A Family Affair: Meet Freshman Bri Porter
12/8/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Written by Ben Yarrington, Media Relations Student Assistant
Bri Porter hails from a basketball family. Not only is her father, Michael Porter, an assistant coach for the Mizzou women's basketball team, but she is also the niece of current head coach Robin Pingeton. Porter was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, but grew up right on Mizzou's campus in Columbia, Mo. The promising freshman turned down offers from Baylor, Oklahoma, Alabama, Arizona, and others, to stay close to home and attend Mizzou.
Porter likes the idea of being able to learn from her dad, while also staying in touch with to her friends and other family members.
"It's been awesome having my dad as a coach here. I really like playing for him. He was my coach all while I was growing up, so there's great familiarity there." When asked about her decision to attend Mizzou, a huge smile lit up her face. "There's nowhere else I'd rather play," Porter said, "I'm really glad to be close to home. I'm really close to my family and I don't think I would enjoy the experience as much if I was far away from them."
The Columbia native attended Rock Bridge High School, where she helped lead the team to three Class 4 Missouri State Championships. Porter hopes she can bring that championship pedigree to the women's basketball program at Mizzou.
"The impact that winning those championships has had on me is that now I expect to win - not in a `taking it for granted' kind of way, but coming in with an attitude of expecting to be the best and working and practicing at that caliber."
The 6-foot-3 forward received All-District and All-State honors following her 2014 season, and was ranked as the No. 41 recruit in the country on ESPNU Hoop Gurlz 100, as well as garnering a No. 40 ranking by Premier Girls Basketball Report. Porter's résumé boasts much impressive recognition, all despite sustaining two major knee injuries while in high school. Porter gives credit to her injuries as a contributor to what makes her game so well rounded.
"I gained a lot more court vision by watching the game from a different angle," Porter said, "I've also got more appreciation for being able to play the game that I love. Now I approach every day being so grateful to play, and I didn't have that before."
Porter's national recognition despite her injuries is a testament to just how impressive her performance on the court is. The humble freshman appreciated that there were still people that believed in her, but said that the rankings "don't really mean much to me, personally." Porter knew she would be a Tiger, and has enjoyed her time learning from Coach Pingeton.
"It's been a very new experience for me, learning from coach P," said Porter, "She teaches us how to be intense and she gives remarkable attention to detail. I think it also comes with adjusting to a higher level of play."
While at Mizzou, Porter is double majoring in electrical engineering and physics, a daunting academic endeavor by any definition, but it's no big deal to her.
"I've always been really passionate about learning. Academics are important to me, but I've never viewed them as a chore or something that I begrudgingly have to do," said Porter, "It's just something that I totally love." After college, Porter hopes to go into scientific research, but anticipates that she'll get a better idea of her specific desires while she is studying at Mizzou.
