Community Profile: Grace Slaughter

by Bill Althaus

Whenever University of Missouri guard Grace Slaughter has the opportunity to return to home to be with her family and watch coach Randy Draper's Eagles basketball team, she hops in her car and makes a beeline to Grain Valley.
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The former Gatorade Missouri Player of the Year and four-time Examiner Player of the Year, attended a recent girls game and the gym was buzzing when she arrived.

She made her way from section to section, greeting both old and new friends, during the game.

Slaughter enjoyed a solid freshman campaign at Missouri last season in which she started 29 of 30 games and averaged 11.5 points per game while scoring in double figures in 21 contests.

This season she is one of the most prolific shooters in the country, averaging 51% shooting from the field, including 51.9% from 3-point range. She is also shooting 85.1% from the free throw line.

“I don’t know how many people notice this, but my coach and my parents have noticed that I have become a more physical player,” Slaughter said.

“You have to be physical when you play in the SEC. I found out last year, and was happy with my freshman season, but I knew I had to get stronger before the start of this season. I worked on getting stronger and my mid-range (shooting) game.”

And that hard work has paid off for the only 2,000-point scorer in the history of Grain Valley High School and just the second in Eastern Jackson County (Tonya Swoffer, 2,533 from 1984-1987 for Blue Springs).

She grew up in a family that had strong ties with the University of Missouri and her longtime wish came true when she signed with the Tigers.

“Missouri was the only college I wanted to attend, and I have dreamed about playing for the Tigers,” Slaughter said. “I love everything about MU and the Tigers. I love my teammates and I love that my family can come to every home game (Slaughter has her own cheering section across from the Tigers bench). It’s close to home, and now it is my home.”

And she recently earned a page in the Tigers record book as she hit a buzzer beater, to end a 375-game SEC victory drought, that resulted in a moment she will cherish forever.

Following a steal, Slaughter picked up the loose ball and sprinted down the court.

"I heard the clock ticking and knew it was time to go," Slaughter said. 

The ball hit slipped through the basket as time expired giving the Tigers a 78-76 SEC win over Mississippi State as Missouri's 18-game SEC losing streak came to an end. Slaughter finished with a career-high 31 points, six rebounds and a steal. 

She went 10-for-21 from the field, 3-for-9 from beyond 3-point arc and was a perfect 8-for-8 from the free-throw line.

Following the shot, Slaughter was mobbed by her teammates, but they had to all wait for a final decision from the officials as the game winner was reviewed.

"I will never forget that moment, when the officials said the shot was good," Slaughter said. "Celebrating with my teammates was one of the coolest moments of my life."

Missouri's last SEC win came Jan. 18, 2024 when the Tigers defeated Georgia 69-57.

Slaughter said that one of the best things about playing at Missouri is the close proximity to her home in Grain Valley as he parents Becky and Bryan Slaughter, attend most of her games and her sister Olivia, a junior softball standout at Grain Valley, attends as many games as she can.

"It's a blessing to be able to watch Grace play," said Becky, a former standout guard at Truman High School. "We're so proud of her - and not just for her accomplishments in basketball. We're blessed to have two wonderful daughters who make us so proud."

Photos courtesy University of Missouri.