Kellie Harper is continuing to build out her first Missouri Tiger roster.
Harper brought in the fifth transfer addition of her inaugural offseason with Purdue senior guard Jayla Smith, which was signaled Sunday by a Harper bat signal, but announced officially Tuesday on Smith’s instagram.
Smith, a guard who stands at 6-foot-0, played high school ball in Indianapolis, where she was named Indiana Miss Basketball in 2021.
Smith has been a backup throughout her time at Purdue, making five starts in 94 games. She has averaged between 11 and 19 minutes per game each year.
Her sophomore season was her best with averages of 7.8 points and 2.1 rebounds per game.
She played in just two games before suffering a season-ending injury last season and was able to appeal to the NCAA for a fifth season.
Smith joins a transfer group that began with guard Saniah Taylor, then quickly added expected starters in forward Jordana Reisma and guard Shannon Dowell. With her likely starting 5 set, Harper moved onto adding depth with guard Sydney Mains and Smith.
With those additions, the Tiger roster stands at 10 players out of a possible 15 with another expected to be announced soon after a Harper bat signal on Monday.
There are now five returners and five transfers after the decommitment of incoming freshman Nikkie Kerstein last week.
Stay up to date on all the Mizzou news with your premium subscription.
Talk about this story in the story thread and discuss so much more in The Tiger Walk.
Make sure you're caught up on all the Tiger news and headlines.
