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COLUMBIA, Mo. — Missouri women’s basketball team is eyeing a turnaround, too.

Southeastern Conference play went only marginally better for the school’s women’s team than it did for the men’s club, with coach Robin Pingeton’s squad finishing 2-14 against conference opponents last year and ending the season on a 12-game losing streak. The MU men were 0-18 in league play.

Now, the Mizzou women’s hoops program is entering a unique season. Two veteran stars — forward Hayley Frank and point guard Mama Dembele — departed over the offseason. Two young players with high potential — guards Grace Slaughter and Ashton Judd — will be stepping into much bigger roles. And Pingeton herself is in the final year of her contract.

Even with the uncertainty of who will guide the program once the upcoming season ends, Pingeton was successful in the transfer portal over the offseason.

“A couple things that we really wanted to add out of the portal were athleticism and size, and I feel like we accomplished that,� she said. “Quite a few new players. You never know for sure what you’re going to get because that portal process happens so quickly but we got exactly who we thought we were going to get.�

Among the names to know are forward Laniah Randle, who transferred to MU after an all-Missouri Valley Conference campaign at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, and Nyah Wilson, who was the Mountain West’s newcomer of the year last season at New Mexico. Center Tionna Herron, who transferred in from Texas, was a top-70 recruit in high school but missed her freshman season after undergoing heart surgery and might need more time to get her conditioning up before impacting much on the floor this season.

Randle and Wilson likely will enter Mizzou’s rotation. Slaughter and Judd will be the mainstays and focal points of the offense. Averi Kroenke, who missed all of last season because of an injury, and Abbey Schreacke will split point-guard duties. Angelique Ngalakulondi, another player who missed significant time because of an injury last year, and Hannah Linthacum are the likely center options to start the season.

Missouri’s season begins Monday with a 5 p.m. game at Vermont, which will be streamed on ESPN+. Pingeton scheduled the game to give Ngalakulondi a chance to play close to her hometown in New Hampshire. The Tigers’ home opener is Nov. 7 against Southern.

However, after dealing with the impacts of injuries in 2023-2024, Pingeton brought in more depth, which will give her more options as far as lineups go.

“I think you’ll see, early in the (nonconference games), you’ll see us go with a lot of different rotations,� she said. “I think we’ve got more depth … at every position, which is exciting, and I want to keep them really aggressive in practice.�

The losses of Frank and Dembele are notable ones in the program’s trajectory. Frank finished her collegiate career as one of four players in MU history to score 2,000 points and led the team last season with 16.4 points per game. Dembele was an all-SEC defensive player who averaged 6.5 assists and 3.3 steals per game last season.

Frank’s shooting ability on the perimeter and Dembele’s driving were heavy stylistic influences on last year’s team.

“As a coach, you get comfortable with that point guard-head coach relationship. (Dembele) did a lot of great things for us,� Pingeton said. “We knew, especially her junior and senior year, the way she was really able to push pace for us and get a piece of that paint in transition was huge. To be able to recruit players that we thought could maintain that level was really important. I think we have that — they just don’t have the same experience that Mama had.�

Judd and Slaughter, two in-state players entering their third and second seasons, respectively, are now the faces of the program.

Judd started all 30 games last season, posting 13.4 points and 6.4 rebounds per game, including a smattering of double-doubles. Slaughter was an all-SEC Freshman Team pick after starting all but one game in her first season, scoring 11.5 points per game on 47.3% shooting from the field.

They have defined areas of improvement for this season. Judd expects to operate in the paint more and has been refining her balance. Slaughter wants to add more of a midrange shot to her portfolio and has also improved her nutrition. Both players will be part of a reworked defensive approach that’s likely to present more full-court pressure.

“You always worry about where they plateau,� Pingeton said. “Those young ladies have just an incredible work ethic, and they’re really disciplined with their daily routines.�

Looking ahead

Pingeton’s contract will run out on April 30, 2025. It’s rare for coaches to hold jobs into the last years of their deals, given that there isn’t much of an incentive for them to recruit during that season — and Missouri does not have any commitments in the 2025 recruiting class.

That’s the reality of Mizzou’s program, but Pingeton and her players seemed unfazed about it.

“We’ve talked with her about some of those things,� Slaughter said, “and I think she just wants us to play free and work hard and keep the game in perspective, whatever that looks like.�

“We’ve just really been worried about the team,� Judd added. “We’re implementing a lot of things right now. … That’s not really been given much thought.�

And as the coach herself explained it:

“You got to control what you can control,� Pingeton said. “That’s one of our core values, is fall in love with the process. I think I’ve got to model that behavior for our players.

“I love this university. I love being a member of this athletic department. For 15 years, it’s amazing. This is an amazing group, and that is all my focus is on.