Missouri Tigers hire decorated head coach to lead women’s basketball program
The Missouri Tigers found a new women’s basketball coach on Tuesday, one likely familiar to fans of the game — especially around the Show Me State.
Mizzou athletic director Laird Veatch announced in a news release that Kellie Harper has been hired as the next head coach of the Tigers, succeeding Robin Pingeton.
Harper, 47, most recently coached the Tennessee Volunteers, where she starred as a player for the legendary Pat Summitt. But the experience she brings to the job in Columbia extends beyond the Southeastern Conference.
Her teams made 16 postseason appearances in Harper’s 20 seasons as a Division I head coach, playing nine times in the NCAA Tournament. Tennessee, where she coached from 2019-24, made it to the Sweet 16 in back-to-back seasons.
One of just two coaches to lead four different programs to the women’s NCAA tourney — she’s 393-260 overall with nine NCAA Tournament berths to her credit — Harper becomes the fifth head coach in the history of MU women’s hoops.
“We are absolutely thrilled to welcome Kellie Harper and her family to Mizzou,” Veatch said in the school’s news release. “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.”
Pingeton, who coached the Tigers for 15 seasons starting in 2010, when Missouri still played in the Big 12 Conference, had announced last month that she’d be stepping down at season’s end.
On Tuesday, Harper expressed enthusiasm for an MU job that will entail some hard work. The Tigers finished 14-18 overall in the just-concluded 2024-25 regular season, including a lowly 3-13 in SEC competition.
“I am incredibly honored to be the next head coach at Mizzou,” Harper said in the school’s news release. “Missouri is a special place, and I know firsthand the passion and pride that surrounds this program.”
She also stressed her excitement about returning to the state of Missouri. She was the head coach at Missouri State from 2013-19, going 118-79 and winning Missouri Valley Conference tourney titles in 2016 and 2019. In 2015-16, she guided the Bears to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in a decade.
“I look forward to working with our leadership and our student-athletes, building strong relationships throughout the community and winning championships in Columbia,” she said. “The foundation is in place for success — and I can’t wait to get started.”
Former Tigers star Sophie Cunningham, now playing with the Indiana Fever of the WNBA, was among those endorsing the hire Tuesday afternoon.
“I have so much respect for Coach Harper,” Cunningham said in the MU news release, “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!”
Perhaps the most ringing endorsement of Harper’s abilities is this, from Summitt, the basketball coaching icon who died in 2016:
“As a player at the University of Tennessee, Kellie showed great leadership, poise and dedication,” Summitt said in Harper’s MSU coaching bio, still visible on the Bears’ website. “She knows the game of basketball. She is an excellent teacher, and her passion for the game is infectious. ...”
Harper previously coached at North Carolina State for four years (going 70-64 from 2009-13) and Western Carolina for five (97-65 from 2004-09).
This story was originally published March 18, 2025 at 3:44 PM.