A pair of former Indiana women’s basketball players hoping to land on WNBA rosters will have to wait and see if another team has a roster spot for them.
Grace Berger on Wednesday was waived by the Minnesota Lynx. Two days prior, Mackenzie Holmes was cut by the Seattle Storm. WNBA teams had to finalize their rosters before the regular season openers this weekend, cutting them to 12. The former Hoosiers helped IU coach Teri Moren elevate the program by both hosting NCAA tournament games and also earning a No. 1 seed in 2023.
Berger, a 25-year-old guard, played two seasons for the Indiana Fever before being waived in February to accommodate the title-contending moves. She was added by the Lynx, and was thought of highly by coach Cheryl Reeve.
“Her ability to get to her spots, I think is uncanny. I watched it in college and though, ‘Well, is she going to be able to do that in our league?’ The answer is yes,” Reeve said May 3. “… She’s actually expanded her game as well. … Expanding your game to the 3 and adding more value in that space, she’s also expanded that value by playing more than one position.”
Berger continued to work out late after a practice Tuesday night, even.
Cheryl speaking very highly on Grace Berger after training camp today:
“The game is easy for Grace… her ability to get to her spots, I think, is uncanny.. she’s a good player.”
Grace apparently hit a really tough shot to end camp today:
“If you asked each of the teams, who… pic.twitter.com/XD7dafw9UU
The 6-foot guard played 47 games for the Fever after being selected seventh overall in the 2023 WNBA Draft. Berger, a Louisville native, averaged 3.9 points, 1.6 assists and 1.5 rebounds while shooting 44.1% from the field and 46.2% on 3-pointers (18 for 39) across her career.
Holmes, meanwhile, has not yet made her WNBA debut. She was drafted 26th overall in the 2024 WNBA Draft but she had major knee surgery and missed that season. Still, she signed a rookie scale contract which was set to begin in 2025.
An IU legend, Holmes was the first in program history to become a first-team All American. She spent last season as a graduate assistant for Moren and her staff.
Want more Hoosiers coverage? Zach Osterman, Michael Niziolek and Chloe Peterson keep up with IU all season. Sign up for IndyStar’s Hoosiers newsletter. Listen to Mind Your Banners, our IU Athletics-centric podcast, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: 2 former Indiana women’s basketball players part of WNBA roster cuts
Reporting by Aaron Ferguson, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
