Her winning record as a player and a former head coach is impressive. 1 every week in the Division II poll. 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. All the while, she put an emphasis on her players being students first, learning life skills and acting as community stewards.
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. "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 The competitive fire of a 2008 Division II third-team All-American has translated to coaching. Molly Miller - Head Coach, Women's Basketball - Women's Basketball We want to be one of the best teams in the nation. 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. 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. Molly Miller - Head Coach, Women's Basketball - Women's Basketball If an undefeated mark does not state Drury's 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. Drury will also start '19-20 season with a 40-game . 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. 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. Her basketball record is nothing short of incredible but even more important is who she is as a person. Molly Miller - Head Coach - Grand Canyon University Athletics I think we can make a big splash. 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. Former Springfield & Drury star Molly Miller having success in Arizona 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. She will enter the 2019-20 owning the best winning percentage among head coaches in all of NCAA-II women's basketball. We cannot wait for her and her family to arrive in Phoenix and join the GCU community." Miller's hustle-oriented teams defend with the intensity and trapping that was her trademark as a player. In her Drury playing career, her teams went 112-18 (.862). 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 . Play Index. "I have all the faith in the world that this will be a very easy transition for the program and the kids and that we can continue what we have done with the expectations for this program and then do those things even better.". Drury. At every step, she has been a determined winner. Molly Miller Profiles | Facebook We'll have an exciting brand of basketball to play." Molly Miller named head coach at Grand Canyon University This year's team was 32-0, 20-0 in GLVC Conference play. She inherits a team from Nicole Powell that went 15-12 . She ranks fourth in program history for career points (1,570), third for assists (439) and second for steals (407). "She has tremendous character, is passionate about her faith and will be a wonderful leader for our student-athletes. In turn, her teams have played uptempo, player-predicated motion offense that averaged 90.2 points per game this season. Molly Miller has been hired to replace Nicole Powell as Grand Canyon's women's basketball coach. Miller enters the 2022-23 season with an .866 winning percentage, second highest among active Division I head coaches, .19 behind UConns Geno Auriemma. The 2021-22 season concluded in the WNIT first round, the first WNIT berth for the Lopes in program history. 1 for every week of the Division II poll up until the NCAA tournament cancellation. 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. 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. She goes on to say, "Molly is a light shining forever," and there are plans for a . 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. Her teams were top-5 in the nation in five different defensive statistical categories. The Lopes were picked third in the WAC Preseason Coaches Poll with two on the preseason All-Conference team. The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy. 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. "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. 2020 40 Under 40: Molly Miller, 34 | Springfield Business Journal Her work ethic and loyalty are unmatched, and her outstanding character sets the bar high. Follow. I look forward to a seamless transition for our basketball program and the fun journey that lies ahead for our university, our players, our fans and our community.. New GCU women's basketball coach Molly Miller expects championships Molly Miller agrees to three-year contract extension with Drury In her spare time, she loved to read and write. The car Miller and Haynes were riding in, a 2012 Honda Accord, was found totaled two weeks . She challenges them on the court, invests in their lives off the court and keeps an open-door policy to form long-term relationships. 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 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 Post Game | Feb.27 vs Seattle - YouTube Her .914 winning percentage at Drury was the top mark among active NCAA basketball coaches, regardless of gender or division. 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. "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. Millers hustle-oriented teams defend with the intensity and trapping that was her trademark as a player. 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, . Her leadership capabilities and strong faith background make her an ideal representative of the University.
Just before becoming the head coach at Truman State, she was the head coach at Ashford and took a team that won just four games in her first season to a near .500-record the next year. We're going to be very family-oriented at GCU. "She carries herself with class and poise, and I was so proud to have her by my side last year. "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. She was able to overcome adversity and utilize modern technology and other unorthodox recruiting techniques to help sell the dream of GCU womens basketball during her first offseason in Division I. She became a star at Drury University. I am thrilled coach Eagan will be taking the helm at Drury, and I sincerely wish her the best of luck. We will have to give each other virtual hugs for now, but soon well be high-fiving each other on the court after a Lopes win, Miller said. 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. View the profiles of people named Molly Miller. Miller and her husband, Derek, have two children, Crosby and Cy. The Lopes were picked third in the WAC Preseason Coaches Poll with two on the preseason All-Conference team.
Drury won by 27.9 points per game in 2018-19 and 28.5 per game in 2019-20. Miller is joined in Phoenix by her. The Basketball Podcast: EP186 with Molly Miller on Pressing - YouTube 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. 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. Visit gcu.edu For the first time ever, her basketball career has taken her outside of Springfield, as she embarks on a new journey as head coach of the GCU Antelopes. 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. "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. 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). "I built some really good relationships with those kids," Eagan said. Founded, monitored, and run by college coaches. A year later, Bray had to use that list but he didn't have to look far. All the while, she has put an emphasis on her players being students first, learning life skills and acting as community stewards. In the five days leading up to the announcement of her hiring, multiple Lady Panthers voiced their support for Eagan while hoping she would get the promotion. 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. 1988 Men's NCAA, 2019 Women's NCAA, 1940 Men's NCAA, 2006 Women's NCAA, 1981 Men's NCAA. Drury will also start '19-20 season with a 40-game . Molly Miller | SicEm365 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. From 2004 to 2008, Miller played at Drury as a 5-foot-6 point guard and four-year starter. 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. Last month, Womens Basketball Coaches Association Executive Director Danielle Donehew called Miller a rising star after her peers named her the Division II Coach of the Year for the second consecutive year.