Chloe Moore-McNeil's quiet confidence, defense guides IU: 'About time I believe in myself'

BLOOMINGTON — Night after night this season, Chloe Moore-McNeil has been tasked with guarding the opposing team’s best perimeter player. Against Iowa, she had to contain Caitlin Clark, the second-leading scorer in the nation. Moore-McNeil hounded her in every spot on the floor, forcing her into an inefficient 35 points on 28 shots. 

A week later, it was Michigan's Leigha Brown Moore-McNeil picked up in the full court, bumping her chest into the Michigan guard’s shoulder as the Wolverines inbounded the ball and staying on her hip for the entirety of what became a dangerous trek up the court throughout the night.

As Brown struggled through a 3-for-9 performance from the field, Moore-McNeil was her usual calm, stoic self. The junior has an understated confidence that wasn’t present in her first two collegiate seasons, a confidence that allows her to handle the never-ending wave of tough defensive assignments and has quietly made her one of Indiana’s most valuable players in the midst of its historically great season.

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“I just tell myself I can do this,” she said after the No. 2 Hoosiers’ 68-52 win over No. 13 Michigan, “and just take pride in my one-on-one defense.”

She stayed on Brown whenever she was on the court, staying tight on the perimeter and using enough lateral quickness to make drives to the basket difficult. One of the few times she left Brown was to creep up behind Elise Stuck and pick her pocket. It led to a layup on the other end.

On the subsequent possession, she swallowed up Brown’s push toward the basket, forcing a contested attempt that slipped out of her hands.

Moore-McNeil has started every game this season, playing mostly as an off-ball guard but was forced to the point when Grace Berger was injured in November. She performed well enough that coach Teri Moren has become comfortable having her run the offense when Berger is on the bench.

A year ago, Moore-McNeil came off the bench in all but two of the 31 games in which she appeared. As a freshman, she averaged 7.3 minutes per game. In the two years since, she’s worked in the shadows to become the defensive ace she is now. Never one to speak often or call attention to herself, she committed herself in the weight room.  

“If you look at pictures from Chloe now to what she looked like as a freshman, her little string bean self coming in here, she’s morphed into an athletic, sturdy, strong playmaker,” Moren said.

Within this season, she’s developed into more of a contributor on the offensive end. She’s made seven of her past 17 attempts from 3-point range after going more than a month without a trey earlier in the winter. Against Michigan, she picked her spots, shot when she was open and attacked the basket for 13 points.

Within her physical development has come mental strides, the self-confidence she takes into each game, the belief she needs while guarding a gauntlet of dangerous Big Ten perimeter scorers. 

“My growth has came from a mental standpoint, just being confident in myself,” Moore-McNeil said. “Since I’ve gotten here, my teammates, coaching staff, they’ve believed in me, and I think it’s about time that I believe in myself.”