Pair of Missouri basketball players soon to be back on court
Although the Missouri women’s basketball team has recently performed well on the court, the team has been dealing with a serious off-court issue.
Hours after Missouri’s dominating performance over Texas Pan-American on Dec. 10, seniors Amanda Hanneman and Jessra Johnson were arrested for allegedly assaulting a male cheerleader during a dispute at an off-campus apartment.
The two were suspended from the team and were due to start practicing again with the team last Friday. They remain suspended from the team’s game against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Monday.
Although the defendant recently dropped the charges, the two women will still face scrutiny for this incident for the rest of the season. For as much attention they have drawn off the court, they are big contributors for the Tigers. Hanneman has contributed about half of Missouri’s 3-point percentage for this season, one she hoped would be her first full season after injuries cut short her last two seasons.
Johnson remains a powerful presence around the post and easily out-muscles her opponents most of the time. They are also two of Missouri’s leading scorers overall. It will be interesting to see what effect this incident has on both Hanneman’s and Johnson’s play on the court. The team responded well with a 72-31 victory over Murray State on Dec. 13.