The greatest to ever do it — Mackenzie Holmes reflects on her Indiana women’s basketball career: ‘I love being a Hoosier’

Unfortunately in college sports there is not a happy ending for every athlete. In fact, more often times than not, a player’s career ends in defeat. Both for the player and the team. And, while that is how Indiana women’s basketball center Mackenzie Holmes saw her career end — strictly by the score on the scoreboard — she was a winner, and more importantly, helped make Indiana into a winning program.

Holmes committed to Indiana and head coach Teri Moren when the program wasn’t what it is now.

When she committed, Indiana had been to just six NCAA Tournaments and never been ranked in the top-20.

As she leaves, Indiana went to four straight NCAA Tournaments and were ranked in the top-20 in every season — including three years finishing the season inside the top-15.

She helped Indiana win the Big Ten regular season title in 2023 — its first in nearly 40 years. She helped IU make three Sweet Sixteens, one Elite Eight and the first-ever one-seed in the NCAA Tournament last year.

As a player, Holmes was a three-time All-American, unanimous First-Team All-American, Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and the Indiana women’s basketball all-time scoring and wins leader.

“Mackenzie Holmes has been one of our greatest players ever to put on an Indiana uniform and will go down in history as one of the greatest,” Moren said after Indiana’s 79-75 loss to No. 1 South Carolina on Friday. “So I’m sad for her because I know she’s sad that it’s over.”

Holmes ended her career with 2,530 points and a 17.2 point per game average in her five years.

She also helped lead Indiana to four of the top six winningest seasons in program history.

Following the loss, Holmes took a minute to break down her feelings about Indiana, head coach Teri Moren and the entire university.

“Yeah, I mean, obviously anyone who knows me knows how much I love being a Hoosier,” Holmes said. “I just pray that any high schooler that is looking at colleges that they pick a school that they feel the same way that I have felt about Indiana. I know the transfer portal is huge right now, but I’m here for five years because I loved being a Hoosier, and I loved every second. I just pray that every student-athlete gets to feel the way I feel about a school because they deserve it. It’s an amazing feeling.

“I wouldn’t be this upset if it didn’t mean so much to me. Accomplishments aside, I’ve met friends that have turned into family here at IU, people that I’ll have with me for the rest of my life, and I think that’s the greatest accomplishment of all is the experiences, the moments and the people that I’ve spent five years here with.

“I’m just very, very thankful that Coach Moren saw something in me, offered me to play here, and that I’ve gotten the chance to play five years under her with some really, really special people. Coach Moren has exemplified what a strong woman looks like, what a fearless leader looks like. She’s the most competitive person I’ve ever met in every aspect of her life. I’ve never had a female head coach before coming to college ever in my life, and the fact that Coach Moren has been able to guide all of us and lead all of us, there’s really no one better, and I’m very, very thankful.”