At the start of IU’s exhibition game against University of Indianapolis on Nov. 6, sophomore forward Kym Royster was in the circle at center court to contest the opening tip for the first time as a Hoosier.
After an up-and-down freshman year, Royster earned a spot in IU’s starting lineup. In the first two regular season games, Royster maintained her hold on that spot.
“Kym’s just been very consistent, and she’s earned the right to be in that starting position,” IU Coach Teri Moren said. “I think she just has continued to play with more confidence. She’s played really well for us, and I hope that continues.”
Last season, there were flashes of brilliance from Royster, but they were often followed by rough stretches. She appeared in all 32 games for IU but never started. After tallying 17 points and eight rebounds at Minnesota last January, she registered just 15 points total in her next six games, including three scoreless outings.
After she notched her first career double-double at Illinois in February, she failed to top six points in three of her next four games. It was that kind of year for Royster, who didn’t quite see the court enough to build the consistency Moren wanted. Royster averaged fewer than 12 minutes per game during the season.
At the end of the year, Royster was able to leave a lasting impression with a strong performance in IU’s season-ending loss against Notre Dame in the NCAA Tournament. Royster played a season-high 29 minutes and finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
She said that game made it easy to find the motivation to work hard in the offseason.
“I thought that was a game played well all around even though the result wasn’t what we wanted, but that kind of showed me that I have the potential to start,” Royster said. “So that’s what kind of motivated me to work hard.”
Royster said she focused on improving her midrange game and learning how to spot mismatches. Her ability to run and keep up with IU’s up-tempo offense gives her a huge advantage in the battle for minutes among IU’s post players. So far this year, Royster has rewarded Moren for her decision to insert the Ohio native into the lineup.
Royster delivered a standout performance in the exhibition game with 18 points and eight rebounds in just 21 minutes. In the opening regular season game against Presbyterian, she dominated a smaller frontcourt to the tune of nine points, nine rebounds and three blocks. Most impressively, she pulled down seven offensive rebounds.
The game that arguably showed the most growth for Royster, however, was Sunday’s win against Vanderbilt. Royster started yet again but picked up two fouls in the first minute and checked out for the rest of the first half.
When Royster returned to start the second half, she played aggressive, salvaged a solid personal performance and helped the Hoosiers pull away. In 11 second-half minutes, Royster notched five points, four rebounds, an assist and a steal, all while picking up just one more foul. Moren said Royster’s second half performance was a clear sign of improvement.
“I’m pleased with the way Kym came back in and didn’t foul out,” Moren said. “That shows a lot of growth from her end, because maybe a year ago she would have fouled out by the third quarter. She showed some discipline there by not fouling out of the game.”
