How Kellie Harper's Passion Shapes Mizzou Women's Basketball's Team Mentality

Missouri women's basketball is a day away from the first official tipoff of the Kellie Harper era. She has discussed her goals when initially constructing the roster, along with how she hopes to run the team and where the best place is to start when rebuilding a program from the ground up.

A similar mindset and character traits go a long way in developing a team and establishing a winning program. When asked about her team, the first thing Harper mentioned was the character of her players.

"They're really good kids," Harper said. "They are really great people. I love being around them. I love walking into practice every day with them."

Returning guard/forward Grace Slaughter mentioned her first experience meeting coach Harper. It was at a tournament at Mizzou Arena during the offseason.

"She was beaming and super excited just to be a part of the SEC, and be a part of Mizzou," Slaughter said.

Harper mentioned how having Slaughter along with four other returners was crucial. Slaughter had mentioned that once Harper's hiring was announced, leaving would be out of the question, given her legacy as a player and coach.

"Mizzou has such a great atmosphere. I feel like our fans are so supportive and always there," Slaughter said. "To be able to have a coach feel that and bring that energy of wanting the best for us as players and people, and pushing us on and off the court has been super special, and I think we're all super excited to play for her this season."

The returning Tigers established a core for Harper to build upon. Throughout roster construction, Harper mentioned some of the key attributes she was keeping an eye on.

While there wasn't a singular box to check off in her offseason recruiting process, Harper did mention that when you share positive characteristics, it is easier to overcome the challenges of the season.

"Not to say things won't get challenging throughout the year. It always does. But I think when you start with quality, character people, then you can get through things," Harper said.

Harper has maintained a presence of joy in her new position. She expressed genuine happiness with the role she is in and has shown eagerness to build the program into something special. She brings in a new fast-paced system that will push her latest group of players.

One of the first challenges Harper mentioned was implementing the new play style and getting everyone on the team bought in to the team goals. With a smaller roster of 13 players, Harper feels confident she can keep all of her players satisfied.

"I think the best teams will be the teams where we can grow and develop together for years," Harper said. "We want to be as competitive as we can possibly be right now, so don't get me wrong, I'm not going to short change us and not push for the best right now. In the grand scheme of things, in a huge lens. We want to see growth, and you do that with consistency over time."

Transfer guard from Illinois State, Shannon Dowell, spoke about the team's competitive edge, but still understands things are going to get tough, the season will present its challenges, and the value of teammates who will have your back.

"The mindset of this team is to win. Everybody wants to win. Everybody wants to be better, and having a team that everybody is competitive, it really helps us gel together and learn to trust each other, and knowing that I have your back no matter what," Dowell said.

Dowell has echoed Harper's positive mindset, recognizing she wants to be with this team and enjoys what she is doing. She talked about how Harper shows up hyped up every single day, bringing energy to the team. Even with the energy and the team's desire to win, Harper has emphasized the importance of staying strong as a unit through the program's changes.

"She does instill in us that we have to be patient and we have to trust the process, and we have to go day by day, and that everything will come when it's supposed to, and it will fall into place," Dowell said.

On the floor, Harper not only aims to play an up-tempo brand of basketball, but she also wants to help her players think quickly. Faster movements defensively, trying to get one step ahead, and emphasizing reaction and timing on offense have been major focuses. The goal is not to play a run-and-gun style of basketball. While pace is the goal, Harper still hopes to play the game in the half-court.

"We want to be able to run our offensive sets quickly," Harper said. "Offensively, sharing the basketball is going to be important. I think utilizing our ability to read screens, both on and off the ball inside out, working behind the three-point line, that's going to be really important for us to continue to find threes and make them and then putting the ball on the floor and getting ourselves to the free-throw line." ]

Returning guard Abbey Schreacke spoke about how she will fit into the new system and what she can do to ensure the team's success while maintaining the fast-paced style.

"For me, that means just getting to my spot fast, getting to where I need to be, cutting hard, screening hard, and just thinking a lot faster, making the right reads wherever that is on the floor," Schreacke said.

Schreacke felt bought in from the first conversation with Haper. "From the start, she already had this passion about her, about this team, and already about this university and I knew I knew her resume, I knew how much success she's had in the past as a player and as a coach, and I could just tell she already cared for me, and I knew I really wanted to stay here. I was so excited for the future
of this team," Schreacke said.

Harper expressed her hope that the offensive would become all-encompassing. The system was built around the roster and should put them in a position to succeed. Most importantly, however, she wants to make sure the team gels together well.

"Our number one priority this entire summer was not our ball screen defense. Our number one priority was our team chemistry," Harper laughed. " I know now we bring in great kids, that's going to help, but they have to learn to communicate. They have to learn to work together."

Harper's gratitude for being back working within a program has stood out since her arrival. She explained how she missed the intricacies of coaching. She described the complexities of recruiting and putting a team together while working with the new staff. Harper made sure every voice was heard when determining the team's direction. As a new coach at the university, she is still figuring out the ins and outs of the athletic department and has enjoyed making the program more efficient.

The returning cast has also been instrumental in developing a team identity and establishing a collective mindset even before the transfers arrive. Several returnees, including Slaughter and Abbey Schreacke, have taken on vocal leadership roles and helped mold the team in year one of the Harper era.

"The core five of us talked about, before some of the transfers got here, what do we want our identity to be, and what do we want the team to feel like," Slaughter said. "We really emphasize that family atmosphere, and I think the summer was a great time for everyone to get to know each other and build that first layer of trust. So now that we're on the court, you have trust, and now we get to grow as basketball players. I think your relationship off the court directly impacts how you play together."

In a moment of reflection, Harper spoke about her current mindset, saying she is happy with where the team is at and has enjoyed putting this group of players together.

"I'm going to enjoy this year, period. I'm going to make that happen. That's the one thing I saw last year; I observed it from friends and peers. A lot of people, they were looking at things the wrong way," Harper said. "It was all about the wins and losses. It was all about this and all about that. I'm going to make sure that I enjoy this year. Life is too short. I love what I do, and nobody's gonna ruin that."

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