Indiana Women’s Basketball Freshman breakdown: Lexus Bargesser

Hello, Hoosier fans!

Welcome back to our Indiana women’s basketball newcomers series. After wrapping up the three incoming transfers last time with Sydney Parrish, we’re starting our deep dive into the 2022 class. First up: Lexus Bargesser

Who is she?

Lexus Bargesser is a guard out of Grass Lake, Michigan. During her Junior year at Grass Lake High she led the Warriors to a Michigan Division 3 Championship, averaging 23.6 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 3.8 assists along the way. She also recorded 3.8 steals per game and shot 55% from the field during that campaign.

As one of the more-decorated recruits in the 2022 class, Bargesser has a district championship, a region championship, and All-State honors to her name. It’s important to note that the Jackson Area Dream Team honoree tore her ACL moments into her senior season, meaning she compiled all those accolades in just three seasons of high school ball.

She committed to Indiana over Maryland, North Carolina, and multiple other Power 5 programs. Bargesser finished high school ranked 68th in the 2022 recruiting class.

We would also be remiss if we didn’t mention that Bargesser moonlights as a track star. She owns Michigan state titles in the 100, 200, and 400 on the rubber per mlive.com. Although the ACL tear kept her off the court her senior season, she was able to make a return to the track this spring:

Breaking it down

Based on her high school mixtapes, athlete is a good word. Bargesser is faster and stronger than everyone else on the court, which is made apparent whenever she pushes in transition. She can both pass and keep on the break, and she excels at reading the defense to aid that decision. Love her ability to get to the hoop with both her left and right.

As a shooter, Bargesser has decent range. She hit multiple threes from college range in her highlights, but her midrange game is what stands out the most. Bargesser’s athleticism allows her to stop on a dime and pull up from anywhere on the court, she’s got a knack for those baseline jumpers that just hang out up in the air for a while.

Her most important offensive trait is her toughness. Bargesser is not afraid to crash the boards and grab a contested rebound, oftentimes scoring the second-chance bucket herself. Big Ten tackle basketball will knock you down, but it looks as though #1 will be able to get back up each time.

Defensively she’s about as opportunistic as they come. She preys on iffy passes and poor ball security, sparking the aforementioned transition game all by herself. Steals will come harder in college, but if you’re averaged nearly 4 per game you’ve got to be doing something right. She can block, too:

Again though, everything we’ve seen has come from highlights, so take it with a grain of salt. We’re impressed though. All in all, Lexus Bargesser looks like a B1G-caliber combo guard. We’re seeing shades of Grace Berger.

Expectations

First-years are probably not going to see much time this season. Given the team’s depth, and her knee injury, a redshirt is definitely in play for Lexus Bargesser in 2022-2023.