Drury Panthers

[crazznewt]

This is a smaller lineup than what they have had in the past but makes sense as Robinson plays more like a point forward while the others are strong and quick to the ball.

That says a lot about your team if a double figure scorer and all D1 Missouri Valley defensive player is coming off the bench.

Another freshman that should get minutes is Kate Gilbert. She has a combination of size and skill that should translate to floor time.

More pub for Paige Robinson:
https://www.wcia.com/sports/small-to...mpression=true

And Kaylee DaMitz:
https://w3.cdn.anvato.net/player/pro...IjozNjB9#amp=1

[crazznewt]

New to the board. Based on my sources, the Lady Panthers' starters will be:

DaMitz
Richards
Robinson
Kirkhart
Lynch

Eagan likes keeping Richards in there for experience. Only way Kirkhart doesn't start is if she doesn't recover properly from a minor knee surgery she had this summer. DaMitz will become the primary ball handler, freeing up Robinson to play off ball more. Robinson will still get her fair share of ball handling duties. Findley and and Moore will be super subs off the bench for offensive and defense, respectively.

Also watch for minutes from transfer Bella Sparaco and returner Mia Henderson, as well as freshmen Hayley Mitchell, Anna Hitt, Aiden Moxness. Clevenger will still see the court due to shooting ability and poise. It'll be an exciting year.

DaMitz replaces Parker as a starter. Losing some size but gaining an elite playmaker at this level.
This will indeed be a fun season.

[PantherClaws1]

Some observations on the Lady Panthers after watching them play this Summer in the Pro Am:

Paige Robinson has more full court drives for a layup after getting a defensive rebound than anyone else I've ever seen.

Transfer Kaylee Damitz is a very quick and strong point guard. Like Robinson, She is capable of taking over a game with her all around game.

Freshman Anna Hitt is the fastest D2 women's player I have seen in two years.

Alana Findlay continues to improve her game. She has a combination of speed, strength and skill that will translate into post season honors for her IMO.

The inside newcomers need to improve their play to help replace All GLVC forward Emily Parker. If there is a weakness to this team, it will be their inside depth. But, I say that every season and end up being wrong. Also, the defensive rebound numbers are misleading because there are less rebounds to be had when the other team is turning the ball over 20 plus times a game.

My projected starters:

*Paige Robinson g, returning starter
*kaylee Damitz g transfer 16.4 ppg 5.3 ast
*Terrion Moore g D1 transfer, 11 ppg 2.1 st
*Aziah Lynch F, returning starter 5th season
*Alana Findlay F averaged 10 rb in Elite 8

In this scenario, last season starters and 5th year seniors Payton Richards and Katie Kirkhart would be off the deep bench.

Amy has 17 players, including 10 newcomers. 5 of these are transfers. Word is that there is no shortage of players willing to walk on for the Lady Panthers.

If the inside play is strong, this team could make another deep run. I also believe they will average 90 points a game.

Drury fans should be excited about this team while this amazing run of success continues.

New to the board. Based on my sources, the Lady Panthers' starters will be:

DaMitz
Richards
Robinson
Kirkhart
Lynch

Eagan likes keeping Richards in there for experience. Only way Kirkhart doesn't start is if she doesn't recover properly from a minor knee surgery she had this summer. DaMitz will become the primary ball handler, freeing up Robinson to play off ball more. Robinson will still get her fair share of ball handling duties. Findley and and Moore will be super subs off the bench for offensive and defense, respectively.

Also watch for minutes from transfer Bella Sparaco and returner Mia Henderson, as well as freshmen Hayley Mitchell, Anna Hitt, Aiden Moxness. Clevenger will still see the court due to shooting ability and poise. It'll be an exciting year.

[crazznewt]

Drury plays at Truman in January. It's been a while. Its also been a few years since USI has played at Drury.

It will be interesting to see the schedules. I wonder if we'll see more D2 against D1 games early. A little extra money might come in handy for a lot of people this season.

[crazznewt]

This is nice recognition for the women's program, hopefully they can add a national championship to their resume soon. They have been in two title games, but the best opportunity they ever had for the natty was the canceled postseason when they finished undefeated and number one in the country 2 seasons ago.

[crazznewt]

[crazznewt]

Some observations on the Lady Panthers after watching them play this Summer in the Pro Am:

Paige Robinson has more full court drives for a layup after getting a defensive rebound than anyone else I've ever seen.

Transfer Kaylee Damitz is a very quick and strong point guard. Like Robinson, She is capable of taking over a game with her all around game.

Freshman Anna Hitt is the fastest D2 women's player I have seen in two years.

Alana Findlay continues to improve her game. She has a combination of speed, strength and skill that will translate into post season honors for her IMO.

The inside newcomers need to improve their play to help replace All GLVC forward Emily Parker. If there is a weakness to this team, it will be their inside depth. But, I say that every season and end up being wrong. Also, the defensive rebound numbers are misleading because there are less rebounds to be had when the other team is turning the ball over 20 plus times a game.

My projected starters:

*Paige Robinson g, returning starter
*kaylee Damitz g transfer 16.4 ppg 5.3 ast
*Terrion Moore g D1 transfer, 11 ppg 2.1 st
*Aziah Lynch F, returning starter 5th season
*Alana Findlay F averaged 10 rb in Elite 8

In this scenario, last season starters and 5th year seniors Payton Richards and Katie Kirkhart would be off the deep bench.

Amy has 17 players, including 10 newcomers. 5 of these are transfers. Word is that there is no shortage of players willing to walk on for the Lady Panthers.

