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Kellie Harper's first roster with Missouri women's basketball is getting close to complete.
Harper, who was hired by the Tigers in March just one year after being fired by Tennessee, and her staff have been active on the recruiting front for Mizzou over the past couple months. Six new players have joined the squad via the transfer portal. Several more have left via the portal, including standout guard Ashton Judd to Texas.
That’s what’s new.
Between all the turnover, which garners the offseason attention, Mizzou also has five players confirmed to be returning — some of whom could be key pieces for Harper in her first season in Columbia.
Here is who will return for the Tigers for the 2025-26 season, what their roles are likely to look like and how the roster is currently shaping up.
Five players from last season’s roster are expected to return. The transfer portal is closed for new entries, so it is extremely unlikely that this will change.
Grace Slaughter, jr., wing: Slaughter is likely to be the centerpiece of Harper’s first Mizzou team. The Grain Valley, Missouri, native was a must-return piece for the coaching staff to build around after she averaged 15 points and 3.6 rebounds per game last season with a 45.9% mark from 3-point range. She’s back, and that’s MU’s gain.
Ma’Riya Vincent, r-fr., forward: Vincent is a returner in the loosest sense, as she missed her full true freshman season with a leg injury. She was a highly regarded recruit out of Houston, Texas, in the Class of 2024 and will likely have an opportunity for minutes as a redshirt freshman.
Averi Kroenke, r-jr., guard: Kroenke will be an experienced depth option at point guard. She averaged nearly six assists per 40 minutes last season after missing the full year prior due to injury, which is a solid foundation for the new staff to work with. But, she averaged just 2.6 points per game last season, so will need to add some scoring to her game to contribute.
Abbey Schreacke, jr., guard: The volume shooter out of Quincy, Illinois, is an encouraging returner for Harper. She gave the Tigers some productive perimeter shooting last season with 78.5% of her total field goal attempts coming from 3-point range, converting on 36.9% of those. She’ll again likely play the instant-offense role on the perimeter for MU.
Hannah Linthacum, jr., forward: The 6-4 forward out of Jefferson City averages a rebound every 5.4 minutes she’s on the floor, which is solid production. Depending on how Mizzou rounds out its frontcourt, Linthacum looks like she’ll earn bench minutes.
Point guard: Kroenke is joined by Kentucky transfer Saniah Tyler with the ability to handle ball-carrying duties next season, although Tyler projects more as a combo guard. Tyler saw her playing time decrease last season with the Wildcats after a coaching change, but the Florissant, Missouri, product was productive as a sophomore, scoring 10.2 points per game.
Guard/wing: Mizzou has depth at the guard and wing spots. The Tigers have added four transfers — Rutgers’ Lisa Thompson, Purdue’s Jayla Smith, Illinois State’s Shannon Dowell and FAU’s Sydney Mains — to the roster at the position. How the rotation in the perimeter positions will work out will be intriguing, as Slaughter and Schreacke both will feature heavily.
Forward: Cleveland State transfer Jordana Reisma, a 6-3 senior who averaged 14.5 points and 6.9 rebounds per game last season, currently projects to play the most minutes in the frontcourt. Linthacum seems likely to split time here with Vincent, but another addition seems likely, because …
Center: The Tigers do not currently have a player listed as a center on the roster. Reisma certainly could spend some time playing the five, but some size wouldn’t hurt.
If Missouri wants to make any more additions, there is room on the roster. There is expected to be a 15-player limit on rosters next season, although that becomes more questionable the longer the House v. NCAA settlement agreement remains stalled in the courts.
Assuming that there is a 15-player cap, then MU still has room to make four more additions. Don’t necessarily expect Mizzou to get all the way to capacity, though.
More: Who are the top quarterbacks on Missouri football’s 2025 schedule? Ranking all 12
More: Why Missouri basketball head coach Dennis Gates will hire a general manager
“Yeah, so the roster limit’s probably not going to affect women's basketball as much as some of the other sports that we're dealing with,” Harper said in response to a question from the Tribune on April 29. … “For us, we're trying to build a roster. We're trying to get the number where we want it to be able to compete and practice consistently and, you know, make sure that we're moving forward the right way.
“So, right now, the limits haven't affected us as much as just building a roster.”
That means Mizzou might be close to rounding out its spring business.
The last remaining areas of need appear to be some additional frontcourt depth and a player who can run the point.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: These players will return for Missouri women's basketball in 2025-26
Continue reading...
