Drury Panthers

[DUPanther]

Quick thoughts:

Speaking of the portal, Logan Applegate is moving to Charlston, SC and joining the Citadel team. Good luck to him.

Not sure what you're supposed to do in an environment where players will leave to go play at a school that went 5-25 overall and 0-18 in the SoCon just because they have D1 after their name.

Good luck to him - I like Logan, but I'm not sure he's going to have the experience that Conley Garrison did when he went to Furman a few years ago.

[Bballfan]

Not sure what you're supposed to do in an environment where players will leave to go play at a school that went 5-25 overall and 0-18 in the SoCon just because they have D1 after their name.

Good luck to him - I like Logan, but I'm not sure he's going to have the experience that Conley Garrison did when he went to Furman a few years ago.

I am seeing that a lot. Players that are not even that good in D2 jump to a D1 school that couldn't even beat a number of D2 schools. I guess they just want to hang with losers. But then they can say they are a "D1 athlete". LOL

[crazznewt]

A few years back there was a site that listed D2 and D3 transfers as well, but the amount of portal names are just overwhelming now. You have almost 25% of D1 women in the portal. That is approximately 1,250 players. Just insane.

Saw today the Horizon Leauge MVP on the women's side is hitting the portal. Two weeks ago she announced she was coming back to her school (Cleveland State) for her fifth year. But now she is too good for Cleveland State and no doubt some other team offered more. Just two seasons ago she was a D2 player for Glenville State. Before that she was at Toledo. So for those that track such ridiculousness...

School 1 - Toledo
School 2 - Glenville State
School 3 - Cleveland State
School 4 - ?

Once upon a time you went to college to get a degree. Now some of these players are just mercenaries going to the highest bidder. How can that even be enjoyable! Personally, I think there should be a one time transfer UNLESS there is a coaching change or you are a grad student. At some point this nonsense has to end.

Drury fans have to accept the fact that D1 caliber players will no longer be a big part of the roster unless wealthy donors contribute big bucks. This is not hearsay. One area high school player who graduated two seasons ago is receiving 15,000 a semester to play D1 in the area. This is close to home, as this is the type of player Drury recruits.

The NCAA (Not Credible Anymore Alliance) needs to at least allow the D2's more scholarships to compensate for this betrayal of the small colleges. These same people held a small school accountable for a paperwork oversight on otherwise completely eligible athletes, but allows widespread tampering resulting in further hardship on those smaller schools.

Who knows what women's sports would have looked like 4 years from now if not for a mandate from a higher power. This isn't your daddy's NCAA.

[Bballfan]

Drury fans have to accept the fact that D1 caliber players will no longer be a big part of the roster unless wealthy donors contribute big bucks.

Donor money to pay athletes is not a sustainable model though. The purpose of NIL was to provide athletes the opportunities to get endorsement deals and make money off their "brand". But for most athletes now it is simply pay to play. You have womens' players on Big Ten teams getting $20,000 just to sit the bench. They could care less about winning or getting playing time. Just in it for the money.

Adding more scholarships is not the answer. I don't know what the answer is, but what is going on now is not sustainable. Saint Francis University figured that out...dropping from D1 to D3. They are not even bothering to compete in D2.

I do think more schools will drop the NCAA entirely. Go back to NAIA or some of the other random college athletic associations. The only way a number of schools are D2 now is to get that kickback money from March Madness. But with revenue sharing for D1 athletes now, there will be less money the NCAA can give back to support D2 and D3 athletics.

Such a big mess. Look for more club sports in the future as a result of what is going on.

[crazznewt]

Maybe if the D2's had more scholarships they could get more creative with their offers. Like a five year scholarship for example.

[crazznewt]

I have a friend who doesn't like women's basketball because "the movements are different." I like both men's and women's sports for the same reason. Here is an example:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DIcOy...dycWQ3YjRzbw==

I think the Drury Men have 3 freshmen and the women have 6 freshmen signed for next season. All of these made all state, and most of these were named first team. Hopefully D2 doesn't become a developmental league for D1 so we can watch this young talent develop over 4 seasons.

