Mario McKinney Jr. looks to drive past a Chicago State defender on Dec. 30, 2019 at Mizzou Arena. [J Thomas Taylor/For the Tribune]

Missouri freshman guard Mario McKinney Jr. and redshirt freshman Brittany Garner have entered the NCAA transfer portal, MU Athletics confirmed on Tuesday.

McKinney has been serving an indefinite suspension from the men's basketball team since before its most recent game on Saturday, a win over Florida.

The St. Louis native played in seven games this season, averaging 2.6 points and eight minutes per appearance.

“He’s not a part of the team right now. So, I’ll leave it at that,” Missouri head coach Cuonzo Martin said of McKinney on Saturday.

No further explanation has been given for McKinney's absence, and now apparent exit, from Missouri.

McKinney was one of three players Martin brought to Missouri as part of the Class of 2019 along with Kobe Brown and Tray Jackson.

McKinney's departure would open up another scholarship for the Tigers for the 2020 class. MU only has one senior in Reed Nikko and one player committed in the Class of 2020 in 7-foot-2 center Jordan Wilmore.

Garner had played in 13 games this season, but only for a total of 80 minutes. The 6-foot-4 freshman was averaging 1.4 points per game and 0.9 rebounds per game.

Garner would become the fifth player in the last 13 months to transfer away from the women's team after Grace Berg, Kelsey Winfrey, Akira Levy and Emmanuelle Tahane.

Garner is originally from Philadelphia, and of the 10 players to take the floor for the Tigers this season, she has played the least amount of minutes.

 

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