What Mizzou Women's Basketball's Five Returners Bring to the New Look Tigers

Five Tigers withstood the swarm of transfers from the program, and now under the helm of Kellie Harper, Missouri enters a new era, with each returnee playing a vital role in laying the foundation of the new era of Missouri women's basketball.

Several Tigers look to take a leap as a part of the new-look roster, with some eyeing leadership roles for the program. A crop of eight newcomers poses a mountain of uncertainty for the team, but these five players will stabilize the roster.

Grace Slaughter

Junior, guard/forward, 6'2

Recently named to the pre-season Cheryl Miller watchlist as one of the nation's best small forwards, Slaughter will likely be the Tigers' most important player this season. After averaging 15 points per game last season, Slaughter is among the top returning scorers in the SEC. Her near 46% shooting rate from deep will play a vital role in Harper's new fast-paced system.

Slaughter opted to stay in her home state despite the mass exodus from the program. She is among the Tigers' top recruits from recent years and the last recruiting splash of the Robin Pingeton era. The former Grain Valley star was ranked as the No. 53 best player in the nation and the top player in Missouri. In her first season with the Tigers, she earned All-SEC Freshman Team honors in 2024.

She bought into Harper's vision of the future and her new role with the team. This season, Slaughter can be expected to play the one through the five positions as she is willing to fill any hole on the floor, whether that be taking the ball up the court or matching up with bigs in the paint.

Abbey Schreacke

Junior, guard, 6'0

Primarily serving as a off guard, Schreacke has displayed consistent scoring capabilities across her first two seasons with the Tigers. She can get a bucket with or without the ball in her hands — her go-to shot choice being a pull-up jumpshot from the elbow. Schreacke calls the move her "bread and butter."

Schreacke mentioned that she worked throughout the offseason on extending her off-the-dribble scoring to the 3-point line. As Missouri's second-leading returning scorer, Schreacke is expected to step into a full-time starting role for the first time at Missouri.

Averi Kroenke

Redshirt-Junior, guard, 5'11

Missouri's top returning facilitator, Kroenke, averaged three assists from the Tigers a year ago. She saw limited action in her freshman season and sat out the following year with an injury. Kroenke started 25-of-32 games for Missouri last year and will be a candidate for a starting role once again.

Kroenke is a Columbia native and former star at Rock Bridge, where she was a two-time conference player of the year. She was ranked as the No. 74 player in the 2022 class.

Hannah Linthacum

Junior, forward, 6'4

Linthacum is part of a long family legacy at Missouri. In her freshman year, she played for the Tigers alongside her sisters Sarah and Micah. In that debut season with the Tigers, she was thrust into a starting role, taking the floor at the opening tip in 19-of-30 contests. Despite the starting nod, Linthacum only played 13 minutes a game, but gained valuable experience matching up with some of the nation's top centers.

Last season, Linthacum took a step back in production. She dropped in minutes, scoring, rebounding, and efficiency while not starting a single game. This season, Missouri fields a roster with limited depth at the center position, and Linthacum will serve a backup role to Cleveland State transfer Jordana Reisma.

Ma'Riya Vincent

Redshirt-Freshman, guard, 6'0

Vincent returns to the Tigers despite never taking floor for the team. She redshirted her true-freshman season, and enters her first season of action with a year of preparation within the program.

She was among the top players in Texas' 2024 class. Vincent was the No. 4 player in her state. In high school, Vincent was named a Naismith High School Player of the Year nominee.