Molly Miller's tenure as the Lady Panthers head coach saw another magical season under her leadership as Drury went 35-1, advanced to the NCAA-II national semifinals, won the Midwest Regional, and won their third-straight GLVC championship in 2018-19. At every step, she has been a determined winner. She goes on to say, "Molly is a light shining forever," and there are plans for a . Given the unbelievable success Coach Miller has experienced on the basketball court, we are incredibly excited about the future of the womens basketball program, GCU President Brian Mueller said. Veteran forward Tiarra Brown, who enters her junior season and third under Miller, was selected to the Second Team and returns as the leading scorer for the Lopes with 9.5 points and 4.8 rebounds in 2021-22. All the while, she put an emphasis on her players being students first, learning life skills and acting as community stewards. Miller recruits players with a similar hunger to win and work to improve. "We will have to give each other virtual hugs for now, but soon we'll be high-fiving each other on the court after a Lopes win," Miller said. She accepted the position in April at the Division I school. Molly MillerCoach Miller is one of the winningest college head coaches in the country and a true leader who knows how to run a championship program, GCU Vice President of Athletics Jamie Boggs said of Miller's hiring. Molly Miller - Head Coach - Grand Canyon University Athletics Sophomore transfer Aaliyah Collins was tabbed to the First Team after finishing third in the WAC in steals per game (2.52) in and fourth in steals (68) a season ago. When you work hard and strive for great things and you're a good person, you want to achieve great things and that's what you can do with the support here and the resources here.". The .914 winning percentage tops any active Division I, II or III mens or womens basketball head coach with at least five years of experience and includes a stunning 67-1 mark over the past two seasons. Passion. At every step, she has been a determined winner. In her first job, Miller spent four years as a marketing director for Springfield Neurological and Spine Institute, putting her master of business administration to use while giving basketball instruction to players on the side. Miller and her husband, Derek, have two children, Crosby and Cy. Molly Miller Mother "She Took Her Own Life" - TheCount.com 3,319 followers. Miller's hustle-oriented teams defend with the intensity and trapping that was her trademark as a player. The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy. Molly MillerCoach Miller is one of the winningest college head coaches in the country and a true leader who knows how to run a championship program, GCU Vice President of Athletics Jamie Boggs said of Miller's hiring. Miller enters the 2022-23 season with an .866 winning percentage, second highest among active Division I head coaches, .19 behind UConns Geno Auriemma. At every step, she has been a determined winner. Molly Miller Balances Basketball & Motherhood - YouTube Miller was also named the national coach of the year and her name was already floating around for Division I openings. Millers hustle-oriented teams defend with the intensity and trapping that was her trademark as a player. Under Miller, Drury became the first Great Lakes Valley Conference program to win four consecutive titles and went 105-5 in conference play (55-0 at home) over her six-year tenure. If you havent heard about GCUs new womens basketball coach yet, then here is a summary of her resume. Upon her hiring at Drury, she still ranked fourth all-time in scoring and was the program's career leader in assists, steals and free throws made. Founded, monitored, and run by college coaches. Miller left Drury with a career record of 180-17 and her .914 winning percentage is the best mark in program history and leads all active women's basketball coaches at all levels of the NCAA. Were going to be very family-oriented at GCU. Molly Miller is leading the Grand Canyon women's basketball program for her third season as Lopes head coach after taking over the program on April 7, 2020. She took a pay cut to return to Drury as an assistant coach for two seasons before being elevated to interim head coach, a title that lost the interim tag after a 7-2 start. #LopesUp 0:43 1K views GCU Havocs and 3 others Coach Molly Miller Retweeted "She has tremendous character, is passionate about her faith and will be a wonderful leader for our student-athletes. All Rights Reserved, 2023 Hercules Tires WAC Basketball Tournament, Lancers Down Lopes in Front of Sellout Crowd, Tennis set to open 2023 season versus Utah, Trip ends with 3-2 comeback win vs. No.
