Former Lady Vols basketball coach Kellie Harper has been hired as the new coach for Missouri, according to multiple reports Tuesday.

Harper, 47, will replace Robin Pingeton, who announced in February she would resign at the end of the season. Pingeton was 249-216 in 15 seasons and 14-18 this season.

Harper, who was fired by Tennessee last April , was the coach at her alma mater for five seasons. She spent the 2024-25 season away from coaching and made regular appearances on SEC Network as a studio analyst.

Harper is no stranger to Missouri. She coached at Missouri State from 2013-19 prior to taking the Lady Vols job. She went 118-79 over her six seasons there, leading the Bears to NCAA tournament appearances in 2016 and 2019. Missouri State played in the WNIT in 2015, 2017 and 2018.

Harper was named the MVC Coach of the Year and Kay Yow Coach of the Year in 2019 after leading the Bears to an upset over Iowa State to reach the NCAA Sweet 16.

Harper's record at UT was 108-52 and 53-24 in SEC play. She led the Lady Vols to back-to-back Sweet 16 appearances in 2022 and 2023 for the first time since 2015 and 2016. Tennessee never finished below fourth in the SEC during Harper's tenure.

Harper produced four first-round WNBA draft picks in her tenure at Tennessee.

Harper, a Sparta native, made history as a point guard at Tennessee under legendary coach Pat Summitt. She was part of three national championship teams from 1996-98 before graduating in 1999, which included going 39-0 en route to the Lady Vols' third straight championship in 1998.

Harper was hired as coach at NC State in 2009 and was fired in 2013 after the Wolfpack missed the NCAA tournament three seasons in a row.

Her first head coaching job was at Western Carolina, which made the NCAA tournament in her first and last seasons there. She spent four seasons as an assistant at Auburn and Chattanooga before getting hired at WCU.

Cora Hall covers University of Tennessee women’s athletics. Email her at [email protected] and follow her on X @corahalll . If you enjoy Cora’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that allows you to access all of it.