Drury Panthers

[crazznewt]

I think Kaci is the unofficial GLVC coach of the month as she and her staff have exceeded the odds with this mostly new group going up against talented, experienced teams on the road. I've been using the GLVCSN and the fast forward button to watch women's basketball (not interested in the men's side YET) and was amazed at the bizarre choices some other coaches have made.

Not related to the above, Beth Matas Martin was face-guarded most of the Indy game and her defender had no idea what was happening anywhere else on the court much of the time, basically making it 4 on 4 and giving Reese Shaaf room to absolutely dominate on her way to 27 points and 14 rebounds. Reese had a good road trip as she had 21 and 11 in the last minute loss to Lewis.

I won't call out specifics on these other games out of respect. I'm still shaking my head though.

[crazznewt]

The Lady Panthers depth took yet another hit. Just as Rhi Gibbons was starting to be a force off the bench, she is now out for the year. Looks like Andjela Kremenovic is out for at least two games with a concussion she suffered at Indianapolis last Saturday on a play in which a flagrant 1 was called. This, while running next to a Greyhound player near halfcourt.

Odd series of events preceded that elbow. Kremenovic got her shot blocked and was then told about it by an Indy player. This was confirmed by the Indy play by play guy. On Drury's next offensive possession, Kremenovic made an athletic shot, finishing the three point play. Andjela's momentum carried her close to Indy's bench where she celebrated, but not in a disrespectful way. It wasn't long after this she catches an elbow. I'm not saying this was intentional, but I agree with the officials that it looked suspect.

On the subject of Indy, the Lady Greyhounds picked up two technicals in their loss to Governors State this week - one of these techs came at a pivotal time in the game.

Juok Riak added 3 more dunks in Tuesday's Men's game and had 7 assists.
Logan Applegate had 27 points that included 7 of twelve from three. Most of these were very athletic shots.

[crazznewt]

SBU dominated the boards in both games, sweeping the Drury teams in close Bearcat victories. I thought Stumbo was the Lady Bearcats game MVP.

The Lady Panthers lack of depth was evident as the guards played practically the whole game and four played 34- plus. Juok Riak had 4 more dunks and was 6 for seven for 14 points in the men's game. Getting players back after the break should help both Drury teams.

Indy Women pick up another technical in a blowout loss to Lewis. A quick scan of the stats reveal the Lady Greyhounds have been called for 13 techs since the beginning of last season. I'm honestly surprised they don't have more, as the coach spends an inordinate amount of time inches from game official's ears.

The same player who accidentally hit Drury's Andjela Kremenovic with a high elbow causing a concussion, accidentally committed a foul when she landed on Lewis Flyer Kathryn Schmidt's injured knee. Later in the game, it looked like Courier came to the defense of a teammate who took a backhand slap on the upper chest from that same player (3:14 4 qtr), resulting in a double technical.

[panthersclawz1]

Truly mind boggling that Bailey's best play coming out of a timeout in a last-shot situation was to inbound a hail mary pass into the post. Drury is already undersized, was missing their starting center and was severely outrebounded. They also had three 40%+ three-point shooters on the floor for the last play. Yet that's what she drew up. Yikes. Could be the first of several surprise bad losses this season.

Still think the men's team can figure it out. At least I hope. They have a lot of talent, but Foster needs to figure out how to run more of the offense through Riak. And the boys need to care about actually playing well before there's 10 minutes left in the game.

[crazznewt]

Truly mind boggling that Bailey's best play coming out of a timeout in a last-shot situation was to inbound a hail mary pass into the post. Drury is already undersized, was missing their starting center and was severely outrebounded. They also had three 40%+ three-point shooters on the floor for the last play. Yet that's what she drew up. Yikes. Could be the first of several surprise bad losses this season.

Still think the men's team can figure it out. At least I hope. They have a lot of talent, but Foster needs to figure out how to run more of the offense through Riak. And the boys need to care about actually playing well before there's 10 minutes left in the game.

The Men are desperately missing Ryan Gordon as he is by far the toughest player Drury has inside. There is no way a guard should be the leading rebounder on a team where four athletic players 6'6 and above get significant minutes.

Last season, Coach Bailey ran that same play successfully at Rockhurst and it was a game winner. That game decided who would go to the post season. If this Drury team didn't have so many on the DL, they would very likely be undefeated as they have two losses by a total of 3 points. The starting guards are likely leading the league in minutes played, which has to be a concern. One bright spot is the play of Sara Mendel. Her minutes will likely continue to increase.

Molly Miller's Grand Canyon team (7-2) beat cross town foe, Pac 12 member Arizona State (7-3) 66-59. This game was played at Arizona State in front of 2100 fans. In comparison, there were 1900 at Drury's games on Saturday.

Good to see your input, there are lots of readers, but no commenters.

[crazznewt]

I'm standing by my pre-season prediction that Juok Riak will be at least a two time All American if he stays four years at Drury.

He made 8 of 11 field goal attemps (leads the GLVC in fg %) and was 8 for 8 from the line, in the win against a strong, athletic, cocky Southern Arkansas team. These free throws were no doubt, high arc, perfect back spin shots. Oh yeah, he added another dunk. All this despite being double teamed most of the game.

He is not a complete player yet, but with his work ethic, he will be. He is a much needed boost for a proud program that obviously has not provided much excitement for its fan base the last few years.

The Missouri State Lady Bears drew 1600 to their game against BYU, which almost feels like a nuetral site game in that 11,000 seat arena.

[crazznewt]

This was one of the worst performances in Lady Panther history. Silly cross court passes that were easily picked off, serious lack of depth exploited, preparation difference very apparent starting in warm-ups...Lots of practice time has been lost on an already thin team. However, considering the good showing on the Lewis road trip, I still think the potential is there for a run.

