What Recent Transfer Portal Movement Means for Mizzou Women's Basketball

Saniah Tyler slots in nicely to fill the void left in De'Myla Brown's absence.

Tennessee Head Coach Kellie Harper in the game with South Carolina Gamecocks during the second quarter of the SEC Women's Basketball Tournament game at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, S.C. Saturday, March 9, 2024. | Ken Ruinard / staff / USA TODAY NETWORK

Missouri graduate guard De'Myla Brown announced that she would be entering the transfer portal herself Wednesday morning, departing from the program after two seasons with the Tigers. Her occasional scoring punch combined with intense defense provided value off the bench for Missouri the past season, hitting a season high of 18 points against Tennessee.

Brown's exit thins out the roster even further, leaving minutes in the guard rotation for a new face to fill. As far as what new head coach Kellie Harper is searching for, she has a clear vision for the type of player she wants to be on her roster.

"We're going to be tough. We're going to enjoy the process," Harper said. "They better like it every day they walk in here... because they can walk out if they don't."

Answering the call was former Kentucky guard Saniah Tyler, who joined Missouri as the first transfer portal addition of the Kellie Harper era. Tyler is a St. Louis native, previously attending Incarnate Ward Academy, where she earned two state championships en route to becoming a four-star prospect.

This brings the backup guard rotation to two members for the Tigers –– Tyler and incoming freshman Nikki Kerstein. Despite a presumably strong opportunity to contribute rotational minutes, Brown opted to search for another program to call home.

Tyler shares a similar profile to Brown –– both being undersized veteran guards –– perhaps indicating only one would be guaranteed a role. While Tyler's minutes decreased to 12.1 minutes per game in the 2024-2025 season, she performed strongly in the previous season in a larger role.

De'Myla Brown (Career averages)	Saniah Tyler (Career averages)
PPG: 5.7	PPG: 5.8
RPG: 1.5	RPG: 1.3
SPG: 1.1	SPG: 0.5
FG%: 33.3	FG%: 33.8
3P%: 31.0	3P%: 34.6

While with Kentucky in 2023-2024, Tyler averaged 10.2 points, 1.8 rebounds and 0.7 steals per game, and shot 34.3 percent from the field in 26.8 minutes per game. Her 3-point shooting has also increased with each season of her career, jumping from 28.6 percent, to 34.5 percent and finally 36.4 percent.

Given her previous success in the Southeastern Conference , Tyler becomes a strong candidate to play viable minutes for the Tigers next season, regardless of remaining additions to the team.

To keep track of offseason moves for Missouri women's basketball, click HERE.