Australian basketball player Akaysha Muggeridge helps the University of Central Missouri’s women’s basketball team in crucial ways, as well as bringing new experiences to the team. The 5-foot-9-inches junior guard has been contributing to the Jennies Basketball team primarily as a reserve player. She has participated in several games during the 2024-2025 season, often coming off the bench to provide depth to the guard position. 

  While her statistical contributions are not always prominent, her role in maintaining team dynamics and providing rest for starting players is valuable to the Jennies’ overall performance. Muggeridge is not new to American basketball. She played for two years at Hutchinson Community College in Kansas before travel documentation delays made her wait six months to transfer to UCM. According to Muggeridge, the mid-season transfer was a “stressful experience.”

  “So it was a pretty stressful experience, not gonna lie. I finished the season at Hutchinson Community College and then I still went home for the summer.”

  For Jennies Basketball Head Coach Dave Slifer, bringing in Muggeridge was a matter of filling gaps in the roster.

  “So this situation happened where we were down in numbers for a while. [In the] first half of the season, we dressed nine players. We had some injuries and there were only nine players dressed. In fact, in this one game, we only had eight, and so we were looking for some help and some depth, and [Muggeridge] has provided that.”

  Filling a roster and scoring points is not all international student-athletes bring to the table. According to Phil Hull, Director of International Student Services, international student-athletes bring valuable and diverse perspectives to their teams.

  “I think they add so much to the culture. They are ambassadors for their country… I know at institutions, having international students on a team, whether it’s track or volleyball or basketball or soccer, that it really does lend itself to team cohesion.”