ROSEMONT, Ill. — Indiana women’s basketball guard Shay Ciezki was an obvious choice to represent the program at this year’s Big Ten media day.
Ciezki is the lone returning starter on a team that replaced nine players (six transfers and three graduates) during the offseason.
Advertisement
She might be the new face of the Hoosiers by default, but it’s a role she would have fought for regardless of what the roster looked like.
While Ciezki didn’t sign with IU out of high school, she was well-versed in Hoosiers’ lore. She knows the program rose to prominence with the likes of Ali Patberg, Grace Berger, and Mackenzie Holmes leading the way.
The responsibility to build on the foundation they built isn’t one Ciezki takes lightly.
Shay Ciezki unfazed by Indiana basketball women’s roster upheaval
Ciezki struggled at the start of her first season with the Hoosiers while adjusting to the role coach Teri Moren asked her to play as more of an off-ball guard next to Chloe-Moore McNeil.
Advertisement
She had regular meetings with the coaching staff to make the improvements they were looking for. The open dialogue they had helped her unlock the consistency that was missing from her game down the stretch.
In the team’s final nine games, Ciezki averaged 15.6 points per game, 2.6 assists and 1.3 steals while shooting 53.1% from 3-point range.
She was ready to run it back after Indiana lost 63-54 to South Carolina in the second round of the NCAA tournament, even as it became clear the roster around her would be much different than she expected.
“In a day and age it’s easy to go search for something different and we see a lot of kids doing, she was steadfast in wanting to come back to Indiana and help lead our program, which I’m very grateful for,” Moren said.
Advertisement
There was panic among the fan base as much of IU’s roster hit the portal, but Ciezki didn’t share that feeling, having seen the same kind of roster upheaval while at Penn State. The Nittany Lions lost eight players to the portal and graduation after her freshman year in 2022-23.
“It’s not as crazy as you think, just because it’s the new normal,” Ciezki said.
Ciezki told The Herald-Times at IU’s media day she didn’t have any conversations about entering the portal herself.
“There wasn’t ever a doubt in my head that I was leaving,” Ciezki said. “This place is my home, in meeting people, connecting with the coaching staff, the relationships I built here. I never had a thought I was leaving, I was excited to stay the course and be part of something great.”
Advertisement
The faith she had in Moren played an outsized role in her thought process.
IU insider: Best 3-point shooter in IUWBB history hopes fans ‘keep supporting me’ after transfer
Moren has ushered in an era of unprecedented success for the program with 10-straight 20-win seasons, seven NCAA tournament appearances with three Sweet Sixteens and an Elite Eight, and a 2023 Big Ten regular-season title.
“Knowing the type of girls she brings in, it obviously makes the returner have no doubts in our heads,” Ciezki said. “We had full confidence, full faith in her to rebuild this program and rebuild this team.”
Advertisement
Indiana women’s basketball guard Shay Ciezki lends coaching staff a helping hand
Ciezki played an active role in bringing IU’s new roster together alongside Lenée Beaumont.
They were in constant contact with the coaching staff regarding the players they were recruiting from the transfer portal. Ciezki spent hours scouring social media for the latest portal updates and would frequently text the assistant coaches the names of possible transfer targets.
“We’d be in the DMs. Nothing weird,” Ciezki said with a laugh. “Just saying we’d love to play with you.”
Ciezki shifted her focus to building team chemistry once the roster was put together.
Advertisement
She and Beaumont organized weekly team dinners at restaurants around Bloomington over the summer— she shared a funny story about IU’s international players being shocked by a sweet potato topped with marshmallows at Texas Roadhouse — and Ciezki was primarily responsible for getting everyone together for pick-up games during their downtime.
“We definitely put a bigger emphasis on trying to play more, 5-on-5, just to really jell with each other and see our strengths and weaknesses way earlier than the season started,” Ciezki said.
On HSE’s Makalusky: Former Miss Basketball winners ‘don’t play like normal freshman’ for IU women’s basketball
Moren anticipated those moments will pay dividends down the line for the Hoosiers, but she also stressed the critical role Ciezki will have as IU’s multi-faceted floor general.
Advertisement
“We are going to ask Shay to play on the ball, off the ball, with the ball in her hands, especially because all the newness that we have,” Moren said. “We have to have someone in that position, especially early on, who understands pace, rhythm, how we want to score the ball, when we want to play fast, when we want a good shot.”
Ciezki is embracing all those responsibilities with open arms to help Indiana maintain the level of success fans have become accustomed to.
“I know a lot of people are doubting us right now, but we thrive off that,” Ciezki said.
Want more Hoosiers coverage? Sign up for IndyStar’s Hoosiers newsletter. Listen to Mind Your Banners, our IU Athletics-centric podcast, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Watch the latest on IndyStar TV: Hoosiers.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Shay Ciezki became Indiana women’s basketball leader after transfer
