Missouri women's basketball lands guard Nyah Wilson, first portal pickup of offseason

Calum McAndrew, Columbia Daily Tribune

The Tigers are off and running.

Missouri women’s basketball has dipped into the transfer portal for the first time this offseason, securing a commitment from New Mexico guard Nyah Wilson, who announced the decision via her Instagram account on Tuesday.

Wilson, a 5-foot-8 guard from Dallas, Texas, spent her junior year with the Lobos, averaging 15.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.3 turnovers over the course of 32 games. She spent her first two seasons of college at Syracuse, playing 40 games with one start.

The guard attended Duncanville High School in Dallas, which is also where NFL Draft-bound former Missouri football cornerback Ennis Rakestraw Jr. went to high school.

As it stands, all three players currently joining Missouri coach Robin Pingeton’s team next season are from the greater Dallas area, as point guard Londyn Oliphant, a Plano, Texas, native, and guard Ma’Riya Vincent, a DeSoto product, are signed to MU’s Class of 2024.

Colorado State women's basketball player Cailyn Crocker (32) is defended by Lobos guard Nyah Wilson (3) during a game against New Mexico on Saturday, January 13, 2024, at Moby Arena in Fort Collins, Colo.
Colorado State women's basketball player Cailyn Crocker (32) is defended by Lobos guard Nyah Wilson (3) during a game against New Mexico on Saturday, January 13, 2024, at Moby Arena in Fort Collins, Colo.

Mizzou lost starting point guard Mama Dembele to USF as a grad transfer in March, while standout forward Hayley Frank, guard Abby Feit and backup forward Micah Linthacum each exhausted their eligibility. Backup forward Sarah Linthacum also has entered the portal.

There were questions surrounding Pingeton’s job security after the end of the 2023-24 season, as she was due to enter the final year of her contract and failed to make the NCAA Tournament for the fifth straight season, one that saw the Tigers go 11-19 and bow out of the SEC Tournament after a first-round loss to Florida.

But on April 1, the day Pingeton’s buyout dropped to $233,333, PowerMizzou reported that Missouri, which is currently without an athletic director since Desireé Reed-Francois’ departure for the same role at Arizona on Feb. 19, was planning to retain Pingeton.

Mizzou seems set to retain guards Ashton Judd, Grace Slaughter, Averi Kroenke and Abbey Schreacke. Depth at forward is likely to be a high priority for the Tigers during this transfer portal window.

More: Missouri football transfer portal tracker: Who is joining, leaving Tigers?

More: Missouri basketball lands Iowa point guard Tony Perkins out of portal

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Missouri women's basketball lands first transfer of offseason

Advertisement