How Angelique Ngalakulondi's committment affects Mizzou women's basketball
Missouri women's basketball is finally on the transfer scoreboard.
After promising to scour the transfer portal for an addition to help lift the Tigers, and watching two starters leave in the meantime, Robin Pingeton got a commitment from graduate transfer forward Angelique Ngalakulondi.
Ngalakulondi comes to Columbia from UMass, where she'll fill a key role in the Tigers' frontcourt. At 6-foot-2, Ngalakulondi averaged 7.7 points per game and 5.7 rebounds per game last season. She ranked first in the Atlantic-10 conference in field goal percentage.
Ngalakulondi started all but one game for UMass last season. MU was familiar with Ngalakulondi, as Missouri played the Minutewomen on Dec. 3 on a neutral court with the Tigers holding off UMass 71-66.
Against the Tigers, Ngalakulondi scored seven points and grabbed 10 rebounds.
Ngalakulondi fills a key spot in the post vacated by Jayla Kelly, who entered the transfer portal in early April. Starting guard Lauren Hansen also entered the portal in March.
With Hayley Frank returning for one more season and with a talented freshman class incoming, Missouri needs to bolster its roster with transfer portal additions. The addition of Ngalakulondi is a first step in addressing the struggles in the post that MU had last season.
After the season ended in a loss to Kansas in the WNIT, Pingeton vowed to shake up the current status quo of the team and recruit the transfer portal hard. This included junior college players.
After an offseason that began with two a starter transferring out and three women's basketball coaching jobs being posted on LinkedIn, Ngalakulondi becomes the first public addition to the team. The team that needed size gets it in Ngalakulondi.
While the four-year player became a full-time starter during the 2021-2022 season, she saw her minutes dip from 22 minutes per game to 18 minutes per game in the 2022-2023 season. It offers the ideal of potential, as playing Ngalakulondi more than 18 minutes per game would allow her the opportunity to up her averages.
With the addition of Ngalakulondi, MU can focus its recruiting efforts in the portal on players who can step in following the departure of Katlyn Gilbert, Hansen and Haley Troup.
What's next for Mizzou's starting five
While it still remains to be seen if Ngalakulondi is slotted in as a full-time starter at center, it would make sense she would assume that role at the very least defensively. She didn't play center at Massachusets, behind 6-foot-4 Natousha Harden.
Starting Ngalakulondi at the five on defense would take the pressure off Frank to defend the biggest position at times on the court, which was a mismatch she exploited by drawing plenty of charges. However, relying on favorable officiating isn't always a reliable tactic.
Now, Missouri needs to fill two more spots in its starting five.
As it stands, MU's starting five could consist of two returning starters in point guard Mama Dembele and Frank, as Kelly, Troup and Hansen leave three open spots in the starting five and Gilbert’s departure opens a depth role. Pingeton rarely deviated from her starting five last year unless injuries forced her hand, making it a logical assumption that she won't deviate from two of her returning starters that she trusts with running her offense.
To replace Troup and Hansen, MU could look in-house. Sara-Rose Smith's ability to play on the wing, especially with her improved 3-point shot, could take another step over the summer and allow her to naturally fit into the starting five. The same could be said for Ashton Judd in replacing Hansen's shooting.
The biggest card that Pingeton can play is freshman forward Grace Slaughter, a college-ready offensive player who can score on all levels and fit into the forward rotation. Getting her minutes early would only help her acclimate to the college game and understand her role, which would help her grow into the potential she carries as an ESPN top 100 recruit.
Slaughter, Frank and Ngalakulondi would combine for a different but thorough frontcourt. Ngalakulondi's efficiency with her post offense would compliment Frank and Slaughter's all-around offensive abilities well, too.
Now, the objective shifts to finding a shooter to deepen the rotation.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Angelique Ngalakulondi transfers to Missouri women's basketball
