Indiana's Yarden Garzon Embraces Responsibility That Comes With Being An Upperclassman

Versatile Yarden Garzon will play a key role in the Hoosiers’ fortunes for the 2024-25 season.

Indiana Hoosiers guard Yarden Garzon (12) looks for an open teammate during the second half against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. / Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – As far as Indiana women’s basketball coach Teri Moren is concerned, junior forward Yarden Garzon is pretty close to being the finished product.

“I don't know that there is another step for her,” said Moren during Indiana’s basketball media day on Sept. 18.

Then, inevitably, Moren proceeded to note some areas Garzon should improve upon during as an upperclassman.

Apart from one notable category – defense – Garzon is already a proven player in multiple categories. She’s been a consistent scorer from day one, she can play any position on the floor, and she has a toughness that helps her be an effective rebounder.

The question for Garzon isn’t whether she’s arrived – it’s how far can she take her game? There isn’t another player on the Indiana roster who has more upside than Garzon.

Indiana could play a different style in 2024-25. Moren hinted at playing five players on the arc, with the Hoosiers no longer necessarily running its offense through the post first as it did with Mackenzie Holmes.

Garzon – who has averaged 11.4 points in her two seasons – is the most likely Hoosier to increase her scoring since she could theoretically play any role in a five-out offense.

Moren made this explicit during media day.

“She needs to be more of a scoring threat for us. We lost a lot with the graduation of Mackenzie and Sara (Scalia). I don't know what that percentage is, but they scored a lot of points for us. So her scoring is going to have to go up,” Moren said.

South Carolina Gamecocks forward Ashlyn Watkins (2) and Indiana Hoosiers guard Sydney Parrish (33) and guard Yarden Garzon (12) battle for the ball during the second half in the semifinals of the Albany Regional of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at the MVP Arena. / Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

It’s a responsibility Garzon is prepared to assume.

“I feel like the coaches are doing an amazing job of bringing us to our strongest advantages on the court,” Garzon said. “I feel like freshman year and sophomore year, I learned a lot. Being a junior, it's a different, it's a big deal.”

Garzon has the highest probability of increasing her scoring due to her versatility. She’s a serious 3-point threat, with a 44% career rate from beyond the arc. She can drive the lane. She can clean the glass and get second-chance opportunities. Her 6-foot-3 frame makes her a matchup problem for any defense.

“Offensively, the thing about Yarden, because she's such a high I.Q. kid, and so skilled and talented. We were talking about tinkering with offenses – she's a kid that you can put anywhere and she doesn't need a lot of reps,” Moren said.

Garzon is a quick study, too.

“She's not a kid that you're going to have to spend two days straight of putting her there for her to understand what we're trying to do. She naturally understands what we're trying to do in certain actions, but she can make plays that may be off-script just because of her I.Q,” Moren said.

Garzon noted that she’s working on her ball-handling to ensure that Moren’s offense works at maximum efficiency. While she’s capable of being a go-to scorer, Garzon emphasized that anyone among Indiana’s core players can carry that responsibility.

“It doesn't matter who makes the points and who gets the rebounds. We all want to win, and we're all about winning,” Garzon said. “So it doesn't matter who scores the most. We'll just want to win no matter how. We're all going to be happy with a big night for Chloe and big night for Sydney.”

Defense is another area for improvement. It’s something recognized by Garzon and demanded by Moren.

“I need to understand angles more and where I should be,” Garzon said. “I feel like, for me, I'm not going to be the fastest kid on the board. Watching a lot of film helps. Being on the court in specific situations also helps.”

Moren had her own ideas on how Garzon can get better defensively.

“She has to be able to use her length better defensively. She’s not as quick, and she knows this, but she does have long arms and high I.Q. She understands where she needs to be, when she needs to be there. But I do think, obviously there's something she needs to improve on is defensively and being able to guard for us,” Moren explained.

If Garzon can be a better stopper, the sky is the limit for where she can take her game given that she’s already polished offensively. Garzon has already been good. This could be the year she becomes a star in the Big Ten.

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