Q. Chloe, you've been part of two of the most successful teams that IU has had in women's basketball, Elite 8, Sweet 16. What do you have to do to take the next step?
CHLOE MOORE-McNEIL: I believe the most important part of this year is us coming to an understanding that this is a brand new team and this is a brand new year. We had a lot of success the past two years, but I think taking steps forward, we need to put that behind us and focus on the pieces that we have now.
Q. I am wondering with the departure of players like Ali and Alexa who you're looking to to be the leaders of the team this year.
CHLOE MOORE-McNEIL: Yeah, I think even from last year into this year, we still have some great leaders, Mackenzie and Grace Berger, they have the experience, and they kind of know what they're doing and they've been leaders to me and I know to my teammates, as well.
Q. Sydney just talked about the bonding experience, the bonding routine you guys did yesterday. What was that and how did that help you out?
CHLOE MOORE-McNEIL: It was really all of us coming together in a circle, just opening up to each other even more, and like Sydney said, we didn't even think we needed that, but it really did open up our eyes to get to know each other a little bit more.
Q. You really stood out to me in the middle of the year last year as somebody that really made progress mid-season. What would you say clicked for you during the season last year?
CHLOE MOORE-McNEIL: I would say I did gain a little bit of confidence, and just coming to the realization when we had injuries and just the COVID pandemic kind of thing, it really made me understand that I needed to grow up a little bit and give a little bit more, as Coach Moren would usually say.
Q. After stepping into that bigger role last year, what do you feel like is kind of the next step for you this year?
CHLOE MOORE-McNEIL: I think the next step is just continuing to grow my game, whether it's on offense or even defense. I know our big key is getting stops, so I think being a one-on-one defender is where I want to grow.
Q. Chloe, you're playing in the Big Ten, top of the basketball game. Is there somebody you look up to that you've kind of looked up to in your career growing up, and is there somebody out there that's a role model to you?
CHLOE MOORE-McNEIL: I would definitely say once I started getting recruited by Indiana, I looked at all the girls, and even being here the past two and a half years, Ali Patberg has been a really big part of my life, and I'm so lucky to have her on the staff now.
Q. You were just talking about with the pandemic and injuries last year that forced you to grow up a little bit. Can you just go into more depth what that entailed and how you saw yourself grow?
CHLOE MOORE-McNEIL: Yes, so I would say things kind of changed after that. I had come to the realization that my teammates needed me. They depended on me a little bit more. I understood I would play a little bit more minutes. So I just knew it was time to grow up, I guess.
Q. Was there just a specific moment that something clicked for you? How did that kind of happen?
CHLOE MOORE-McNEIL: One thing that really stuck with me is an after-practice team huddle and Coach Moren gathered us all in and said, we need each and every one of you to do a little bit more and a little bit better every day.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports