Drury Panthers

[DUPanther]

As for the men, Riak looked much better than Thursday but Jewell opened on a 13-0 run and never looked back. The Drury men need MUCH more talent if they are to ascend to the elite. At this point, many will ask if Foster should continue in his role. And to be honest, I don’t know the answer.

The answer is yes. The cupboard was completely bare when he got here. He had the GLVC freshman of the year last year (Applegate), and likely will this year as well (Riok). He had to redshirt a transfer that would've been a starter due to injury and 4 other guys have missed time due to injury. At times he's had more talent sitting on the bench injured than he has on the floor.

They're missing a true point guard. Put a good point with what he's got coming back this year, and already signed for next (Riok's brother) and they could be dangerous.

He put together NCAA tournament teams at both Truman and McKendree. If he could win in those places, he can win here.

[crazznewt]

Kudos to the Drury women for going 2-0 this weekend, but not a great weekend for Drury on either side. The women looked lazy both games and the men were outclassed in both as well.

For the women, the rockhurst game was a great example of what has to happen if one of the big three is off. The other two must have monster performances. And Schaaf and Daniels did so with 25 each. On the men’s side, it was the first game back for Riak and he looked like they rushed him back. Couldn’t move on the ankle well at all. Drury’s lack of depth and Rockhurst’s home court advantage did the rest. They got mauled. Plain and simple.

At Jewell, the Lady Panthers looked disinterested. None of the big three played well. Schaaf went down in the third, likely with a concussion. Credit Brooks with 18 off the bench. Against 13/15 teams in the league, the women lose that game with the performance they put forth. Their lack of depth was never more apparent. They got lucky they played Jewell.

As for the men, Riak looked much better than Thursday but Jewell opened on a 13-0 run and never looked back. The Drury men need MUCH more talent if they are to ascend to the elite. At this point, many will ask if Foster should continue in his role. And to be honest, I don’t know the answer.

Wisdom says humble minds are more focused. At some point, the smart basketball players realize they should not underestimate any opponent. Average teams that are focused, often defeat good teams that are not focused. Despite their mediocre record, Jewell's women did win at UMSL by 10 and beat Upper Iowa by 30 just two weeks ago.

Hopefully Reese doesn't have to sit. She is one of the three Lady Panthers who are likely at the top in the conference in minutes played and is the top candidate for GLVC player of the year. Her toughness is needed against two top teams this week.

Despite all the hits to the depth this season, this team has 18 wins overall and is 13-3 in the conference with six games left and sit at number 5 in the Midwest region poll.

Makaiya Brooks is starting to be a dependable player off of the bench. No one in this league has a quicker release on their shot than her. Also, looks like freshman Sara Mendel has deservedly moved up on the depth chart.


Edit: I think the Rockhurst win was impressive. Mason Halpin has always been one of the toughest home courts in GLVC women's basketball and this season is no different. After all, the Hawks were undefeated there at 10 -0, including wins against Lewis, and Illinois Springfield.
In the past, The Lady Panthers have had absolutely loaded teams that have escaped with close victories there, including single digit wins the last three seasons. Two road 18 point wins isn't terrible regardless.

[panthersclawz1]

Kudos to the Drury women for going 2-0 this weekend, but not a great weekend for Drury on either side. The women looked lazy both games and the men were outclassed in both as well.

For the women, the rockhurst game was a great example of what has to happen if one of the big three is off. The other two must have monster performances. And Schaaf and Daniels did so with 25 each. On the men’s side, it was the first game back for Riak and he looked like they rushed him back. Couldn’t move on the ankle well at all. Drury’s lack of depth and Rockhurst’s home court advantage did the rest. They got mauled. Plain and simple.

At Jewell, the Lady Panthers looked disinterested. None of the big three played well. Schaaf went down in the third, likely with a concussion. Credit Brooks with 18 off the bench. Against 13/15 teams in the league, the women lose that game with the performance they put forth. Their lack of depth was never more apparent. They got lucky they played Jewell.

As for the men, Riak looked much better than Thursday but Jewell opened on a 13-0 run and never looked back. The Drury men need MUCH more talent if they are to ascend to the elite. At this point, many will ask if Foster should continue in his role. And to be honest, I don’t know the answer.

[crazznewt]

Wow, the Drury Men played a clean game against SBU committing only 5 turnovers. With all the injuries on the team, PJ Ngambi made the most of this opportunity by scoring 22 points on a series of athletic drives and good shooting. Maybe he will contribute to a late season surge for the Panthers.
Logan Applegate showed his athleticism on a couple of deep well guarded threes and a late dunk off a steal. He is fun to watch.

