When Grace Berger was drafted seventh overall by the Indiana Fever in the 2023 WNBA Draft, Hoosier fans were excited to watch one of Indiana women’s basketball’s greats just up the road in Indianapolis.
But Berger’s tenure with the Fever hasn’t gone the way Hoosier fans, and Indiana women’s basketball head coach Teri Moren, had hoped.
The 6-foot guard has played in just 10 of the Fever’s 39 games so far this season, averaging 2.9 points, 1.2 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game.
“We’d like to see Grace play a little bit more,” Moren said Wednesday at Indiana basketball’s institutional media day.
When the WNBA took a month-long break due to the Olympics, Berger returned to the practice court inside Cook Hall in Bloomington. Isaiah Specks, the newly promoted director of player development/scouting, worked out Berger while she was back, and Moren said that had to be one of the highlights of his career.
“When she came back during the Olympic break, it was great to have her back in the gym in front of those kids where they’re watching a pro work out and just watching her pace that she goes at,” Moren said.
Although Berger has had a lack of playing time through two seasons with the Fever, Moren said that she and the program are still proud of Berger and what she accomplished at Indiana before being drafted.
After her rookie season with the Fever, Berger traveled to Spain to play for Lointek Gernika Bizkaia. She played in just eight games there, however, before she suffered a left thumb fracture in November 2023 that forced her to return home to Indiana.
Now, when the Fever’s playoff run ends, Berger will head to Ankara, Turkey, to play for OGM Orman Genclik Ankara.
“We’re super proud,” Moren said.
Follow reporter Dalton James (@DaltonMJames) and columnist Ryan Canfield (@_ryancanfield) for updates throughout the Indiana women’s basketball season.
