Missouri women’s basketball team lands three standout recruits

The Missouri women’s basketball team announced three signings Wednesday, including a pair of teammates from Columbia’s Rock Bridge High School.

The Tigers signed Bruins guard Sophie Cunningham, who is the reigning Missouri Class 5 player of the year and Missouri Gatorade player of the year, along with Rock Bridge forward Cierra Porter and 6-foot-2 forward Hanna Schuchts from the Maclay School in Tallahassee, Fla.

“Our program got better today,” coach Robin Pingeton said. “They are all three capable of coming in and making an immediate impact in our program, and I believe they will. Sophie and Cierra are probably the highest-ranked players we have signed in the history of our program.”

Cunningham’s older sister, Lindsey, is a redshirt sophomore guard at MU, while Porter’s older sister, Bri, is a freshman forward for Pingeton’s Tigers.

Porter’s father, Michael, also is a Missouri assistant coach.

Sophie Cunningham, a 6-1 point guard who also kicks field goals for the Bruins football team, is ranked as the No. 20 recruit in the nation by ESPN’s 2015 HoopGurlz rankings, while Cierra Porter is ranked No. 79.

Led by Cunningham, Rock Bridge has won three consecutive state championships and posted a 78-11 record since 2011-12.

Cunningham chose MU over Louisville, Kansas and Florida.

Schuchts averaged 15 points and 10 rebounds last season. She chose the Tigers over South Carolina, Rutgers and Northwestern.

Missouri’s recruiting class is ranked 17th in the country by Prospect Nation, good for third-best in the SEC, and 24th by Blue Star Report.

This story was originally published November 12, 2014 at 4:40 PM with the headline "Missouri women’s basketball team lands three standout recruits."