By MATT PIKE
St. Joseph Post
After Robin Pingeton announced her resignation as the head coach of Missouri women's basketball, the program has hired a proven winner to lead the team.
Missouri Athletic Director Laird Veatch announced today that Kellie Harper has been hired as the fifth head coach in Mizzou program history. Harper brings a championship pedigree to Columbia, including 16 postseason appearances in 20 seasons as a Division I head coach.
"We are absolutely thrilled to welcome Kellie Harper and her family to Mizzou," Veatch says in a news relase. "Kellie is a proven winner and dynamic leader who understands the 'Will to Win' necessary to succeed at the sport's highest level. "
"She is nationally respected, and her experience in the SEC, her deep ties to the state of Missouri and her ability to recruit and develop championship-level players make her the ideal leader for our program. We are incredibly excited about the future of Mizzou Women's Basketball under her leadership."
A native of Sparta, Tennessee, Harper returns to the state of Missouri after most recently serving as the head coach at Tennessee from 2019 to 2024. She has previous head-coaching stops at Western Carolina, North Carolina State, and Missouri State.
In 20 seasons as a Division I head coach, Harper has led her teams to a 393-260 record and nine NCAA Tournament berths. She has piloted her squads to 15 top-three league finishes and four conference tournament championships. In 2022-23, Harper led the Lady Volunteers to the NCAA Sweet 16 for a second consecutive season.
"I am incredibly honored to be the next head coach at Mizzou," Harper said. "Missouri is a special place, and I know firsthand the passion and pride that surrounds this program. Our family is excited to return to the state of Missouri. I look forward to working with our leadership and our student-athletes, building strong relationships throughout the community and winning championships in Columbia. The foundation is in place for success — and I can't wait to get started."
Spending five years with the Lady Vols, Harper rebuilt the historic program to national prominence. Two of her last three teams won 25 games, including a 25-9 record in 2021-22 with an 11-5 mark in SEC play and a 25-12 record in 2022-23 with a 13-3 mark against league competitors. The Lady Vols' 13 SEC wins in 2022-23 were the program's most since 2014-15 as they recorded 25 victories in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2013-14 and 2014-15.
Overall, Harper compiled a 108-52 record at Tennessee, including a 53-24 mark against SEC competition, ranking third in winning percentage in league games behind only LSU's Kim Mulkey and South Carolina's Dawn Staley.
"I am thrilled for the hiring of Kellie Harper as Mizzou's next women's basketball coach," said former Mizzou All-American Sophie Cunningham, the program's all-time leading scorer and now a member of the WNBA's Indiana Fever. "Kellie and her husband, Jon, have experienced winning both in Missouri and in the SEC. I have so much respect for Coach Harper, and I can't wait to support her and our Tigers however I can."
"I know from experience how incredible this fan base is when they're excited about women's basketball, and I can't wait to get Mizzou Arena rockin! Congratulations to Laird, the Board of Curators and Mizzou Nation on a fantastic hire. MIZ baby!"
Harper will be formally introduced at a press conference in Mizzou Arena. Further details will be announced at a later date.
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