The University of Missouri hired Kellie Harper as its next women’s basketball coach, the school announced Tuesday.
Harper most recently served as the head coach at the University of Tennessee, where she ran the Lady Vols program from 2019 to 2024. During her time in Knoxville, she amassed a 198-52 record and had the third-best SEC winning percentage behind only LSU’s Kim Mulkey and South Carolina’s Dawn Staley. Nevertheless, Harper was let go after last season and sat out all of the 2024-25 campaign.
The 47-year-old Harper is both a veteran of coaching and familiar with the state she will now coach in. Before taking the Tennessee job, Harper was the head coach at Missouri State from 2013 to 2019, leading the Lady Bears to two NCAA Tournament appearances — one of which included a trip to the Sweet 16.
She has also coached at NC State (2009-2013) and Western Carolina (2004-2009).
“Kellie is a proven winner and dynamic leader who understands the ‘Will to Win’ necessary to succeed at the sport’s highest level,” Missouri athletic director Laird Veatch said in a statement. “She is nationally respected, and her experience in the SEC, her deep ties to the state of Missouri and her ability to recruit and develop championship-level players make her the ideal leader for…
