Mizzou women’s basketball brings maturity into 2023-24 season
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
The Mizzou women's basketball team will tip off the 2023-24 season on Nov. 6 against Belmont. Head coach Robin Pingeton is excited about the level of maturity and grit her squad has brought to the court in the off season.
She said this new Tiger group bonded right when they hit campus and added that their mindset coming into each practice is something special.
"They've been extremely competitive, really high energy and just very business like," she said during Tuesday's media day. "They work hard, they have fun, but they've just been such a joy to coach. I think this offseason they've really recalibrated me."
You can watch the full press conference with Pingeton in the video player below.
Pingeton's roster features eight new faces, five freshman and three transfers. 6-foot-2 forward Angelique Ngalakulondi transferred to Mizzou in the offseason, after spending four seasons at UMass. She said she was looking for a family atmosphere and she found it in Columbia.
She will look to make an immediate impact on the court for the Tigers.
"I'm strong, I think I'm a really good rebounder, I shoot at a high percentage with field goals, but overall I think I just know where to put myself to succeed on the court," Ngalakulondi said. "I know how to help my teammates get their shots too."
You can watch the full interview with Ngalakulondi, as well as freshman Grace Slaughter in the video players below.
Mizzou is returning a big name in 2023-24. Forward Hayley Frank decided to come back to Mizzou for her fifth season, much to the excitement of her teammates. In her senior season, she averaged about 13 points and four rebounds per game. The Missouri-native scored 20 or more points on 10 occasions last season, including a season-high 26 points in the pair of games against Tennessee.
Frank's senior success earned her a spot on the preseason All-SEC First Team list, on Tuesday. She said it's an honor that means a little more to her this season.
"I think typically I don't pay a lot of [attention]. Preseason honors don't really mean a lot, you have to go prove it, but at the same time today, I think more than normal, I was pretty excited. I had a big smile when I saw that, just with the level that the SEC is. I think it's pretty cool to get that respect," she said.
You can watch the full interview with Frank in the video player below.
Along with Frank, forwards Sarah Linthacum and Micah Linthacum, as well as guards Mama Dembele, Averi Kroenke and Ashton Judd all return for the Tigers. The team said the new faces have blended with the returning talent in a way that's pretty special.
"I think just the competitiveness that we've been able to bring into practice, I've never been able to be a part of because usually, I feel like, in girls sports that that can be taken really personally," Judd said. "With us, I think we just build off of each other. We take the good aspects of it and we're able to, if things maybe do get out of hand, leave it in between the court lines. Once we get back into the locker room after practice, we're all making jokes."
You can watch the full interview with Judd, as well as Kroenke in the video players below.
Mizzou was picked to finished 11th in the Southeastern Conference in the preseason media poll in Oct. The group said you can use that as motivation for the upcoming season.
"How can you not? Obviously, it's hard to look at, but I love being the underdog," Judd said.
Mizzou and Belmont will tip off at 11:30 a.m. against Belmont on Nov. 6 at Mizzou Arena.
