Mizzou’s Kellie Harper prepares for return to old stomping grounds

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Mizzou women's basketball team's Thursday night matinee in Knoxville will have a whole lot of eyes on it, but mostly for reasons off court.

The SEC clash will mark first-year Tiger women's basketball coach Kellie Harper's first return to the program she both played and coached at. Before being let go in 2024, Coach Harper coached the Lady Vols for five seasons and even won a national championship as a player, under the leadership of legendary coach Pat Summit.

"I'm a professional at what I do," she said. "For me, I'm just doing my job and this is about our players. It really is. It's about our team and we're going over to play a game and I know there's to be so many people want to make it about me, and I get that, but it really isn't. It's about the game. You know, we've got to do our best to have our players prepared and, you know, just the challenges that we have on Thursday, are enormous. We know that they're big, they're athletic, but, you know, we'll fight and and play hard."

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

Coach Harper said she doesn't expect her emotions to be too high in her return into Thompson-Boling Arena, on Thursday, mostly due to the fact that she's nearly two years removed from her stint as the head coach.

Her Tigers will be facing a formidable Tennessee team, that's also faced its fair share of ups and downs in the 2025-26 season. Under the leadership of coach Kim Caldwell, the Lady Vols sit at No. 4 in the conference standings with a 15-6 mark on the season and 7-2 record in league play.

Despite the success that Caldwell and company have found this season, they are coming into the game against Mizzou off of the worst loss in program history. Tennessee fell No. 3 South Carolina 93-50, on Sunday, and will be looking to bounce back against the Tigers.

"You know, all season long we've played teams that have just come off losses or just come off big wins and, you know, you can't get too carried away or wrapped up in them. You have to stay true to who you are and control what we can control and that is our preparation and our game planning and our focus going into the game today," Harper said.

In the scouting report, Mizzou's staff has definitely highlighted the size and athleticism of the 2025-26 Lady Vols team, as the group is also one of the top offensive rebounding squads in the nation.

That will pose a challenge to an MU team that is struggling in the size department, as starting center Jordana Resima will likely miss her third-straight game with a lower-body injury, on Thursday.

"We're still day to day with her. You know, I know she wants to play. We have to, you know, allow her an opportunity to to rehab and we'll see. I don't know if or when that would happen, but we're giving it a shot," Harper said.

In the 6-foot-3 post player's absence, the Tigers have turned to the next-tallest player on the roster, which is veteran guard Grace Slaughter, standing at 6-foot-2.

The Grain Valley native has been a jack of all trades for Mizzou in her junior season, as she's played one through five for Harper in a season where depth in the post has been an issue. In fact, Harper said she's never had a season in her coaching career where she lacked this much depth at that part of the court, which has caused her and her staff to have to get creative.

"Well, so Popeye used to eat spinach, right? I don't know if there's any like magic sauce out there that would allow us to grow and pop out muscles that quickly. That'd be really good start," Harper joked.
But, no, I'll be honest with you, our staff has done an amazing job all year. They really have. They have put together game plans that a our players can comprehend and go out and execute and be that could be successful. Doesn't mean we always are, but it could be. So, I think our team responds well to our coaching staff. So, we'll get a game plan together. We'll make sure that we rep that game plan on both ends of the court, so that our team is as comfortable as they can possibly be before Thursday."

Mizzou will tip off against Tennessee in Knoxville at 5:30 p.m. CT on Thursday.