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. "She has tremendous character, is passionate about her faith and will be a wonderful leader for our student-athletes. This year's team was 32-0, 20-0 in GLVC Conference play. SPRINGFIELD, Mo.. 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. Drury has been ranked in the Division II top 25 for a nation-leading 111 consecutive weeks. Miller's hustle-oriented teams defend with the intensity and trapping that was her trademark as a player. The Lopes were picked third in the WAC Preseason Coaches Poll with two on the preseason All-Conference team. Miller is joined in Phoenix by her. In 2020-21, GCU ranked second nationally for steals (13.4 per game) and turnover margin (plus-8.4 per game) while also coming in fourth for turnovers forced (23.3 per game). GCU finished third in the country in steals per game (12.6), steals (404) and 10th in turnovers forced (21.72) a season ago. 1 every week in the Division II poll. Drury has been a Division II power since Miller played there (2004-08) as a 5-foot-6 point guard who started for four seasons. 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 111-62. Episode 186: Molly Miller, Full-Court Pressure and Playing Uptempo. Millers competitive fire that made her a Division II third-team All-American in 2008 has translated to coaching. "I'm excited to hit the ground running and meet those kids and love them like family. 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). Years later, she became the school's head coach. 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. At every step, she has been a determined winner. Miller was also named the national coach of the year and her name was already floating around for Division I openings. In her final season at Truman State, the Bulldogs finished with a 23-8 record marking the program's best season in 47 years. She was also a hall of fame-worthy player at the program in addition to being a two-time state champion at Kickapoo. Molly is a rising star, Womens Basketball Coaches Association Executive Director Danielle Donehew said after her peers gave her consecutive Division II Coach of the Year honors. "Coach 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 Interim Vice President of AthleticsJamie Boggssaid. Im excited to hit the ground running and meet those kids and love them like family. As head coach of the Drury Lady Panthers for six seasons, Miller compiled a 180-17 record - making her the winningest active coach with at least five years of experience - in all . Drury Lady Panthers:All Molly Miller did in Springfield was win. 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. 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. 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. Now it's time for her to win somewhere else. At GCU, Miller has compiled a 40-17 (.702) overall record and a 22-8 (.733) conference mark while solidifying GCU Arena as one of the toughest places to play with a 24-4 (.857) record at home. All the while, she put an emphasis on her players being students first, learning life skills and acting as community stewards. Drury will also start '19-20 season with a 40-game . "I have had the privilege to get to know President Mueller and the athletic director,Jamie Boggs, in the recent days, and the enthusiasm of these incredible leaders certainly helped solidify my decision," Miller said. Miller recruits players with a similar hunger to win and work to improve. 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. She and her husband Derek share a little about what it's like to balance coaching a college basketball team and raising two children.Grand Canyon University, Arizonas premier, private Christian university, helps students find their purpose with next- generation education, including over 270 academic programs with over 200 online programs. Drury announced Amy Eagan would be promoted to the head coaching position after she spent one year as an assistant coach. "Given the unbelievable success Coach Miller has experienced on the basketball court, we are incredibly excited about the future of the women's basketball program," GCU President Brian Mueller 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. Her leadership capabilities and strong faith background make her an ideal representative of the University." 1 for every week of the Division II poll up until the NCAA tournament cancellation. Drury will also start '19-20 season with a 40-game . I think we can make a big splash. Her Drury teams as a player went 112-18 (.862). She challenges them on the court, invests in their lives off the court and keeps an open-door policy to form long-term relationships. Drury won by 27.9 points per game in 2018-19 and 28.5 per game in 2019-20. Off the court, Miller preaches about the importance of culture and comradery. Miller left the Lady Panthers for Division I Grand Canyon on Wednesday and it took just five days for Drury to find her replacement. On the court, Coach Miller is all about pressure defense. 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. READ ALSO:GCU freezes tuition for 13th year. "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. 584 posts. "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. Her basketball record is nothing short of incredible but even more important is who she is as a person. She accepted the position in April at the Division I school. Miller and her husband, Derek, are raising a 3-year-old daughter, Crosby, and a 3-month-old son, Cy. Miller enters the 2022-23 season with an .866 winning percentage, second highest among active Division I head coaches, .19 behind UConns Geno Auriemma. She mastered 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). Miller recruits players with a similar hunger to win and work to improve. "I'm super-competitive," Miller said. 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. All rights reserved. To this day, shes the most competitive person Ive ever been around, her Drury coach, now-George Mason head coach Nyla Milleson, once told the Springfield News-Leader. Theres no doubt that Coach Miller is bringing a ton of excitement to the GCU athletic program, so if you havent been paying attention to Antelopes basketball, it might be time to jump on the bandwagon. She challenges them on the court, invests in their lives off the court and keeps an open-door policy to form long-term relationships. The car Miller and Haynes were riding in, a 2012 Honda Accord, was found totaled two weeks . Miller and her husband, Derek, are raising a 3-year-old daughter, Crosby, and a 3-month-old son, Cy. In 2020-21, GCU ranked second nationally for steals (13.4 per game) and turnover margin (plus-8.4 per game) while also coming in fourth for turnovers forced (23.3 per game). Her teams were top-5 in the nation in five different defensive statistical categories. Her basketball record is nothing short of incredible but even more important is who she is as a person. Miller was a three-time all conference player and MVP who led her team to 4 NCAA tournament appearances and a 112-18 record, was a three-time all-state player in HS, and led her team to 2 state championships and a record of 110-9 over four years. 2023 www.news-leader.com. Make a Gift (Basketball Benefits Included), TicketSmarter - Official Ticket Resale Partner, 5 NCAA-II tournaments, 4GLVCchampionships, Note- no divisional play in the GLVC in 2018-19. At GCU, Miller has compiled a 40-17 (.702) overall record and a 22-8 (.733) conference mark while solidifying GCU Arena as one of the toughest places to play with a 24-4 (.857) record at home. Her statement reveals Molly Miller took her own life, and now her family and friends are left asking why, saying "There was not a single sign that anything was wrong or bothering her.". 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). 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. She has tremendous character, is passionate about her faith and will be a wonderful leader for our student-athletes. Millers hustle-oriented teams defend with the intensity and trapping that was her trademark as a player. She ranks fourth in program history for career points (1,570), third for assists (439) and second for steals (409). After six seasons leading the Drury University women's basketball program, Molly Miller has accepted the head coaching position at Grand Canyon University, an NCAA Division I program in Phoenix, Arizona, and a member of the Western Athletic Conference. She took a pay cut to return to Drury as an assistant coach for two seasons before being elevated to Panthers interim head coach, a title that lost the "interim" tag after a 7-2 start. Molly Miller is in her sixth season as the Lady Panthers head coach. 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. 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. On the heels of Mother's Day, GCU Women's Basketball Head Coach Molly Miller shares a glimpse inside her family. 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. The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy. 2023 Western Athletic Conference. Molly was an athlete in high school, participating in dance, basketball, and softball. 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. Miller was quoted in the university's press release saying: Amy Eagan is a perfect fit to become the next head coach of the Drury University Lady Panthers. Drury. 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. The moment it all started "I started playing guitar when I was seven years old. Miller recruits players with a similar hunger to win and work to improve. In two seasons in Phoenix, Millers high-pressure defense and up-tempo offense has seen GCU rank nationally in steals per game and turnovers forced per game. In turn, her teams have played uptempo, player-predicated motion offense that averaged 90.2 points per game this season. 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. Her ability to draw crowds and excite fans certainly bodes well for her at GCU, considering it has one of the most celebrated student sections in all of college basketball. The 17-year-old girl's family is still searching for justice. 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.