If the inside play is strong, this team could make another deep run. I also believe they will average 90 points a game.

Drury fans should be excited about this team while this amazing run of success continues.

[crazznewt]

The Summer Pro Am ended for the season yesterday, and here are my observations for the men:

IMO, Garrison not returning for his fifth season is not as big as Jason Montgomery not returning for his third, as his vast potential is not fully reached. There is a lot of production lost to the Panthers between the two.

The new additions and the return of starter Asa Hutchinson, who was on the DL for well over a year, will more than make up for the loss of the departed players.

The positive energy of the new additions to the coaching staff will help. Adding former NBA player Chris Carr as an assistant has added some excitement and another kid magnet to the program.

My projected starters:
*Clay Gayman, 6'6" forward
*Obi Okafor 6'6" forward
* Victor Nwagbarachoa 6'3" forward
*Blake Mckay 6'2" guard
*Malek Davis 5"11" guard
All of these guys are good scorers that can shoot. They are also great athletes.

I think Drury will compete for a conference championship. I dont know if they can make a run in the postseason, but the team believes they will. I think they have the pieces. However, there is a lot of work to be done.

For those in section 102 who I introduced to this site, I hope to see you early and often in the upcoming season. Register and comment! At least PM me, have your grandkids show you how.

I will keep you posted!

[crazznewt]

Lady Panther Paige Robinson has been named a 2020-2021 Ring of Honor recipient by the Women's Basketball Hall Of Fame. The Ring of Honor award recognizes the top high school and college players in the country.

Robinson was named the Division II National Player of the Year by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association in March.

Robinson will also have her jersey displayed in the Ring of Honor at the Hall of Fame in Knoxville, Tennessee.

[crazznewt]

Conley Garrison and Paige Robinson honored as GLVC student-athletes of the year in their respective sports

[crazznewt]

Former NBA player and MVC MVP Chris Carr has joined the Panther coaching staff as a full time assistant. He played in the NBA for six seasons and was runner up to Kobe Bryant in the 1997 NBA Slam Dunk Championship. He was an assistant coach for a good Kansas State Women's team the last 4 seasons.

His daughter Chrissy will be playing for the Syracuse University women's basketball team in 2021-22, and his son Cameron plans to attend Link Academy in Branson in the upcoming school year.

[crazznewt]

The Lady Panthers have 17 players on their roster for 2021-2022 and were in action at the Pro-Am last night with their two split squad teams winning both games.

Paige Robinson continues to improve her game and her athleticism. She is 5'10" and the quickest point guards cannot slow her down. She gets to the rim seemingly at will. Rumor is she will stay for an extra season, meaning she will play 2 more seasons.

Kaylee Damitz and Alana Findlay look like starters for the coming season to me.

Watching the men play reminded me of my playing days and a couple of my pet peeves. When your team is getting pounded on the boards and easy shots are hard to come by, your team's biggest player shouldn't constantly be standing at the three point line waiting for a pass. Also, watching players constantly trying to create shots for themselves and freezing teamates out is ugly. In their defense, there are a lot of new players on both split squads with one team winning and one losing last night.

The Creighton transfer Jett Canfield stood out as did Drury's returning sophomores Miles Samuels, Devon Barshow and Quenton Shelton.

[crazznewt]

Update on Paige Robinson's big game at the Strafford Sports Center: They don't keep a running book, but the officials say it was in the sixtys. This was against a lower level NAIA team, but still impressive because the defense knew she was going to shoot. All this with the clock running during free throws.

[crazznewt]

Paige Robinson put on a show today at the Pro-Am Sunday session. She couldn't miss and had a lot of heat check moments. She was on fire as her teammates kept feeding her the ball and telling her to shoot. Several of her makes were from 25 feet after putting a move on a defender. She also surprised with her quickness.

The people in my section were estimating her numbers, and the consensus was that she had at least 60 points with at least 15 three pointers. People were turning to watch from the other courts as word was spreading across the facility. This was a game (40 minutes with a running clock) between a split squad Drury team and BBC, a local NAIA school.

I will try to find out the official numbers from the Sports Center later.

[crazznewt]

Tuesday night was the debut of the new pro-am league in Strafford, MO

My main observation is the fact a majority of D1 and D2 women college players misjudge how good these high school players are. These are elite teams that have been playing and winning elite tournaments all over the midwest since school ball ended. A lot of these college players have taken some time off after the season to let the nagging injuries heal. Add the mixing of new players into the lineups and the ensuing disorganization presented a monumental challenge. It was fun to watch!

*Incoming Freshman Anna Hitt is quick! Her athleticism is comparable to Daejah Bernard and Kara Rutledge. Elite.

*Incoming Freshman Haylee Mitchell can get up! She is a little green and is on a mission to block every shot..even if this means going through and over her teammates to accomplish this. What a motor!

*Paige Robinson isn't resting on her POY laurels. She put on a show with her ball handling skills.

*Transfer Kaylee Damitz is as good as advertised and is a very strong defender.

On the men's side:

*Transfer Clay Gayman is fun to watch! He can do it all, including defend. Has a motor that is second to none. Is a tremendous leaper and wide and quick defensively on the perimeter.
I know better than to make predictions.....this kid is a First Team GLVC lock!

*Returner Obi Okafor made at least 4 three point shots and drove hard against big boy pressure to finish impressively at the rim. Including a couple dunks from outside the lane over big people. Hopefully with this extra season of eligibility he can reach his vast potential.