Drury ended the year with a number three national ranking after being ranked number one in the coaches' poll throughout the second half of the season. During her playing days at Drury, she was named third-team All-American in 2008 and finished top-3 in program history for points, assists and steals. HomeBusiness NewsMolly Miller brings winningest college coaching record to GCU. "I couldn't be more appreciative of her and everything she's done for me.". She and her husband Derek share a little about what it's like to balance. She grew up in Springfield, Missouri, as Molly Carter and played at Kickapoo High School and Drury University in her hometown. Miller builds program on, off court - Grand Canyon University Athletics We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here. I love this game and everything that is has given to me so I want to give back to it and my players so they can find as much joy and love for the game, Miller said. You can contact him at 417-371-6987, by email atwwheeler@news-leader.comor join the conversation on Twitter where his handle is@WyattWheeler_NL. The Lady Panthers became the first team in GLVC history to win three league titles in a row and were the first team ever to go unbeaten during the regular season and win the conference tournament in the same year. Molly Miller (@coach_mollymiller) Instagram photos and videos She guided Drury to the Division II Final Four last year and a 32-0 record this season, when she put the Panthers at No. Eagan's Truman State team won the Great Lakes Valley Conference title in her first season in 2013-14 and she finished her career as the program's all-time leader in coaching wins with a record of. Im excited to hit the ground running and meet those kids and love them like family. Her winning record as a player and a former head coach is impressive. Her basketball record is nothing short of incredible but even more important is who she is as a person. Drury won by 27.9 points per game in 2018-19 and 28.5 per game in 2019-20. The Basketball Podcast: EP186 with Molly Miller on Pressing - YouTube Molly Miller brings winningest college coaching record to GCU The car Miller and Haynes were riding in, a 2012 Honda Accord, was found totaled two weeks . Now it's time for her to win somewhere else. We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here. Over her six-year Drury career, Miller is 128-8. The 2021-22 season concluded in the WNIT first round, the first WNIT berth for the Lopes in program history. 2023 www.news-leader.com. She was also a hall of fame-worthy player at the program in addition to being a two-time state champion at Kickapoo. In the midst of global chaos, Grand Canyon University made a tremendous hire that might have been overshadowed by the events of 2020. Molly Miller Post Game | Feb.27 vs Seattle - YouTube Growing up in Springfield as Molly Carter, she found her love of basketball at age 8 as a ball girl for national power Southwest Missouri State (now Missouri State). The entertaining style and success have made Drury one of the top Division II draws, ranking third in attendance last season at 1,768 fans per game despite only having 1,500 undergraduate students on campus and competing for Ozarks basketball fans with Missouri State. "She was one of my biggest supporters and she really, really helped me through this process," Eagan said. The virtuosic Molly Miller on her magical 335 and guitar becoming a Thursday, Marian McConnell released a statement via Facebook. The Panthers have guarded opponents from baseline to baseline and led Division II with 30.8 turnovers forced per game this season. Her teams had a winning season in all six seasons while winning 20 or more games three times. But since Miller took over as head coach at age 28 in 2014, she pushed the Panthers to the best all-time winning percentage (.827) in Division II history. Player Season Finder . Miller is the new head women's basketball coach of Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona. GCU President Brian Mueller and Athletic Director Jamie Boggs tapped former Drury University head coach Molly Miller to take over the GCU womens basketball program on April 7, 2020. Molly was an athlete in high school, participating in dance, basketball, and softball. Miller enters the 2022-23 season with an .866 winning percentage, second highest among active Division I head coaches, .19 behind UConn's Geno Auriemma. That's going to be our goal and I think we can do it at GCU." We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here. On the heels of Mother's Day, GCU Women's Basketball Head Coach Molly Miller shares a glimpse inside her family. Drury was ranked in the Division II top 25 for a nation-leading 111 consecutive weeks. Miller and the Lopes have earned back-to-back appearances in the WAC Tournament championship game as she finished 22-10 overall and 14-4 in WAC play in 2021-22. Growing up in Springfield as Molly Carter, she found her love of basketball at age 8 as a ball girl for national power Southwest Missouri State (now Missouri State). Miller enters the 2022-23 season with an .866 winning percentage, second highest among active Division I head coaches, .19 behind UConns Geno Auriemma. Miller and her husband, Derek, are raising a 3-year-old daughter, Crosby, and a 3-month-old son, Cy. Drury has been ranked in the Division II top 25 for a nation-leading 111 consecutive weeks. The two-time Division II Coach of the Year ended her Drury career with the D-II national runner-up in 2019 and an undefeated, top-ranked 2020 team when the national tournament was canceled because of COVID-19. In turn, her teams have played uptempo, player-predicated motion offense that averaged 90.2 points per game this season. I think we can make a big splash. 