Lexus Bargesser of Indiana Women's Basketball is 'Now Able to Run Our Offense'

Freshman guard Lexus Bargesser has been helping take over the point guard position since star guard Grace Berger went down with an injury. Bargesser's high school injury experience plus her 'can do', determined attitude and talent has earned her more and more minutes in Big Ten play.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana women's basketball freshman guard Lexus Bargesser likes to win, and she's good at it.

In her junior year of high school, the 5'9" Grass Lake, Mich. native carried her team to the Division III state championship while averaging 23.6 points off of shooting 55 percent from the field.

As if her skills on the court didn't label her a major athlete, her track and field talent did. Bargesser was also a track star and led that team to a state championship after zooming her way to the 100, 200 and 400-meter dashes individual wins.

She was a decorated and accomplished athlete with hardware to show for it until her body couldn't play in her senior season. In Grass Lake's November basketball opener, Bargesser went down with a torn meniscus and ACL after making a move toward the basket.

When the injury wiped out her whole senior season, her future Hoosiers were very supportive in her recovery that didn't keep the athlete down for long. Bargesser had her surgery in Dec. 2021 and only missed one full month of track.

Then she quite literally got back on track beginning with the 400-meter dash. She started winning her races again (by a lot) and eventually added her 100 and 200-meter races to the mix.

Grass Lake's Lexus Bargesser warms up before competing a 200-meter dash race at Grass Lake High School on Tuesday, May 10, 2022 :: © Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

Perhaps her time out watching her teams she once thrived on gave her a new sense of patience when waiting for her turn to shine. The now Hoosier has played in all 14 games this season and is averaging 9.4 minutes per contest but is essentially waiting for her turn to start. 

"She's really stayed patient, and she's really stayed encouraged," Indiana head coach Teri Moren said. 

"She hasn't been discouraged at all. It's like she understands there's a process that all freshmen go through and she's sort of embraced, 'keep coaching me up, keep challenging me, keep telling me where I need to be and what I need to be doing'.'"

Moren said Bargesser looks more comfortable both in practice and in big games. She's a great athlete and a good defender. Sometimes she gets caught off the ball watching and not rotating, but that's a challenge most freshmen battle.

Bargesser got her biggest opportunity when star point Grace Berger went down with a right knee injury at the Las Vegas Invitational in late November. Since then, Bargesser has had to learn how to be more like Grace while putting her own individual spin on the position.

"She's grown up right in front of our eyes, which is a really good thing, and she's done a fantastic job," Moren said.

Moren said another good thing is the team now has three point guards just like last season when Nicole Cardaño-Hillary, Ali Patberg and Berger traded off running the offense. Now it's Berger when she returns, junior guard Chloe Moore-McNeil and of course Bargesser.

"She's now able to run our offense," Moren said. "Whether it's prep or in practice, grooming her to become a point guard in our system."

As of the new year, Bargesser is averaging 2.6 points and 1.1 rebounds per game. She is coming off of her season high in minutes when she helped lead the Hoosiers' offense for 23 minutes in their overtime win over Nebraska at home. 

Now, she's just sharpening up and getting valuable minutes in a tough Big Ten conference. Moren said Moore-McNeil got on her about running, since she's fast and capable of run outs.

Moren added Bargesser is taking what the defense throws at her and has stayed aggressive. Even with a left leg brace still on for protection, Bargesser is showing what a determined young player can accomplish when growing confidence is paired with patience and excellent ball handling skills.

"We know we got to get her to be confident in her shot, but what I like about Lexie right now is you have to have players like this who will sacrifice," Moren said. 

"She's not looking to get hers. She understands why she's out there to get us in her offense and that she's out there to guard."

With the team anxiously awaiting the return of Berger, who hasn't been seen with her leg brace in a while, Bargesser will continue to learn from the seasoned point guards around her while earning experience in the conference.

"She's a kid with a very bright future, no question," Moren said.

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