IU's 1983 Big 10 champs get to celebrate another title: 'Disney couldn’t write this story’

BLOOMINGTON — More than two hours before tipoff, there is a buzz inside Cook Hall. Not far is Assembly Hall, where fans are already waiting outside in anticipation of IU women basketball’s matchup with Purdue. But there is also a story inside Cook Hall. A good one at that.

Today is a special day. Members of IU's 1982-83 Big Ten co-championship team are gathered here to celebrate the 40th anniversary of their accomplishment. As of Sunday morning, it is the only Big Ten title in program history. That would soon change.

Standing in a quieter spot of Cook Hall, Amy Metheny is jubilant. She is wearing candy-striped pants, hugging and yelling. She was a member of that 1982-83 team. This day is already special. It will become even more so.

Metheny’s tone suddenly softens.

“Now that it’s been 40 years, and they’re maybe gonna do it today," she says, her voice then intentionally trailing off, "with us in attendance for it.”

On the day a historic team returned, Indiana wrote a new chapter in the record books. The second-ranked Hoosiers beat rival Purdue, 83-60. The win clinched at least a share of the Big Ten title, putting this team in rarefied air. They did it in the presence of the only other team in program history to have done so.

Sunday was a collision between the past and the present. A celebration of what was and a coronation of what is. Members of the 1982-83 team were honored in between the first and second quarters, their names being called out. Not far, huddled on the court at the same time, was this season’s team.

After it was over, players put conference champion hats on their heads. Athletic director Scott Dolson and university president Pamela Whitten brought over the trophy. One by one, members of the program walked up a ladder to cut off a piece of the net — Mackenzie Holmes, Grace Berger, Ali Patberg and Teri Moren, among them.

Berger posed for a photo with the trophy near center court. Metheny, still in her candy-striped pants, squatted and held her phone up, smiling.

Two generations of champions were together.

"It takes women before them to build a foundation and to do some of the heavy lifting," Moren said. "And so we're grateful that particular team is here today to celebrate with us."

Four decades ago, it seemed improbable the 1982-83 team would accomplish such a feat. They started the season 3-7. At some point during their struggles, players spoke following a practice. “We just sat in the locker room after a practice and said 'OK guys we’re three and something. What are we gonna do? Are we just gonna give up,'” remembers Rachelle “Boz” Bostic.

Indiana did not. During one stretch, the Hoosiers won 14 of 15 games. They were Big Ten co-champions and made the NCAA tournament.

They genuinely enjoyed spending time with each other. They went to McCormick's Creek, where they ate burgers, made fires and sang. The bond became so strong they’ve stayed in contact over the years and still spend time together. They rode Segways through Chicago and went to a water park. They have a group message, which is very active during IU women’s games.

“When the game is going on, we’re all going back and forth,” Bostic said. “Why did she do that? Rebound!”

“We just all really like each other,” said Melissa Leckie, also known as “Missy”. “Like because I wasn’t a starter, I never felt like Boz looked down on me about that… They were always very supportive. And that’s why when you see this (IU women’s) team, and see the bench when the starters come out and they’re like 'YEAH!', you know, for all the bench people. That’s what we were like. It was just amazing.”

On Sunday, the 2022-23 Indiana team joined the company of the 1982-83 team. It speaks to what Moren has built. She has taken this program from an afterthought to a powerhouse. A WNIT Championship in 2018. An Elite Eight two seasons ago. On Sunday, Moren added something new as a coach — clinching a Big Ten championship. This leadership, though, was something Bostic saw long ago. She was Moren’s counselor at summer camp.

“She was a point guard and she ran the team,” Bostic said of Moren. “... She was the team leader. You could tell how she conducted her team now, how they feed off of her. The players she has here have her personality — go-getters, play hard, defense, play hard. It’s always play hard.”

This season is not yet over, but it has been already been a memorable ride. The Hoosiers are now 26-1 overall, 16-1 in the Big Ten. They endured an injury to star Grace Berger in November, sidelining for her a significant period of time.

But the Hoosiers only lost one game during that stretch. Mackenzie Holmes has become one of the best players in the nation. Chloe Moore-McNeil’s development is a feel-good story. Transfer Sydney Parrish came home to Indiana and is flourishing. Freshman Yarden Garzon is a star-in-the-making. Berger’s return in January gave the team another dimension. The Hoosiers continued to beat some of the best teams in the nation — handily in a lot of cases.

But like many things in life, there is more depth than what might be initially seen. This season, this magical run, these games, hold more importance.

“It’s been a godsend, a life-saver because personally, I’m going through some times with my father in hospice and things like that,” Leckie said of watching IU this season. “My going and sitting down and watching the women’s game. Sometimes, I catch myself going, 'Oh my God, it’s only Monday.' And all I think about is the game coming up. So it’s been something to relieve my mind from every day and just sit back and enjoy and watch something and forget about what’s going on with my dad. So that’s what it’s been for me.”

Indiana didn’t play a flawless game Sunday. It let Purdue hang around for the first half, before starting to gain major separation in the third quarter. It was an effort, though, that has come to be expected. The Hoosiers played with energy and intensity.

People might see the crowd outside of Assembly Hall prior to Sunday’s game — the first sell-out in program history. Or the Hoosiers’ win. Or that the program set an attendance record… again. But there were people long before now, the ones honored between the first and second quarters, that helped make a day like this possible.

“Disney,” Metheny said, “couldn’t write this story.”

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: IU women's basketball: 1983 Big 10 champs get to see 2023 team clinch