Indiana basketball player preview: Chloe Moore-McNeil

She wears No. 22 for the Hoosiers after wearing No. 12 in high school.

Because 22 was already taken at Greenfield High School in Tennessee, hanging in the gym’s rafters after being worn by Moore-McNeil’s aunt, Brittany Peoples and late mother, Corenda.

It’d be difficult to find a better representative of Indiana women’s basketball as a program than Chloe Moore-McNeil.

The Hoosiers have preached work ethic, gritty defense and sharing the ball as a cohesive unit since head coach Teri Moren’s arrival in Bloomington. Moore-McNeil’s rise is emblematic of this.

She joined the Hoosiers in 2020 following a prolific high school career that featured two separate Class A Miss Basketball awards and a state title. She was lauded for her versatility, smooth play and exceptional basketball IQ.

Moore-McNeil’s drive from high school, dedicated to her mother’s memory, followed her to Bloomington. She has improved in just about every major statistical category in all three of her seasons at Indiana.

She could be primed for an even bigger senior season.

On the court

Moore-McNeil averaged 9.5 points, 3.9 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game last season in 32 starts.

She’s a high-level all-around player and rose to the occasion when Indiana lost Grace Berger to injury during the nonconference slate. The Big Ten title doesn’t happen without Moore-McNeil doing so.

Becoming a star in her own right, Moore-McNeil was integral to Indiana’s backcourt last season and appears primed for an even bigger role as a senior.

Offense

Indiana’s offense is built on distribution and ball movement, and only Grace Berger (5.8) averaged more assists per game last season than Moore-McNeil (4.8). With Berger off to the NBA, Indiana will likely look to Moore-McNeil as its primary distributor. Her high basketball IQ and feel for the game will come into play here.

Moore-McNeil is perfectly capable of scoring the basketball herself. Her 9.5 points per game ranked fifth among Indiana’s starters, but as the primarily ball-handler tasked with getting the rock to first-team All-American Mackenzie Holmes and Yarden Garzon on the arc, that’s to be expected.

She can drive to the rim or hit shots from range, I wouldn’t be surprised if her 3-point shooting took another jump in 2023-24.

Defense

Moore-McNeil ranks among the game’s elite perimeter defenders, easily.

She inherited the top assignments on defense from Nicole Cardaño-Hillary and excelled, guarding some of the best in the country during Indiana’s nonconference and league title runs last season.

Moore-McNeil is capable of switching multiple times during a single possession and excelling with each, on and off the ball. Making plays on the ball to force turnovers and bad decisions was a major strength last season.

If you need a play on the defensive end, it’s worth counting on Moore-McNeil with her constant pressure.