Following an 18-14 season that ended with a lopsided WNIT loss to Kansas on Monday night, women's basketball coach Robin Pingeton will return for the 2023-24 campaign, Director of Athletics Desiree Reed-Francois told PowerMizzou.com on Friday afternoon.
While admitting that the season "fell well short of expectations," Reed-Francois said she and Pingeton had had a series of meetings and following the most recent meeting on Thursday the decision had been made for Pingeton to return for her 14th year. That return will come with changes in the program and heightened expectations.
"We will not apologize for wanting our student-athletes to experience the NCAA Tournament," Reed-Francois said.
That's not something the Tigers have accomplished since 2018-19. That season was Missouri's fourth straight in the NCAA Tournament, including three wins. The record over those four years was 90-37, including 39-23 in Southeastern Conference play. Those were also the four years Pingeton had all-time leading scorer and current WNBA player Sophie Cunningham on the roster.
Outside of those four years, Pingeton is 133-139 in nine years with the Tigers. That includes a 49-95 mark in conference games, spanning between the Big 12 and the SEC.
Reed-Francois did not specify the changes that were coming in the program, saying she would leave that to Pingeton. Following the 75-47 loss to the Jayhawks in Lawrence on Monday night, Pingeton did not shy away from the task in front of her.
"We've got work to do in the offseason and it's on all of us," she said. "Honestly, as a staff, we're going to have to flip everything upside down, evaluate everything we've done, on the court, off the court and be willing to make some changes.
"I think we all know the expectations."
Those expectations are the NCAA Tournament. There is no gray area. Without that, there will be no season No. 15 for Pingeton in Columbia.
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