Ali Patberg fought back tears as she described what it felt like to bring the Indiana women’s basketball program to an elite level.
The Elite Eight to be exact.
Patberg and the Hoosiers are one win away from the Final Four. The No. 4 seeds in the Mercado Region will take on No. 3 seed Arizona in the regional final at 9 p.m. today in San Antonio.
“This is a dream to play for Indiana,” Patberg said following Saturday night’s 73-70 upset of top-seeded NC State. “I grew up right down the road. I’m a Hoosier, and this means the world to me. My team, our program, it’s a blessing. It’s a dream come true, and to be here on this stage, I can’t even explain how much of a blessing it is and how thankful I am and grateful I am to be a part of this team and this school. Growing up, I was in Assembly Hall so much. It’s just a dream for me.”
When Patberg was in Assembly Hall growing up, however, it wasn’t to see the IU women’s team play. It was to see the storied Hoosier men’s squad.
Now, Patberg and the women’s team are writing their own history. This is their first-ever appearance in the Elite Eight.
“It came full circle for me,” said Patberg, the senior point guard from Columbus North. “I’m just thankful and grateful that I have the opportunity to wear this jersey and be out there with my teammates and play for amazing coaches.”
Patberg’s road to Bloomington took a little bit of a circuitous route. She spent two years at Notre Dame, the first of which she sat out after tearing an ACL in preseason practice.
After playing in 22 games and reaching the Elite Eight in the 2016-17 season at Notre Dame, Patberg needed a change. She needed only one visit to discover IU was the place she wanted to finish her career.
“My journey has been very different, but it’s been perfect,” Patberg said. “I had a lot of hard battles early on. I got injured. I transferred. But I came to Indiana, where they believed in me, when at times, I didn’t question myself, but I lost a lot of confidence in my ability to play the game of basketball. I took my first visit to IU, and I just could tell that the coaching staff and the program were different. They were unique. They were going to put in the same work that I wanted to put in. It’s been a different journey for me, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
IU coach Teri Moren said she and her staff had to rebuild Patberg’s confidence during the 2017-18 season, which she had to sit out because of the transfer.
“She was broken when she arrived at Indiana, but as long as she had somebody that was willing to work and be in the gym with her and love on her and laugh with her, we just watched her blossom in front of us to the kid I watched in high school who played so fearlessly at Columbus North and was an emotional leader,” Moren said. “It’s been such a pleasure to coach her and to help her, just watch her and be a part of her journey. I’m so blessed to be a part of Ali Patberg and the journey she’s been on since she’s been at Indiana.”
Moren feels fortunate to be coaching Patberg.
“Ali Patberg is one of the best kids I will ever coach, and when I say that, I mean her character, how she’s been raised, her respect level that she has for her staff and for her team,” Moren said. “We just loved on her. She is a passionate kid…
“She makes everybody else around her better,” Moren added. “But I think most importantly, Ali makes people feel important. It’s really special. When you’re in her presence, it’s all about you. She doesn’t get distracted. She’s not an on-the-phone kind of kid, text messaging. That’s not Ali. She wants to be in the moment right there with someone, getting to know them on a personal level, and she’s been an unbelievable leader for this group. None of this is possible without Ali Patberg and the leadership she provides in that locker room every night for those kids.”
