IU’s men’s team may get a lot of attention in Bloomington, but since the turn of the century, a glamorous women’s team has also quietly been making its way through the Capitol. Moreover, women are the most successful these days. This season, they bridged the gap for the boys and gave the cream and purple fanbase a reason to remain optimistic.
Since women donate so much to this program, they thought it was only right to spotlight them. With that in mind, here are five of the best ballplayers to have played at IU in the 21st century.
5. Chapman Jill
Played: 1998–2002 (four seasons)
CAREER STATS: 121 GP, 15.4 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 0.9 APG, 1.0 SPG, 1.6 BPG, 54.2% FG/36.4% 3/59.8% FT
Chapman, who stood at six feet five, dominated the inside. She was renowned for her ability to run the floor and had sly agility for a center. In addition, her touch around the basket was excellent, which made it very difficult for rivals to stop her. In the 1998–99, 1999–2000, and 2000–01 seasons, Chapman led the Hoosiers in both scoring and rebounds.
4. Grace Berger
YEARS PLAYED: 2018–2023 (Five Seasons)
CAREER STATS: 148 GP, 12.4 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 3.9 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.2 BPG, 45.2% FG/30.6% 3/74.2% FT
Men’s and women’s basketball players alike love Berger, who is one of the greatest Assembly Hall residents ever. The Indiana Fever member who was selected with the seventh overall pick in the 2023 WNBA draft did not have to relocate too far from her home state of Indiana. She has an array of honors to show the extent of her impact at Indiana.
3. Amanda Cahill
YEARS PLAYED: 4 Seasons, 2014- 2018
CAREER STATS: 49.0% FG/38.8% 3/78.5% FT, 135 GP, 14.0 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.4 SPG, 1.0 BPG
One of the more adaptable players to wear the candy stripes in the past is Amanda Cahill. The forward was a headache for defenses to match up against because of her jumpshot and use of size to compete on the boards. She played professional ball overseas after learning how to use a flamethrower.
2. Buss Tyra
YEARS PLAYED: 4 Seasons, 2014- 2018
CAREER STATS: 41.3% FG/31.4% 3/74.2%% FT, 135 GP, 17.5 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 4.3 APG, 2.2 SPG, 0.1 BPG
Tyra Buss, the all-time leading scorer in IU women’s basketball history until just a week ago, essentially had Cahill as her sidekick. When Buss was in B-Town, she was quite active on the court, and she is currently very active off the court as well. She has a brief career as a professional basketball player, has worked as a broadcaster for the Big Ten Network, and since 2021, she has assisted in coaching the University of Milwaukee women’s basketball team.
1. Holmes Mackenzie
YEARS PLAYED: 2019–2024 (Five Seasons)
CAREER STATS: 139 GP, 17.2 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 0.8 APG, 0.9 SPG, 1.7 BPG, 63.8% FG/27.0% 3/73.1% FT
Mackenzie Holmes is not only one of the Big Ten’s top ball players right now, but she is certain to go down as one of the league’s all-time great ball players. Although she is best known for being the highest scoring player in IUWBB history, the player is much more than just a point producer.