'Absorbing the Moment': Lifelong Mizzou Fan Grace Slaughter Makes Instant Impact for Tigers

Missouri Tigers women's basketball true freshman Grace Slaughter has quickly made an impact on the team that she's watched since she was a child.

The lights at Mizzou Arena dimmed to highlight a glowing outline of the state of Missouri over the oval-shaped Tiger logo in the center of the court. As the PA announced the starters for the opening game of the 2023 season for Missouri women's basketball, Grace Slaughter took in the moment that she had been working for since she was in middle school; to play basketball for the University of Missouri. The place she considered home long before she had received a scholarship offer to play for the school.

"Growing up, I loved watching Mizzou, I loved watching their athletics," Slaughter told the 'Inside Mizzou Athletics' podcast. "My family is just bleed black and gold type of people."

Slaughter grew up about 30 miles outside of Kansas City in Grain Valley, Missouri. She committed to the state's university in June of 2020, ahead of her sophomore year of high school. In the three years following her commitment, Slaughter would become Grain Valley high school's all-time leading scorer and the 53rd ranked player in the class of 2023. 

In her first game as a Tiger, Slaughter already took on a significant role. She led the team with 39 minutes while scoring 10 points and brining down 10 rebounds. Slaughter became the first Mizzou player since 2015 to record double digits in two stat categories in their college debut. The last player to do so was Sophie Cunningham, someone who Slaughter watched and admired as a child.

Though the impressive debut might've been surprising to fans, head coach Robin Pingeton saw the same competitiveness from Slaughter that she observes every day in practice.

"(It's) what I see from her every day, and I think that's the coolest thing," Pingeton said after Monday's win. "She comes to practice, she competes at a high level. There's not many highs or lows at all. It's just come in, work really, really hard, be a really good teammate, try to be assignment correct. So we get to see this every day. And I think Grace has a really high ceiling."

Through high school and now early on in her college career, one thing has separated Slaughter from the rest; work ethic. 

"She's just constantly in the gym," graduate forward Hayley Frank said. "She's a great person. As a leader, I really feel from Grace like she's always just dying to learn and like really respects my wisdom and advice is always just taking it in."

Other teammates took notice to Slaughter's growth over her first summer with the team.

"She works so hard so it's really inspiring and just being able to watch her develop even through the last couple of months that she's been here," sophomore guard Ashton Judd said.

Slaughter would continue to improve in her second game, adding 17 points and again leading the Tigers with 27 minutes of playing time against Indiana State. Though Slaughter seems to be focused on the season ahead, the specialty of the opportunity to play for a school she's watched all her life has not been forgotten. 

"I've grown up being a Mizzou fan and I've seen it from the stands so just being in the moment and getting to kind of take that deep breath and just absorb it all in was super neat," Slaughter said after her first game. 

Slaughter will look to be a valuable addition to a team aiming to make the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2018. Along the way, her success is bound to inspire young players that will admire her in the same way she viewed former Tigers when watching as a child.

Mizzou Women's Basketball Defeats Indiana State by 41 in Second Game of Season