Sydney Parrish didn’t start her college career with Indiana women’s basketball.
But since transferring in from Oregon in 2022, she’s been one of the faces of the program. From the beginning of her time in Bloomington, the Fishers native became an instant fan favorite as the Indiana kid playing for the Hoosiers. Between that and her heavy social media presence, with many NIL deals, Parrish has become one of the most recognizable figures within IU women’s basketball. Fans have regularly interacted with her, whether they’re seeking autographs or photos after games, wishing her good luck before an NCAA Tournament game, or expressing their excitement ahead of a season.
“When people are walking across the street, (they’ll say), ‘Oh, we got season tickets!’ I’m like, ‘Oh! (Claps) We’ll be good this year!’ But it’s fun,” Parrish told The Daily Hoosier in September. “It’s fun to hear people say that.”
Her IU career is nearing its end after three memorable seasons. The Hoosiers, a No. 9 seed in the NCAA Tournament, take on No. 1 seed South Carolina on Sunday at 3 p.m. They’d have to pull off a massive upset in Columbia, S.C. to extend Parrish’s — and Chloe Moore-McNeil’s, and Karoline Striplin’s — Indiana careers.
But whether or not Sunday is the end of her journey in college basketball, Parrish knows she’s lived out dreams — both her own, and those of so many girls around Indiana. She said her younger self would be extremely proud of the player who’s worn the cream and crimson the last three years.
“It’s everything a little girl from Indiana would dream of,” Parrish said on Saturday. “No, I didn’t think I would be in an IU uniform. No, I didn’t think I’d be playing in March Madness. But you have to dream big when you’re younger, and this is something I’ve always dreamed of. I just never want to take that IU uniform off.”
Parrish transferred to IU in April 2022 along with Sara Scalia. Both of those additions felt significant for the program in different ways. Scalia was an All-Big Ten player who chose to stay in the conference and come to Bloomington. But Parrish, even if less accomplished at the college level than Scalia, got more buzz for her decision. She was already a recognizable name in the state, having won Miss Basketball in 2020 at Hamilton Southeastern. It felt like a big deal for someone like that to return to Indiana and play for the Hoosiers.
That decision paid dividends for both Parrish and IU. Playing closer to home with the Hoosiers helped her rediscover her love for basketball that she’d lost at Oregon. And Parrish played a key role on the program’s Big Ten championship team in 2023, and she’s been a strong vocal leader throughout her three years in Bloomington. She’s understood her platform as the in-state player on this team, and she’s worn that badge with pride since the first time she took the court at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall as a Hoosier.
“She represents this university and our program in such a great way,” IU head coach Teri Moren said in September. “She’s sort of become the face, and I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that she’s a native. She’s a Hoosier. A lot of people know Syd. And she gives back — as much as people want to give her attention and want to speak to Syd and take pictures with Syd, she’s the first one to put her arm around one of those little girls out there and spend some time with them.”
Parrish’s IU career hasn’t been completely smooth sailing, however. She suffered a foot injury in practice in January 2024, and missed eight games during a key part of Big Ten play last season. Those were the first games she’d missed in her college career. She needed time to settle back in when she returned to action, which is difficult near the end of a season. But she rarely, if ever, displayed frustration over her situation.
And the wing regained her best form when it mattered most: Parrish recorded 17 points and eight rebounds in IU’s win over Oklahoma in the NCAA Tournament second round, and she scored 21 points in the Sweet 16 against South Carolina.
The way she approached her injury last year left a strong impression on her teammates.
“Obviously, she’s big in the NIL world, social media world. Her class schedule was crazy because all her credits didn’t transfer over (from Oregon). And on top of that, she’s doing four conditioning workouts a day, her rehab, she’s at practice, just trying to get back for the team. And I never saw her once complain about it, break down about it. I talk to her about it all the time, like, ‘I really don’t know how you did that so well,'” sophomore Lenée Beaumont told The Daily Hoosier in September. “She didn’t leave Cook (Hall), and then she went to class, and then she would come right back here. Like I don’t even think she had time to eat. It was insane.”
Parrish then had to go through the injury recovery process again this season, when she hurt her knee in the Bahamas in November. She missed five games while working through that rehab, but returned before conference play picked back up in late December.
Nobody was surprised by her continued leadership while she was out, and by the way she attacked her rehab.
“She’s just somebody who’s persistent with that,” sophomore Lilly Meister said after IU’s win over Wisconsin in December. “Obviously, we don’t wanna see her go down ever, but the times that she has, she’s just been a great teammate. You can always hear her voice, whether she’s on the court or off of it.”
Parrish has scored 973 points as a Hoosier, so she’d need a career game Sunday — or an IU upset — to reach 1,000 points at Indiana. She surpassed that milestone at the end of last season for her full career, including her two seasons at Oregon.
But Parrish will leave a strong legacy in Bloomington, whether or not she reaches that milestone. She and Moore-McNeil were IU’s veteran leaders this year, and they had to navigate a much bumpier road than the Hoosiers had grown accustomed to the last several years. But they still helped the program continue its streaks of 20-win seasons and postseasons with an NCAA Tournament victory.
She’s had a tremendous on-court impact throughout her career. Over her three seasons, Parrish has averaged 11.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 35.8 percent from 3-point range. And she’s the sort of leader who will pour into her teammates on the floor and get them hyped up in big moments.
But the central facet of Sydney Parrish’s legacy with IU women’s basketball is the pride she displayed in being the Indiana kid playing for the Hoosiers. She understood how many young people around the state have looked up to her, as a Miss Basketball winner wearing an IU uniform — just as people did with Ali Patberg before her, and just as people likely will with Maya Makalusky after her.
Parrish has never shied away from talking about how much that role has meant to her. And now, she’s just hoping it doesn’t have to end on Sunday.
“I don’t know if I can put into words what it’s meant to be able to come and play for Indiana after transferring. I came home to play in front of family, friends, so many amazing people,” Parrish said on Saturday. “It’s just so special to be able to represent my home state, play for a coach like coach Moren. And I think that’s a big reason why you want to play so far into the tournament, because I don’t want it to be my last time putting on the Indiana jersey.”
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