Phoenix Stotijn was one of the first transfer portal prospects to commit to head coach Teri Moren’s reloading project in Bloomington his past offseason. She joins the Hoosiers after a brief spell with Arkansas, bringing an intriguing skillset that’ll make for some interesting lineup decisions.
The Background
Stotijn spent the previous two seasons with Arkansas, redshirting as a freshman in 2023-24 before taking on a bench role as a sophomore before being elevated to a starter. She’s originally from Amsterdam in the Netherlands
and has experience in international play with a few notable performances in the European Championships.
The Stats and Skillset
Stotijn averaged 7.2 points, 1.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game while shooting 31.7% from the field, 26% from long range and 52.4% from the free throw line in 25.7 minutes per game this past season with the Razorbacks. There’s no getting past it, those stats are not particularly good. Arkansas as a team wasn’t particularly good, so it’ll be interesting to see what a change of environment can do for her.
If the stats tell one story, the eye test tells a bit of a different one.
Standing at 5’9”, she doesn’t have great size for the backcourt but makes up for it in spades with her athleticism and what she’s capable of doing with the ball in her hands.
Stotijn isn’t some shot-chucker looking to score at all costs, pretty far from it. She has some speed and a pretty good handle, using both to get a defense into rotation in the halfcourt or push the ball in transition. She’s a capable and willing passer from there, setting up great opportunities for teammates to score.
Of course, that ability also sets up opportunities for herself. She can breeze by defenders off the dribble and take the ball to the rack.
The Role
Stotijn’s player profile is more than a little confusing. Watching her play, she looks excellent and has the kind of ball-handling athleticism the past few Indiana rosters have lacked and the staff has sought out. Looking at her numbers, it’s pretty concerning.
But you can see why Indiana was interested in her. There’s the aforementioned ability to handle the ball, but it’s paired with a willingness to find open teammates and push the pace, the kind of team basketball Moren has prioritized. Also, she has three more seasons of eligibility remaining, which is ample time to improve on last year’s numbers.
I’m not Teri Moren, who has forgotten more about basketball than I could ever hope to know. It’s been difficult for me to envision a clear-cut starting five from the current roster, which makes Stotijn’s role more challenging.
If she had a bit more size she’d make for a really good option at the wing, but she’s just 5’9”, which lines her up for a backcourt role. Shay Ciezki is almost certainly locked in as a starter at shooting guard and I’m not sure Indiana would opt for Stotijn to run the point. There’s a path to starting minutes there for her and that could ultimately be her spot at the beginning of the season. If Indiana had a bit more experience there, she’d make a lot of sense as a bench option in the backcourt.
