came in last season and immediately made an impact on the Jaguar squad, providing an IQ and toughness that the team capitalized on. After averaging 6 PPG while playing with an injury, Stinson could break through this season and provide a solid second option to Davidson.
Key Reserves
G Logan Lewis – As the only remaining member from the 21-22 championship squad led by Coach Parkinson, Lewis saw starts last season and averaged 3.6 PPG during her time on court. As one of the experienced members of IU Indy who has tasted victory in their home turf of the Horizon League Championship, Lewis will be a leader to the squad and a reliable presence on the court.
G Camron Blank – Following transferring from JUCO, Blank put up respectable numbers from the bench for the Jags including an all-around performance against Milwaukee early in the season. With more experience under her belt at the D1 level, Blank will provide some depth in the guard position.
G Kaylin Moorehead – Sidelined due to injury last season, Moorehead will start her freshman campaign in earnest this season. Time will tell if Moorehead will be able to crack the starting lineup, but if the history of winning in playoff competition in Michigan is any testament, this could prove to be an interesting piece to keep an eye on.
G Nevaeh Foster – Foster comes into the Jaguar pack from Western Kentucky where she saw the court only for a few minutes at a time. Her most impressive performance came against West Virginia State, throwing down 5 of 10 including two from the arc to score 14 points in 15 minutes of play. In high school, she holds Mishawaka Marian’s all-time scoring record at 2,243 points.
F Jada Patton – During last season’s campaign at UIndy, Patton averaged 10.4 PPG and 5 RPG while playing only around 16 minutes at a time. Patton chose to take her talents to the portal and didn’t have to travel far to find her next landing spot (According to Google, 7 miles exactly) and should provide Bruce with options for scoring in the paint.
F Tamori Plantin – Plantin saw some time on Western Carolina’s squad with a few starts. Averaging around 2 PPG and RPG in her time with the Catamounts, Plantin now joins an IU Indy squad that places an emphasis on forwards and should see some minutes in a similar role.
Freshmen – IU Indy brought in one lone freshman recruit this season in Destini Craig, a forward from Fort Wayne, Indiana playing for Fort Wayne Northrop HS. Craig was ranked 14th in Indiana in the preseason of their senior year and helped their school to a 14-8 record in the state.
Outlook
With a plentiful batch of transfers and some key returners from last year, IU Indy looks poised to take another run at the upper echelon of the conference. Katie Davidson will be the key to that run – a repeat performance from last year along with the improvements that have been advertised should make Davidson a shoe-in for First Team honors, and IU Indy a sleeper candidate to rock the titans of the Horizon.
It won’t end with Davidson though, the team’s defense from last season will need to return to the stalwart menace it was in years past and three-point shooting also needs to make a comeback. With a non-conference schedule of titans like Purdue and Marquette, and an early run in with Green Bay and Cleveland State in December, the Jaguars are going to be tested early and put through the wringer. If they manage to come out unscathed and with a team chemistry to boot, watch out.
What are you most looking forward to this season Coach Bruce?
“Winning.”