Molly Miller's Grand Canyon team (this college is over 200 miles from the Grand Canyon) is ranked number 17 among all D1 Mid Major Universities. Deservedly so, they have some historic wins for that program so far this season. By comparison, Missouri State is number 47.

Odd seeing these local sporting events drawing well less than half their historically normal attendance numbers. Maybe every venue should provide wifi and install charging stations at every seat. Winning games would help too.

[panthersclawz1]

Embarrassing showing today by both players and coaches. Tough to win when only one player shows up and no defensive adjustments are made.

About seven to 10 losses feels about right for this team.

[crazznewt]

Embarrassing showing today by both players and coaches. Tough to win when only one player shows up and no defensive adjustments are made.

About seven to 10 losses feels about right for this team.

Interesting comment in a series of comments from someone who seems to have inside knowledge of the program. A brand new coach having to complete a new staff and build a roster with limited recruiting contacts in this area doesn't get the same consideration as the men's coach who is much more established here.

Didn't you comment back in the summer that the women couldn't afford any injuries? How much practice time have Bailey's key players lost due to injuries or illness on this already thin team? And she is expected to have everyone on the same page? I maintain the previous women's coach is more responsible for the state of this program than Bailey is!

19 losses by the men's team last season, 13 by double figures, 3 by 20 or more. Need I go on? You have not said one negative thing about this. I still support the men by buying tickets, merchandise and concessions and I understand the circumstances leading to those down seasons and am more patient than the hundreds who would leave after every women's game last season.

What " boggles" my mind is the bias shown in your comments. Not once have you questioned anything to do with the men's program. I like both programs, but one has provided the most fan excitement lately. To say otherwise is denying the facts.
I pose the question to you: why question one program and not the other? Please explain.

[panthersclawz1]

I commented on the women’s game. The women played today. The men didn’t. It’s not difficult math.

I commented on what I believe the men needed to improve on In literally the last comment I posted before the one I posted today. A post you to which you replied. Calm down, pal.

Foster needs to get this team to the mid to upper tier of the conference or I’d imagine he’s out. He’s been far better elsewhere than he has here.

Bailey’s story is off to a rocky start. I don’t see it improving in the sense that she continues a strong tradition of winning established by previous coaches. Hope I’m wrong. We’ll see.

Interesting comment in a series of comments from someone who seems to have inside knowledge of the program. A brand new coach having to complete a new staff and build a roster with limited recruiting contacts in this area doesn't get the same consideration as the men's coach who is much more established here.

Didn't you comment back in the summer that the women couldn't afford any injuries? How much practice time have Bailey's key players lost due to injuries or illness on this already thin team? And she is expected to have everyone on the same page? I maintain the previous women's coach is more responsible for the state of this program than Bailey is!

19 losses by the men's team last season, 13 by double figures, 3 by 20 or more. Need I go on? You have not said one negative thing about this. I still support the men by buying tickets, merchandise and concessions and I understand the circumstances leading to those down seasons and am more patient than the hundreds who would leave after every women's game last season.

What " boggles" my mind is the bias shown in your comments. Not once have you questioned anything to do with the men's program. I like both programs, but one has provided the most fan excitement lately. To say otherwise is denying the facts.
I pose the question to you: why question one program and not the other? Please explain.

[crazznewt]

I commented on the women’s game. The women played today. The men didn’t. It’s not difficult math.

I commented on what I believe the men needed to improve on In literally the last comment I posted before the one I posted today. A post you to which you replied. Calm down, pal.

Foster needs to get this team to the mid to upper tier of the conference or I’d imagine he’s out. He’s been far better elsewhere than he has here.

Bailey’s story is off to a rocky start. I don’t see it improving in the sense that she continues a strong tradition of winning established by previous coaches. Hope I’m wrong. We’ll see.

I commented on the entirety of your post history, it's relevant to point out a double standard.
Your mild suggestion post for the men (until this last one) is quite the contrast to the negative stuff you've posted about Bailey since day one. I'm not the only fan who has wondered who made you mad. Don't bite the hand that feeds you!

[panthersclawz1]

We all want the best for drury. I hope the men can coalesce into a top 4-5 team. Riak is the best pure talent they’ve recruited since Garrison, and his ceiling is way higher if he stays.

I’m confident the women will be top two this season. Let’s hope she can recruit a similar standout talent. Postseason is anybody's guess for both sides. [QUOTE=crazznewt;

I commented on the entirety of your post history, it's relevant to point out a double standard.
Your mild suggestion post for the men (until this last one) is quite the contrast to the negative stuff you've posted about Bailey since day one. I'm not the only fan who has wondered who made you mad. Don't bite the hand that feeds you![/QUOTE]

[crazznewt]

Injuries have seriously hurt the Lady Panther's depth. Coaches often load their rosters with extra guards for a reason. The loss of high scoring guard Kaylee King before the season started hurt bad, as did the ruling that highly recruited guard Jazz Gray had to sit after initially signing with Washburn. Compound that with the loss of backup guard Rhi Gibbons, who was playing and contributing, the end result is 2 to 4 players who will be among the league leaders in minutes played at season's end.
Finishing games with this thin roster will be a bear. Hopefully no one else gets injured from over work.

Freshman Juok Riak's scoring average would be higher if not for the one game where he played single digit minutes. He has proven he can't be stopped one on one, as he is still getting to the spots he wants at a high rate, shooting 68% from the field at almost 16 ppg. He is probably averaging at least three dunks per game as further proof he is getting to the rim. He is not a stationary player as he can also shoot and drive. I pray he stays 4 years.

Hopefully these programs finish the season strong.

[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.

[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.