‘Growth’ is the name of the game for Mizzou WBB through undefeated start

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Mizzou women's basketball team is undefeated to start the Kellie Harper era in Columbia.

The Tigers have won back-to-back games against Central Arkansas and Tulane to open up a new chapter of MU women's hoops, 2-0. However, those wins came on the heels of a challenge from their first-year head coach.

Following MU's loss to Division II Maryville in exhibition action before the start of the regular-season kicked off, Coach Harper challenged her group's competitiveness, adding that the loss to the Saints will put her message to her team in big, bold letters.

When asked about that challenge in Monday's meeting with the local media, Harper said her team has answered the call in its undefeated start.

"In the last two games, we had to make some plays down the stretch to get the win. I think that shows a level of competitiveness. I think it shows a level of focus and a level of growth from our team," she said. "I'm still pushing them in that area and we're doing that in practice daily. I liked our demeanor. I liked our poise. I liked our level of confidence in the last two games."

You can watch the full press conference with Coach Harper in the video player below.

Growth was the word of the day for Coach Kellie, as Mizzou still hopes to see a lot more of it. She said throughout the first pair of wins, her teams has made some strides, but there's still some boxes she'd like to see checked.

First and foremost, the Tiger still have a little work to do to master and be consistent with the basics. Harper said once they check off that box, a lot more things can be expanded, including the scouting report defense and packages.

"A lot of it is defensive scheme," Harper said when asked about what she harps on the most at practice. "I think, for us, talking about where we're sending the offensive player. I think that's the first thing. Pace is the second thing. They're hearing that a lot. They hear that word a ton. Pace, pace, pace, pace, pace. It's not just running down the floor fast. It's play fast in the half-court. That's where we're really trying to pick up our pace....Loose balls is also something we challenge them with daily, getting two hands on the ball."

The Tigers have already had to make some early adjustments in their roster, with about a handful of injuries on their hands. Guards Saniah Tyler and Sydney Mains, as well as forward Hannah Linthacum have all been out to start the season. Not having those players available, in addition to point guard Averi Kroenke's season-ending injury, gives Harper nine players available for action.

When asked about the status of Tyler, Mains and Linthacum on Monday, Harper didn't have any new updates.

In terms of adjusting to life without Kroenke on the court, Mizzou's first-year head coach said she had to slide some players into new positions.

"For us, immediately Shannon [Dowell] and Chloe [Sotell] were going to move form the wing to the point," she said. "[Lisa] Thompson is a point guard, so she's just getting more minutes. So, those three have done a pretty good job filling in the gaps in the past couple of weeks."

Another player adjusting to a new role is veteran guard Grace Slaughter, who fans have seen playing just about every position on the hardwood for the Tigers this season. The Grain Valley native has played at the high post, low post, 3-point line and really all over the court in her junior campaign.

It's a role that comes with some adjustments, but nothing that Coach Kellie said Slaughter isn't ready for.

As Mizzou looks to see that continued growth, the Tigers will get ready for a big week of action against Arkansas State and Kansas.

First up is the Red Wolves, who will visit Mizzou Arena on Tuesday night.

"They're about the press for 40 minutes and they're going to do a really good job getting three's off. Those are two things that you know you're going to see from this basketball team. There's no surprises when they step out on the court. So, this is going to be a huge challenge for us," Harper said.

After that game, MU will head to Kansas City for a neutral site rivalry showdown against Kansas at T-Mobile Center on Saturday at 6 p.m.

Although it's Coach Harper and many of her players' first year in Columbia, this year's football game against KU taught them plenty about with this rivalry is all about.

"You have to have no emotions at all to not understand what just happened there. I think, honestly, that was about as good of a tutorial in the rivalry as we could ever ask for. So, we were all at the game. We know what it means, we understand it's a big deal," she said.

Mizzou will tip off against Arkansas State at 6:30 p.m. at the Arena on Tuesday night. You can watch highlights on ABC 17 News at 10.