McKenzie Mathurin, ESPN’s No. 39 recruit in the class of 2025, declared her intention to join the Missouri women’s basketball program on Wednesday after spending her freshman season with the Michigan Wolverines. She made the announcement on her social media profile.
Mathurin offers a much-needed scoring boost for the Tigers, who are coached by second-year head coach Kellie Harper and are missing four of their top five scorers from last season. Mathurin was the only rookie to score double-digits in a game and play significant minutes on a Michigan squad that placed second in the Big Ten and advanced to the Elite Eight.
Mathurin appeared in 25 games, averaging 8. 9 minutes, 3. 5 points, 46% from the floor, and 38. 9% from three-point range. Despite the fact that she never played more than 20 minutes off the bench for Michigan, the 5-foot-10 guard scored in double figures three times.
Despite her small height and age, Mathurin was extremely productive in her freshman season and will have the opportunity to take on a much larger role at Missouri. Mathurin has prior leadership experience, guiding Broken Arrow High School to the Oklahoma 6A state championship game in 2025.
Mathurin had a good career at Broken Arrow, averaging at least 21. 7 points and two steals each game in her junior and senior seasons. However, Mathurin’s talents extended beyond those shown on the box score. She excelled with her silky-smooth jumper, shot-creation strategies, driving ability, and irritating hands on defense.
Mathurin received several medals and honors for her work before attending college. Mathurin’s resume includes breaking Broken Arrow’s scoring record, receiving numerous player of the year and all-state accolades, and playing for Team Trae Young in AAU.
Mathurin is yet another noteworthy addition by Harper, who has already acquired three four-star recruits for her forthcoming 2026 freshman class. The Tigers did not make Mathurin’s final list of 14 teams near the end of her high school recruitment.
Although Missouri lost Shannon Dowell and Chloe Sotell to the transfer market, the Tigers’ guard squad is beginning to take shape. Last season, the two players averaged 22. 9 points per game for the team. While the Tigers retain leading scorer Grace Slaughter, they have added a talented group of players, including Mathurin and incoming recruits Natalya Hodge and Jada Maples.
Five Tigers have joined the portal since it opened, including Dowell, Sotell, MaRiya Vincent, Hannah Linthacum, and Lisa Thompson. The deadline to submit is Monday, April 20.
