Head coach Robin Pingeton welcomes back a strong group of returning players along with many new faces.
A season ago, the Missouri women’s basketball team finished with an overall record of 18-14 and 6-10 in SEC play. The Tigers reached the second round of the Women’s National Invitational Tournament before falling to rival Kansas.
Missouri lost six players this offseason but kept plenty of their key contributors from last year, including senior Mama Dembele, graduate student Hayley Frank, sophomore Ashton Judd, sophomore Averi Kroenke, redshirt senior Micah Linthacum and junior Sarah Linthacum.
Frank’s impeccable performance last season highlights the returners. She averaged 15.4 points per game while shooting 46.6% from the field and 41% from deep, good enough for All-SEC Second Team honors. Her season-scoring high came on Feb. 2 against Alabama, when she scored 26 points, including a perfect 11 out of 11 shots from the free throw line. The Strafford, Missouri native enters her final year with high expectations, as she was voted Preseason All-SEC First Team.
“She has put in a lot of work this offseason […] I think she’s grown more comfortable being a vocal leader for us,” Head Coach Robin Pingeton said.
Judd, a sophomore guard, is the team’s second-highest returning scorer, averaging 7.4 points per game last season. She was a sharpshooter from beyond the arc, making 44.9% of her three-pointers, helping earn her a spot on the All-SEC Freshman Team. Her three-point ability was on full display in the team’s Feb. 16 matchup against Mississippi State, where Judd scored 16 points, making all three of her attempts from downtown. While Judd didn’t start a single game last season, she will likely be a consistent part of the starting five this year.
“I thought she had a tremendous June and July,” Pingeton said. “It’s been fun to see the growth in her, and we’re going to need her to step up.”
Another returning guard is Dembele. In her first three seasons with the Tigers, Dembele has started 77 of a possible 81 games. Last season, the Manlleu, Spain native averaged 3.8 points and 3.0 assists in 21.9 minutes of playing time. Dembele looks to increase her role as a scorer, specifically inside the paint.
“The point of emphasis for this offseason was to be able to finish at a higher rate around the rim,” Pingeton said. “She’s done a really tremendous job in practice so far.”
Kroenke is ready to see her first sustained action in her second season. Kroenke was ranked as the No. 2 recruit in Missouri in the 2022 recruiting class after earning three straight All-State honors while at Rock Bridge High School. During her freshman season, the Columbia native only averaged 9.9 minutes in her 29 games played. Despite having a limited role, she made a defensive impact with 16 steals and nine blocks.
Finally are the pair of Linthacum sisters, Micah and Sarah. The duo both played at Jefferson City High School, leading the Jays to their first-ever state title appearance in 2019.
Micah returns as a redshirt senior, after only averaging 5.1 minutes per game last season. She was an extremely efficient shooter, making 76.5% of her shots from the floor in 17 attempts and 80% from behind the arc in five attempts last year.
Her younger sister, Sarah, saw more action, including six starts. The then-sophomore did her part in the paint, scoring all 49 of her points inside the arc while averaging 2.0 rebounds per game. This season, the two will be joined by their youngest sister and freshman Hannah.
In addition, the team added plenty of talent through transfer and the incoming freshman class.
Graduate senior De’Myla Brown is a 5-foot-7-inch point guard who is one of the most experienced players in the country. Missouri is the final stop in her college career after spending four years at four different schools. Brown spent last season with the Houston Cougars, averaging 5.9 points per game despite missing 15 contests. Unfortunately, Brown’s eligibility waiver was denied by the NCAA as she is a multiple-time transfer. With a year to rest ahead of her, the hope is that Brown can be a factor in the backcourt next season.
“That was really unfortunate,” coach Pingeton said. “But we knew that [denied eligibility] was a possibility.”
Senior Abby Feit is a 6-foot-1-inch wing who transferred from Evansville University. As a team captain, she earned three consecutive All-MVC team honors in four seasons. This past season, she averaged 15.5 points and 7.6 rebounds per game while showcasing capable shooting and defensive abilities. She’ll look to bring the same production to the SEC.
Graduate senior Angelique Ngalakulondi is a 6-foot-2-inch forward who transferred to Missouri after spending four seasons being a key contributor for the University of Massachusetts Minutewomen. Over the last two years, Ngalakulondi helped Massachusetts to an Atlantic-10 Conference Tournament championship, a regular season conference championship and an NCAA Tournament appearance. In her final season with the Minutewomen, she averaged 7.7 points and 5.9 rebounds per game while leading the Atlantic 10 conference in field goal percentage at 56.6%. Coach Pingeton will look to Ngalakulondi to bring this consistency and winning mentality to the Tigers this season.
“She’s got a chance to be really special […] She’s really powerful and explosive […] I think she’s a piece we haven’t had in the past,” Pingeton said.
Finally, a handful of freshmen will look to prove themselves in their first collegiate season.
Hilke Feldrappe is a 6-foot-3-inch forward from Berlin, Germany who adds needed size to the Tigers lineup. With many of the current roster members being seniors, Feldrappe could easily be a factor in the frontcourt for years to come.
Hannah Linthacum is a 6-foot-4-inch forward from Jefferson City, Missouri. She is a fourth-generation Tiger and the third Linthacum sister to join the women’s basketball team. In her time at Jefferson City High School, Linthacum was named to the Missouri All-State team and the state’s Class 5 player of the year.
Lucija Milkovic is a 6-foot-6-inch center, making her the tallest member of the Tiger’s roster. The Sibenik, Croatia native will have the opportunity to fill the missing piece in the middle after the transfer of Missouri’s starting center this past offseason, Jayla Kelly.
Abbey Schreacke is a 6-foot guard from Quincy, Illinois. In 2022, Schreacke helped Quincy Notre Dame High School to a Class 2A state championship title. She followed this up by leading the team to a 36-2 record in her senior season. As a three-time All-State selection, Schreacke will hope to translate this outstanding production with the Tigers.
Last but certainly not least, Grace Slaughter is a 6-foot-2-inch guard from Grain Valley, Missouri. At Grain Valley High School, Slaughter garnered national media attention for her outstanding play. This included a McDonald’s All-American selection and becoming a member of the U16 Jr. Olympic Team. She also earned All-State honors four times as well as being named the Missouri Gatorade Player of the Year in 2023. Last season, she averaged 27.8 points per game as the No. 53 ranked high school recruit.
“All of our freshmen have been off-the-charts phenomenal,” Pingeton said. “Just the way they show up, the way they compete, their leadership skills, their work ethic.”
Missouri will look to reach their first NCAA Tournament bid since the 2018-19 season. The Tigers open their season at home against Belmont on Monday, Nov. 6.
Edited by Quentin Corpuel | qcorpuel@themaneater.comCopy edited by Sterling Sewell | ssewell@themaneater.comEdited by Sophie Rentschler | srentschler@themaneater.com