The Lady Panthers avenged the early season fluke loss to SBU with several big scoring runs. When Makaiya Brooks is hitting shots, this team can score points in a hurry. Several players are starting to look more mobile, including Moxness, despite the foul trouble.
6'2" Freshman Sara Mendel showed her potential on a couple sweet finishes to contribute to Tori Hamilton's foul trouble on Sara's way to 12 points.

Andjela Kremenovic played excellent defense against the Bearcat's 6'6" Tori Hamilton by picking her up early in the possessions and being physical, holding her to 4 points
Andjela had plenty of help defense, as Drury was often able to drop an extra defender to the lane, thus leaving the SBU point guard wide open due to her 19% field goal percentage (17 of 90) on the season. I mention this only because the SBU play by play guys have expressed their frustration frequently about the offense when this player is on the court. The season stats do back up their complaints: 19% FG, 0-11 3 pointers, 13 of 33 free throws for 39%, assist to turnover ratio of .65 , 1.1 rebounds per game and 5 steals all season. This as a starter and playing half the game on average. They have other guardS with much better numbers. I agree with those guys, that is bizarre.

[crazznewt]

The Lady Panthers continue to impress with their victory over Illinois Springfield. Their lack of depth is a major concern as they have practically no bench. But Schaaf, Matas Martin and Daniels is a solid three-headed monster for now. Bailey has drawn up some very nice plays, especially out of timeouts. Credit to those players for stepping up.

Foster’s team has been as unlucky as I’ve seen in years. Almost afforded no opportunity to find any rhythm. They’ll be without Riak and Wakefield for a month. A betting human being would say they not make the tournament again. Rumbles will happen but I’d assume he will return.

There have been negative circumstances that have clearly been out of the control of each program's coach. Potential starter Colin Hardrick and likely starter Ryan Gordon have been out for all of what could have been a breakout season, and now two more are out, including one who has as much potential as any other player in this league. Despite all the adversity, they beat one of the best teams in the league Saturday in Illinois Springfield. I hope everyone comes back for next season.

How good would the women be with two more ball handlers and two more scorers? (King and Gibbons) if not for a flagrant elbow at halfcourt, Drury would likely have two less league losses. When you only have five dependable players who get 90% of the minutes and you lose one, that hurts your rhythm, especially against a deep defensive team.

Besides Martin, the rest of the starters have been bench players their entire college career. I'll say it again, if this team gets to twenty wins, Bailey should be a candidate for GLVC coach of the year.

Over 1200 a game average attendance proves people still care, despite the down seasons by Drury standards.

I wonder what the conservative Southwest Baptist supporters think about the Lady Bearcat's post game interview with coach Harrell, whose team only managed four free throws in the fourth quarter, outscored 22-4 in their eight point loss against Quincy. She spent a lot of time talking about the officiating while sporting a nose ring. Nothing wrong with that I guess, it's just very unusual.

[panthersclawz1]

The Lady Panthers continue to impress with their victory over Illinois Springfield. Their lack of depth is a major concern as they have practically no bench. But Schaaf, Matas Martin and Daniels is a solid three-headed monster for now. Bailey has drawn up some very nice plays, especially out of timeouts. Credit to those players for stepping up.

Foster’s team has been as unlucky as I’ve seen in years. Almost afforded no opportunity to find any rhythm. They’ll be without Riak and Wakefield for a month. A betting human being would say they not make the tournament again. Rumbles will happen but I’d assume he will return.

[crazznewt]

Juok Riak broke his ankle 4 minutes into the Truman game. We've played most of the year with 2 starters out and it'll be 3 now until Elijah Whitley gets back from his broken wrist.

Coach Foster is due for some good luck - he hasn't had any since he got here.

That is so disappointing. So much uncertainty everywhere. Thankful I'm anchored to a Rock.

[DUPanther]

Juok Riak broke his ankle 4 minutes into the Truman game. We've played most of the year with 2 starters out and it'll be 3 now until Elijah Whitley gets back from his broken wrist.

Coach Foster is due for some good luck - he hasn't had any since he got here.

[crazznewt]

Paige Robinson is listed as a starter for the historically strong Herner TC team (this season is the exception) in Germany's top pro league. There is no record of her having played a game yet as she is a recent arrival and stats updates are slow. Hopefully this link works:
https://basketball.eurobasket.com/te.../10286?Women=1

The following is copied from the "Dallas Wings Salary Cap Sheet":
"UNSIGNED DRAFTEES Stephanie Soares $74,305
Paige Robinson $62,285"
This is further evidence they are serious about bringing her back as a "2024 stash pick".

