Teri Moren had no idea she was going to lose a player last week.
Czech guard Valentyna Kadlecova left the Indiana women’s basketball program on Dec. 15 to return home and pursue the professional game. The sophomore started IU’s first 10 games of the season, before Moren moved her to the bench in favor of freshman Maya Makalusky.
Kadlecova played one game as a reserve, but then she wasn’t present for IU’s win over Eastern Michigan, an absence Moren attributed to “personal reasons.” She officially left the program the next day.
IU’s head coach declined to elaborate on any details surrounding Kadlecova’s departure, but she said she didn’t know it would happen.
“(It was a) surprise, absolutely. Did not see that coming,” Moren said Sunday after Indiana’s win over Western Carolina. “Disappointed, more so for her teammates. (It) was a surprise.”
Senior Shay Ciezki and junior Lenée Beaumont seemed disappointed by Kadlecova leaving IU as well. The team’s leaders showed empathy for the Czech Republic native making a difficult decision, and made sure the remaining players keep the season on track.
“It’s an unfortunate situation. Val was not only a teammate, but a really close friend to us, but it was in her best decision to stay closer to family and just be home. We don’t know what that’s like, so it’s hard for us to even comprehend that. So we just wanted to make sure that we got together as a team and just stay strong for each other,” Ciezki said. “Next man up. Just trying to play for each other, any way that it looks.”
Moren’s program has gone through something like this before, though not exactly the same. Class of 2021 Australian guard Paige Price enrolled early and joined Indiana after Christmas, and she played in eight games in the 2020-21 season. But she opted to leave Bloomington in summer 2021 and return to Australia to turn professional.
But that was an offseason departure, while Kadlecova left mid-year.
Across 11 games this season, Kadlecova averaged 5.4 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 0.5 assists in 21.7 minutes per game. She shot 35.7 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from 3-point range. The Czech Republic native played very sparingly as a freshman last year, entering 11 games and totaling only 36 minutes.
Her departure has created additional opportunity for others on the team. Makalusky now appears entrenched in the starting lineup, while Phoenix Stotijn and Jerni Kiaku could see additional minutes off the bench.
“It’s kind of similar — I know, maybe (not) — but it’s similar to an injury. Now, it’s just, ‘OK, this is the group that we have, and it gives another person an opportunity to get more playing time and to step up and have an impact on our team.’ That’s how I would look at it,” Moren said. “If I’m Jerni and I’m a Phoenix, I’m really looking at this as an opportunity to help the team. And I’m hopeful that that’s kind of how they look at it. Because their minutes will certainly go up, because we do need them.”
IU is now down to 12 players on its roster, including Sydney Fenn, who has already been ruled out for the season. Center Zania Socka-Nguemen has missed six straight games, and Moren said the UCLA transfer has not yet returned to practice. And forward Faith Wiseman missed IU’s last two contests, leaving the Hoosiers with only nine players available. Australian center Zoe Jackson, a class of 2026 commit, is enrolling early and joining the team in January. But she intends to redshirt, a program spokesperson told The Daily Hoosier.
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