Mizzou Central

Mizzou Women's Basketball Lands Four-Star 2026 Guard

The commiment marks the third of Kellie Harper's Missouri tenure
Brady Shanahan|
Bearden's Natalya Hodge (2) dribbles the ball during a high school basketball game between Bearden and West High School on Tuesday, January 28, 2025.
Bearden's Natalya Hodge (2) dribbles the ball during a high school basketball game between Bearden and West High School on Tuesday, January 28, 2025. | Angelina Alcantar/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Four-Star guard Natalya Hodge from Beaden High School in Knoxville, Tennessee, announced her commitment to the Missouri Tigers in a post on her social media. The 5-foot-7 Hodge offers the Tigers a combination of scoring and defensive playmaking.

"I'm ready to be a Tiger," Hodge told head coach Kellie Harper over the phone. "I'm ready to commit."

Harper responded by saying the two of them have a lot to do together.

As a new era of Missouri women's basketball begins, Harper has the program on an upswing after a disappointing end to former coach Robin Pingeton's tenure with the Tigers. Missouri only returned four players from last season after Pingeton's exit, however, Harper has rebuilt the roster through recruiting.

Primarily focusing on the transfer portal ahead of her first season with the team, she's now made her biggest recruiting splash yet, but this time it's in the form of one of the nation's top high school guards.

Hodge provides dynamic two-way capabilities. While on offense, she operates as a score-first guard, and on defense, she is a disruptor. Across the 2024-2025 season with Bearden, she averaged 25.7 points per game. To pair with her elite offensive production, she is a menace to ball handlers on the opposite end. She averaged 3.7 steals this past high school season. Hodge is

Throughout her time with Bearden, Hodge has been named a two-time finalist for TSSAA Miss Basketball and has totaled over 2,000 career points before her senior season.

The Tigers initially offered Hodge while Pingeton was still in charge, but Harper decided to re-offer the guard after taking over. Hodge's. Her decision comes after visiting the Tigers in September.

Missouri picked up the commitment over six other finalists, including Florida State, Baylor, Georgia Tech, Arizona and Arizona State.

Like Hodge, Harper's roots trace back to Tennessee, where she was born, played for the Lady Vols under Pat Summit and later coached at her alma mater.

This commitment marks the second time Harper looked to her old stomping ground for a 2026 addition. Harper landed Cecilie Brandimore, a 6'4 forward from Franklin, Tennessee, in July, her first high school signing for the Tigers. 6'3 forward Ellie Muller out of Iowa is the other class of 2026 recruit.

The revamped Missouri program will get its first bit of action in an exhibition game against Maryville on Oct. 28, before the regular season begins with a matchup against Central Arkansas at 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 3 at Mizzou Arena.

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Brady Shanahan
BRADY SHANAHAN

Brady Shanahan is a journalism student at the University of Missouri, and covers baseball and softball for Missouri Tigers On SI. He's from the St. Louis area and has contributed to The Maneater student newspaper, Columbia Missourian, KOMU 8, and KCOU as a beat reporter.

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