From her first collegiate game, her tremendous potential was obvious, as she scored 24 points on 6 of 9 from 3, and 9 of 14 from the field...in the first half alone, against Kentucky Wesleyan on a neutral court.

She is now achieving her goal of playing world caliber basketball despite the physical setbacks.

The three Lady Panthers who were locks for post season honors since preseason are carrying the scoring load for Drury. I thought Kaylee King was a lock for GLVC Freshman Of the Year before her injury sidelined her for the season. Coach Bailey needs added dependable role players to step up soon to add to the 2 current strong role players. That staff has done an EXCELLENT job despite the roster taking major hits.

[crazznewt]

The Men are starting to show their improved depth as they won their last game without Juok Riak, who sat with an injury. Logan Applegate should have won GLVC player of the week as he averaged 28 points, made 17 of 31 FG, 8 of 16 from 3, 14 of 17 from the line, and had 9 rebounds in Drury's 2 wins.

It was good to see Quincy Erickson and Hailey Tunnell get a little playing time for the women as they hopefully return to contribute. Tunnell hasn't played all season. Erickson was starting to be a big contributor before her setback. By my count, this makes at least 5 players who would have played that have been out for the season or missed significant time. This doesn't include the others who have missed practice time due to illness or injury.

A handful of players have carried this team, making good teams with deep rosters the challenge for the Lady Panthers...especially on the road. If this team gets to 20 wins for the season, Coach Bailey deserves to win GLVC coach of the year honors.

[crazznewt]

Drury's Logan Applegate was 9 of 13 from the field and 6 of 9 from three. A couple 3's were from 25 feet and he was not open on any of these. He has a combination of a very quick release and deceptively good athletic ability. He is becoming a very good defender also.

Juok Riak barely kept his dunk streak going as he put one down on Drury's last possession. He beat the defense on the baseline, passed under the basket, did a quick 180 and finished. He is one of the rare ones who can dunk when no one is expecting it. He finished with 16 points and 7 rebounds.

On the subject of stats, UIndy Women's Coach Mitchell picked up his team's 15th technical foul since he became their coach last season. In the first quarter, the Rockhurst play by play guy mentioned that the whole arena heard an official tell Mitchell that the officiating crew was not going to put up with his antics. It took until halfway through the 3rd quarter until they T'd him up.

Reese Shaaf had 19 points and 17 rebounds as the Lady Panthers held off Maryville. The Drury starters played 181 minutes of the 200 possible. The guards never left the floor and Shaaf played 39 minutes.

[crazznewt]

Agreed. Truman went above and beyond this fall still promoting Cody Schrader during his incredible two-year stint at Mizzou football after being a dominating GLVC RB in Kirksville.

Thanks Mike. Everyone needs to know where athletes like Broderick Thomas, Hannah Belanger, Cody Schrader and Paige Robinson developed their skills as they play on the national stage. They helped their respective schools achieve and maintain recognition and deserve to be acknowledged as they have continued success. How could giving them a mention occasionally not be good for the school?

[TSU_Mike59]

Seems like Drury would post news about this on their athletics website like Illinois State did.

Agreed. Truman went above and beyond this fall still promoting Cody Schrader during his incredible two-year stint at Mizzou football after being a dominating GLVC RB in Kirksville.

[crazznewt]

Paige Robinson has signed a pro contract with Herner TC in the German Premire League. After she was drafted by the WNBA's Dallas Wings, it was announced she would be a "stash pick" for 2024 after a stint playing overseas. Seems like Drury would post news about this on their athletics website like Illinois State did.

For four seasons, she helped this program stay on top of the national level and earned an NCAA D2 National Player of The Year honor. She returned after missing half of her senior season with injury and played like the All American she was, despite the brace on her shooting wrist.

Her banner will eventually be on the north wall at O'Reilly and I bet this young lady will be playing on national television in the near future.
She accomplished a lot for this program.

[crazznewt]

It's surprising the University of Indianapolis and the GLVC is still allowing Marc Mitchell's team to show poor sportsmanship. Indy's loss to Maryville today was largely due to yet another technical, this one in overtime. Two late technicals at Rockhurst last season contributed greatly to that loss for Indy. Also, it looked like another cheap shot (not called), this one toward Gracie Stugart after her go ahead three in overtime in today's game. This by the same player who elbowed Kaylee Holt in the face in the league tournament last season. Disgraceful.

Riek Reik looked good for Drury in their win against Rockhurst. His footwork and finishes at the rim were big time. Juok Riak was In foul trouble the whole game, but Drury didn't need him. He added a couple more dunks to his season total though.

Sara Mendel might be a starter by season's end for the women.
Big performances by a few fueled the blowout win against Rock U.