[Bballfan]

Hopefully D2 doesn't become a developmental league for D1 so we can watch this young talent develop over 4 seasons.

That shipped has sadly sailed. While you seeing it happening more on the men's side, more women are starting to make the jump now too. Just look at Central Missouri women last year losing two starters to D1 programs. Just saw Ferris State lost their quarterback to... Ole Miss. No D2 program is going to retain an athlete if they are valued in D1 and want to chase the $$$ they can offer. And freshman are probably the biggest to hit the transfer portal. Either they are too good and want a bigger challenge, or they are not good enough and they just opt to go try somewhere else they might get a chance to play.

[crazznewt]

That shipped has sadly sailed. While you seeing it happening more on the men's side, more women are starting to make the jump now too. Just look at Central Missouri women last year losing two starters to D1 programs. Just saw Ferris State lost their quarterback to... Ole Miss. No D2 program is going to retain an athlete if they are valued in D1 and want to chase the $$$ they can offer. And freshman are probably the biggest to hit the transfer portal. Either they are too good and want a bigger challenge, or they are not good enough and they just opt to go try somewhere else they might get a chance to play.

The Lady Panthers were one of the first to experience this trend when national player of the year Paige Robinson transferred to Illinois State, ultimately winning Missouri Valley Conference POY 3 seasons ago.

[Bballfan]

Definitely was thinking about her. It was her 5th year right?

In today's environment, not sure Diestelkamp would have been around 4 years. Once you are national player of the year, you are going to get a lot of temptation from D1 schools.

[crazznewt]

Definitely was thinking about her. It was her 5th year right?

In today's environment, not sure Diestelkamp would have been around 4 years. Once you are national player of the year, you are going to get a lot of temptation from D1 schools.

Correct on Paige. Probably right on Diesltkamp also. Although Hailey had a lot of D1 offers out of high school, especially from the Illinois schools.

A couple notes of local interest: Award winning news anchor Emily Pritchard has returned to Missouri to work at Springfield's KY3 TV in the same capacity. Emily is the sister of current Waynesville HS head girls basketball coach and former Drury Lady Panther, Katie Pritchard.
Katie by the way, was another Drury national level player. She led the nation in three point percentage in each of her last three seasons of eligibility. She was an exceptional two sport athlete who could pull the rim down despite her 5'8"(?) height.

Also, Caitlynn Daniels added an academic All American award to her impressive resume. She has definitely left her mark at Drury.

[Bballfan]

Although Hailey had a lot of D1 offers out of high school, especially from the Illinois schools.

The difference is now Hailey would have got $$$ just do go to a D1 school, so probably never would have went to Drury in the first place. It is getting harder and harder to attract D1 talent to D2. And if you do, if they experience good success in D2, D1's are going to try and lure them away. You see this especially on the men's side where the money is even greater. And now with revenue sharing, things are only going to get worse.

[crazznewt]

It's amazing the chaos federal judges can cause with landmark decisions and they have ruined basketball for many. Just like the wildly indiscriminate spending while in huge debt, it is not sustainable and will end up collapsing the whole system.

The whole basketball system started turning into a false balance with the AAU movement back in the '80's IMO.

"For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil."

[Bballfan]

The whole basketball system started turning into a false balance with the AAU movement back in the '80's IMO.

"For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil."

And the shoe wars. That is when the corruption really got ramped up!

[crazznewt]

And the shoe wars. That is when the corruption really got ramped up!

Oh man, the shoe wars and under the table kick backs. This has perpetuated like all other immorality that isn't checked. Now the implosion of college sports as we know it will be fast and furious.

[Bballfan]

Sonny Vaccaro. The sleaziest of the sleaziest. So much illegal stuff back then. Now that would all be legal sadly.

He is portrayed in the movie Air, but they can make a movie about all his corruption in itself.