Harper, who was hired by the Tigers in March just one year after being fired by Tennessee, and her staff have been active on the recruiting front for Mizzou over the past couple months. Six new players have joined the squad via the transfer portal. Several more have left via the portal, including standout guard Ashton Judd to Texas.
That’s what’s new.
Between all the turnover, which garners the offseason attention, Mizzou also has five players confirmed to be returning — some of whom could be key pieces for Harper in her first season in Columbia.
Here is who will return for the Tigers for the 2025-26 season, what their roles are likely to look like and how the roster is currently shaping up.
Who will return for Missouri women’s basketball in 2025-26 season?
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Five players from last season’s roster are expected to return. The transfer portal is closed for new entries, so it is extremely unlikely that this will change.
Grace Slaughter, jr., wing: Slaughter is likely to be the centerpiece of Harper’s first Mizzou team. The Grain Valley, Missouri, native was a must-return piece for the coaching staff to build around after she averaged 15 points and 3.6 rebounds per game last season with a 45.9% mark from 3-point range. She’s back, and that’s MU’s gain.
Ma’Riya Vincent, r-fr., forward: Vincent is a returner in the loosest sense, as she missed her full true freshman season with a leg injury. She was a highly regarded recruit out of Houston, Texas, in the Class of 2024 and will likely have an opportunity for minutes as a redshirt freshman.
Averi Kroenke, r-jr., guard: Kroenke will be an experienced depth option at point guard. She averaged nearly six assists per 40 minutes last season after missing the full year prior due to injury, which is a solid foundation for the new staff to work with. But, she averaged just 2.6 points per game last season, so will need to add some scoring to her game to contribute.
Abbey Schreacke, jr., guard: The volume shooter out of Quincy, Illinois, is an encouraging returner for Harper. She gave the Tigers some productive perimeter shooting last season with 78.5% of her total field goal attempts coming from 3-point range, converting on 36.9% of those. She’ll again likely play the instant-offense role on the perimeter for MU.
Hannah Linthacum, jr., forward: The 6-4 forward out of Jefferson City averages a rebound every 5.4 minutes she’s on the floor, which is solid production. Depending on how Mizzou rounds out its frontcourt, Linthacum looks like she’ll earn bench minutes.
How is Mizzou’s roster shaping up for 2025-26 season?
Point guard: Kroenke is joined by Kentucky transfer Saniah Tyler with the ability to handle ball-carrying duties next season, although Tyler projects more as a combo guard. Tyler saw her playing time decrease last season with the Wildcats after a coaching change, but the Florissant, Missouri, product was productive as a sophomore, scoring 10.2 points per game.
Guard/wing: Mizzou has depth at the guard and wing spots. The Tigers have added four transfers — Rutgers’ Lisa Thompson, Purdue’s Jayla Smith, Illinois State’s Shannon Dowell and FAU’s Sydney Mains — to the roster at the position. How the rotation in the perimeter positions will work out will be intriguing, as Slaughter and Schreacke both will feature heavily.
Forward: Cleveland State transfer Jordana Reisma, a 6-3 senior who averaged 14.5 points and 6.9 rebounds per game last season, currently projects to play the most minutes in the frontcourt. Linthacum seems likely to split time here with Vincent, but another addition seems likely, because …
Center: The Tigers do not currently have a player listed as a center on the roster. Reisma certainly could spend some time playing the five, but some size wouldn’t hurt.
Will Mizzou add any more players?
If Missouri wants to make any more additions, there is room on the roster. There is expected to be a 15-player limit on rosters next season, although that becomes more questionable the longer the House v. NCAA settlement agreement remains stalled in the courts.
Assuming that there is a 15-player cap, then MU still has room to make four more additions. Don’t necessarily expect Mizzou to get all the way to capacity, though.
More: Who are the top quarterbacks on Missouri football’s 2025 schedule? Ranking all 12
More: Why Missouri basketball head coach Dennis Gates will hire a general manager
“Yeah, so the roster limit’s probably not going to affect women's basketball as much as some of the other sports that we're dealing with,” Harper said in response to a question from the Tribune on April 29. … “For us, we're trying to build a roster. We're trying to get the number where we want it to be able to compete and practice consistently and, you know, make sure that we're moving forward the right way.
“So, right now, the limits haven't affected us as much as just building a roster.”
That means Mizzou might be close to rounding out its spring business.
The last remaining areas of need appear to be some additional frontcourt depth and a player who can run the point.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: These players will return for Missouri women's basketball in 2025-26
Continue reading...
