On the Missouri women’s basketball team, there was only one forward to stay uninjured all season.
That forward also led the Tigers in points scored (13.2 per game), rebounds grabbed (9.9 per game), steals snatched (49 total) and blocked nearly half of the entire team’s 111 blocks with a sum of 46.
That was the only Tiger who came close to averaging a double-double per game every time she stepped on the court.
Leading the team to one of the best seasons in recent memory were the consistently exceptional efforts of sophomore forward Jordan Frericks.
Coming into the season, Frericks had big shoes to fill — Mizzou no longer had Bri Kulas on the team, a forward who finished her college basketball career in 2014 and led the team in scoring and double-doubles.
While Frericks started in every game this season, every other forward on Missouri’s roster was out at some point in the season due to injury, including two season-ending injuries early on for junior Kayla McDowell and freshman Bri Porter.
But Frericks took these potential setbacks and turned them into benefits, to the delight of Missouri coach Robin Pingeton.
“Jordan is a beast,” Pingeton said. “I’m so proud of her. It’s been amazing to see her grow as a player and I have a lot of confidence in her.”
Frericks managed to perform even better on the road than at home, averaging 17.3 points and 11.2 rebounds per away game and gaining the nickname “Road Warrior” on the team’s social media outlets.
Frericks’ talents got her to the point where opposing coaches prepared ahead for Frericks’ ferocity.
Arkansas coach Jimmy Dykes said he was proud of the way his team played against Frericks in the post, specifically mentioning how they limited her to “only 10 points.”
“They have good balance with Frericks on the inside,” Dykes said. “She’s a really good player. I’m really impressed with her just about as much as any post player in this league.”
Arkansas lost that game 57-41, with Mizzou limiting them to the least amount of points scored by an opponent since 2010.
Frericks was also recognized this season on a larger scale with her multiple accolades awarded by the Southeastern Conference.
Frericks was awarded SEC Player of the Week honors on March 2 after a strong performance throughout the week, averaging 17.5 points and 8.0 rebounds per game.
She was also named to the SEC All-Conference second-team at the end of the season, which was the highest ranking any Mizzou player received this year.
But through her 12 double-doubles and national attention, Frericks stayed humble and always attributed her success to her teammates.
“My teammates and my coaches,” Frericks said, “they give me all the confidence in the world to go out and do what I do. They’ve done everything to help me through practice in the game. They’ve gotten me to where I am right now.”
