Harper Adds Liza Fruendt as Assistant Coach
3/27/2025 10:07:00 AM | Women's Basketball
COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri women's basketball head coach Kellie Harper has added Liza Fruendt to her staff as an assistant coach, the program announced Friday.
Fruendt previously spent her playing career at Missouri State under Harper and served on Harper's staff for three seasons at Tennessee.
"Liza has infectious energy and passion for the game," Harper said. "She cares deeply about student-athletes and builds bonds on and off the court. After working together, she is comfortable in our system and knows what it takes to build a successful program. Liza is a person of high character and a rising star in this profession."
Fruendt joins the Tigers after spending the 2024-25 season as an assistant coach at Illinois.
She helped coach the Fighting Illini to the second round of the NCAA Tournament after posting a 22-10 overall record, which included an 11-7 mark against Big Ten Conference opponents.
During her time with Harper at Tennessee, the Lady Vols earned back-to-back NCAA Sweet 16 appearances (2022 & 2023) and, in 2024, produced their fourth straight first-round WNBA Draft pick.
During the 2023-24 season, Tennessee owned a 20-13 overall record while going 10-6 in Southeastern Conference play and making an SEC Tournament semifinals appearance. The Lady Vols won their NCAA Tournament First Round game over Green Bay before falling to No. 11 NC State in the Second Round to conclude the season.
On the recruiting front, Fruendt played a role in Tennessee landing the No. 6 transfer class in 2023 and a group in 2022 that included No. 4-rated Rickea Jackson, No. 12 Jasmine Powell, and No. 16 Jasmine Franklin along with No. 35-ranked espnW 100 standout Kaniya Boyd.
Fruendt joined the Lady Vols staff as the director of recruiting operations prior to the 2021-22 campaign and served two years in that position before being elevated to an assistant coach in conjunction with the NCAA legislation that went into effect on July 1, 2023.
Fruendt headed to Rocky Top after spending 2020-21 as a senior associate consultant for Cerner Corporation. Prior to that, she served two seasons as a graduate assistant with the women's basketball program at Kansas City.
A standout on teams coached by Harper while she was at Missouri State, Fruendt excelled both on and off the court as a Lady Bear. She was named to the Missouri Valley Conference All-Freshman Team (2015), All-MVC First Team (2017, 2018), and MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team (2017, 2018).
A native of Batavia, Illinois, Fruendt is a 2018 graduate of Missouri State with a bachelor's degree in business administration, and she earned a master's in business administration in 2020 from Kansas City.
SEASON TICKETS
Season tickets for the 2025-26 season are on sale now and start at just $65. Current season-ticket holders can renew their tickets by using their Mizzou Tigers ticket account.
FOLLOW THE TIGERS
For all the latest information on Mizzou Women's Basketball, please visit MUTigers.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Tigers on X, Instagram and Facebook.