224-34 (.868) Molly Miller is leading the Grand Canyon women's basketball program for her third season as Lopes head coach after taking over the program on April 7, 2020. If an undefeated mark does not state Drurys dominance under Miller enough, the Panthers also led Division II in scoring margin for her last two seasons there. "I love the relationship part of it. "I built some really good relationships with those kids," Eagan said. Her teams were top-5 in the nation in five different defensive statistical categories. GCU named Miller, 34, as its new head coach Tuesday after she posted an astounding 180-17 record over the past six years at her alma mater, Drury Univeristy in Springfield, Missouri. Im super-competitive, Miller said. 3,319 Followers, 580 Following, 584 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Molly Miller (@coach_mollymiller) coach_mollymiller. Miller left the Lady Panthers for Division I Grand Canyon on Wednesday and it took just five days for Drury to find her replacement. She already was mastering dribbling and finishing with either hand and progressed into a player who won two state championships at Kickapoo High School, where her teams went 109-9 (.924). (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); HoopDirt is your source for the latest college basketball coaching news, rumors, and job postings. If an undefeated mark does not state Drurys dominance under Miller enough, the Panthers also led Division II in scoring margin for the past two seasons, winning by an average of 27.9 points per game in 2018-19 and an average of 28.5 points per game this season. We want to be one of the best teams in the nation. Head Coach Molly Miller (joined by Cy and Crosby) speaks with the media after GCU Women's Basketball defeats Seattle 80-64.Grand Canyon University, Arizonas premier, private Christian university, helps students find their purpose with next- generation education, including over 200 academic programs with over 150 online programs. Grand Canyon's aspirations to rise in Division I women's basketball will be in the hands of new Lopes head coach Molly Miller, a two-time Division II Coach of the Year who leads all active college basketball coaches in winning percentage.. GCU named Miller, 34, as its new head coach Tuesday after she posted an astounding 180-17 record over the past six years at her alma mater, Drury . In her Drury playing career, her teams went 112-18 (.862). Grand Canyons aspirations to rise in Division I womens basketball will be in the hands of new Lopes head coach Molly Miller, a two-time Division II Coach of the Year who leads all active college basketball coaches in winning percentage. She guided Drury to the Division II Final Four last year and a 32-0 record this season, when she put the Panthers at No. Wyatt D. Wheeler is a reporter and columnist with the Springfield News-Leader. The moment it all started "I started playing guitar when I was seven years old. She inherits a team from Nicole Powell that went 15-12 . 12 Apr 2019 News Drury University women's basketball head coach Molly Miller has agreed to terms with the institution on a contract extension that will run through the 2021-22 season. The Molly Miller coaching debut for Grand Canyon women's basketball will not come until the fall but the Lopes' new head coach has no problem describing what fans will see on the court and the sideline. Drury has won the Great Lakes Valley Conference in four consecutive seasons (no team previously had won more than two in a row) as Miller went 105-5 in conference play (55-0 at home) over her six-year tenure. Drury. Given the unbelievable success Coach Miller has experienced on the basketball court, we are incredibly excited about the future of the womens basketball program, GCU President Brian Mueller said at the time of her hiring. She took a pay cut to return to Drury as an assistant coach for two seasons before being elevated to interim head coach, a title that lost the interim tag after a 7-2 start. Molly Miller exits Drury with a career record of 180-17, By: Ed Beach, Assistant AD for External Affairs/Media Relations, Make a Gift (Basketball Benefits Included), TicketSmarter - Official Ticket Resale Partner, Molly Miller's letter to the Drury Community, Link to Grand Canyon University news release, Lady Panthers escape quarterfinals scare from Quincy, Top seeded Lady Panthers open GLVC Tournament vs Quincy, Thur., 6 pm, Amy Eagan named GLVC Coach of the Year; Moore is Defensive Player of the Year; Schaaf named Freshman of the Year; four selected as All-GLVC, Lady Panthers remain at number two in national poll, .914 winning percentage leads all of NCAA women's basketball, Led the team to 54 straight home wins (2016-current), the second-longest home-court winning streak in NCAA-II, Was 55-0 at home in the GLVC during her career, NCAA-II Coach of the Year (WBCA) 2020 and 2019, 2020 NCAA-II Coach of the Year (World Exposure Report), 2020 NCAA-II Coach of the Year (HoopDirt.com), Number One national ranking for all 16 weeks of the NCAA-II coaches' poll, Nationally ranked in the NCAA-II Top 25 for 111 straight weeks, the longest such streak in the nation, and ranked in the Top 10 for 48 consecutive weeks, Won five GLVC championships in her six years (2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020), Won six GLVC regular season titles (West Division in 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018; finished first as a one-division league in 2019 and 2020), Made NCAA-II tournament in all six of seasons (advanced to regional finals in 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019), Advanced to NCAA-II national semifinals in 2019, Coached the NCAA-II Player of the Year twice (, Had 19 players named All-GLVC, with 12 players named First Team All-GLVC, Had one GLVC Player of the Year (Hailey Diestlkamp, 2020), Had two GLVC Freshman of the Year winners (, Had three named GLVC Defensive Player of the Year (, Inducted into Drury Sports Hall of Fame, 2012.