Focus on the future for Pingeton and Mizzou women
Robin Pingeton sported a familiar look when she stepped to the podium following Missouri’s regular season home finale on Feb. 27. In the final days of the most treacherous season with the Tigers, the 51-year old head coach appeared tired, frustrated and worn down by the worst season in program history. If the look on her face didn’t tell the story of the 2019-20 Missouri Tigers, her blunt opening sentence did.
“It’s been a pretty challenging year for us.” Pingeton said.
MU’s season came to a close Thursday night in the second round of the SEC Tournament.The 64-51 loss to Tennessee, in a game the Tigers led by as many as 13 points, underscored what was difficult and disappointing year at Mizzou Arena and across the SEC. With it, the year that was expected to deliver a short rebuild but instead yielded a 9-22 record — the lowest win total since the program’s inaugural season in 1974 — was finally over.
Pingeton and her Tigers, as they’ve talked about for months now, can finally move into the offseason and set their focus on righting the ship when they return next fall.
Missouri began its season in November ranked ninth in the conference’s preseason poll, the program’s lowest ranking since 2015, but entered with an optimism predicated on the idea that they had the pieces to fill the void left by Sophie Cunningham. The first season without the program’s all-time leading scorer proved lean though and the holes showed immediately with four-consecutive non conference losses in November.
In those early games, it was clear Tigers simply didn’t have the firepower they thought they did. With Cunningham no longer in the fold, senior Amber Smith looked likely to fill the role as Missouri’s primary scorer. A four-year producer for the Tigers, Smith played her part as a leader and helped fuel Pingeton’s offense through difficult stretches all season, but her 11.9 points per game on 43% shooting weren’t enough for the Tigers. On too many occasions, particularly in SEC play, did Missouri miss having a true No. 1 option.
After a down year in 2018-19, Jordan Chavis returned to form, shooting a blazing 42% from beyond the 3-point line, but her 3-point shooting counterpart Haley Troup struggled in her second season and the Tigers consistently lacked perimeter shooting when Chavis wasn’t on the floor. Inside, Missouri got little production from its forwards and paid all season on the defensive end for its lack of size in the paint, finishing in the bottom half of the SEC in rebounding and blocks. In that respect, the Tigers may have missed forward Cierra Porter as much as they did Cunningham.
The bright spots for the Tigers, of course, came in the form of star freshmen Aijha Blackwell and Hayley Frank. Pingeton wasn’t shy during the preseason about either newcomer taking on hefty roles in their rookie seasons and neither disappointed once the season was underway. Never hesitant on the court, Blackwell took control of the Tigers offense during the early weeks of November and ran with it from there. Her 15 points per game paced Missouri playing as the primary operator of the offense, flashing skill as a passer and rebounder that will only improve. It seems the Tigers may have found their heir apparent to Cunningham sooner than many thought they would.
Frank, who finished behind only Blackwell and Smith with 11.8 points per game, was nearly as impressive as her fellow freshman in her debut season. The 6-foot-1 forward showed off versatility and range as a scorer, racking up points as a driver and on the perimeter where she shot 38% from 3-point range. Like Blackwell, Frank has skills that will only improve in the coming seasons, and in her case with more minutes on the floor.
In Blackwell and Frank, who were both named SEC All-Freshman last week, the Tigers have a pair of stars who will dazzle fans at Mizzou Arena for the next three seasons.
The early returns on the freshman duo are among the strongest sources for optimism around the program for next season. With a season under their belts and a year of experience playing against SEC opponents, they’ll be poised to assume even larger roles and anchor the Tigers in 2020-21. But Blackwell and Frank aren’t the only reasons things may look better rather quickly next fall.
The young core of in-state recruits being built by Pingeton will grow once again when four-star St. Louis center Jayla Kelly arrives on campus. The 6-foot-3 prospect from Parkway Central will give the Tigers the presence in the paint they missed so sorely this season and can serve immediately as a post player for Blackwell and Frank to distribute to. Kelly will be joined by Australian guard Sara-Rose Smith, who brings with her international experience and a sweet shooting stroke that makes her the leading candidate to replace Chavis alongside Troup on the perimeter next season.
On the current roster, fans can expect to see a lot more of Nadia Green and Elle Brown in 2020-21 as both showed flashes in their respective junior seasons and will have more opportunities with Jordan Roundtree’s career coming to a close. Shannon Dufficy, a 6-foot-2 forward who sat out 2019-20 after transferring from Utah State, will bolster the Tigers’ depth, as well. The senior from Australia registered 15.8 points and 10.3 rebounds and earned All-Mountain West conference honors in her last full season in 2019.
And while Kelly seems likely to drop right into the rotation, she may be helped by Micah Linthacum, whom wasn’t featured very often for Pingeton’s squad this season.
This season was unlike any the Tigers have had since Pingeton took over in 2010, and for that matter, unlike any season the program has ever had. Consistent winning had become the standard at Mizzou Arena and this season was a strong deviation from that high bar. But with Pingeton on the bench, rising stars such as Blackwell and Frank continuing to develop and a promising cast surrounding them, there’s plenty of reason to believe the Tigers will be back and better next season, ready to challenge for another NCAA Tournament run.
The fans who flocked to Mizzou Arena all year despite the team’s struggles have Pingeton’s word.
“I know we’re going to get it right for them next season,” she said. “We’re going to get it right for them.”