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. 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. Her Drury teams as a player went 112-18 (.862). A year later, Bray had to use that list but he didn't have to look far. 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. We want to be one of the best teams in the nation. 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). Miller is joined in Phoenix by her husband, Derek, and their two children, Crosby and Cy. 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). 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 on the side. All rights reserved. The car Miller and Haynes were riding in, a 2012 Honda Accord, was found totaled two weeks . 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 has tremendous character, is passionate about her faith and will be a wonderful leader for our student-athletes. Getting to know the kids outside of just basketball I just think those things are really, really important. 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). 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). 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. GCU womens basketball coach Molly Miller led the school to its first NIT appearance this season. On the heels of Mother's Day, GCU Women's Basketball Head Coach Molly Miller shares a glimpse inside her family. Miller just completed her fifth season as the Lady Panthers head coach and her teams have gone 148-17. 2023 Western Athletic Conference. 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. Grand Canyon University head coach Molly Miller joins the Basketball Podcast to discuss full-court pressure and playing uptempo.Miller holds the highest care. The 17-year-old girl's family is still searching for justice. 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. 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. Miller and her husband, Derek, are raising a 3-year-old daughter, Crosby, and a 3-month-old son, Cy. She was studying to become a nurse. She has tremendous character, is passionate about her faith and will be a wonderful leader for our student-athletes. 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. 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 said she barely got the chance to talk to Miller as both start to settle into their new coaching roles. 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. "She carries herself with class and poise, and I was so proud to have her by my side last year. Last month, Women's 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. 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. Miller left the Lady Panthers for Division I Grand Canyon on Wednesday, Drury announced Amy Eagan would be promoted to the head coaching position, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. She also served as a head coach at NAIA St. Ambrose in Davenport, Iowa, from 2005-07. 17, This Week in WAC Women's Basketball - Dec. 10, WAC Basketball Tournament All-Session Tickets On Sale Now, This Week in WAC Women's Basketball - Dec. 3, This Week in WAC Women's Basketball - Nov. 26, This Week in WAC Women's Basketball - Nov. 19, This Week in WAC Women's Basketball - Nov. 12, This Week in WAC Women's Basketball - Nov. 4, WAC Announces Basketball Preview Show, Spotlight Game Schedules, WAC Media Select NM State, Mattingly as Preseason Favorites, WAC Coaches Select NM State, Pack as Preseason Favorites. Miller posted an astounding 180-17 record over six years at her alma mater, Drury. 1988 Men's NCAA, 2019 Women's NCAA, 1940 Men's NCAA, 2006 Women's NCAA, 1981 Men's NCAA. The .914 winning percentage tops any active Division I, II or III men's or women's basketball head coach with at least five years of experience and includes a stunning 67-1 mark over the past two seasons. Miller is considered the top NCAA Division II women's coach in the . 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. Wyatt D. Wheeler is a reporter and columnist with the Springfield News-Leader. 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. Now it's time for her to win somewhere else. GCU offers new residence halls, amenities, academic buildings and state-of-the-art athletic facilities on campus, student support resources, dynamic online classrooms, innovative learning experiences and more. 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). And at Drury, her teams led the nation in scoring margin her final two seasons, winning by 27.9 and 28.5 points per game, respectively. From 2004 to 2008, Miller played at Drury as a 5-foot-6 point guard and four-year starter. 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. 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. Millers teams defend with the intensity and trapping that was her trademark as a player. 2019 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. "Jinx" averaged 14.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists in 923 games for six teams. Miller recruits players with a similar hunger to win and work to improve. 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. Drury. "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. "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." On the court, Coach Miller is all about pressure defense. 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. GCU finished third in the country in steals per game (12.6), steals (404) and 10th in turnovers forced (21.72) a season ago. 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. We cannot wait for her and her family to arrive in Phoenix and join the GCU community." She was also a hall of fame-worthy player at the program in addition to being a two-time state champion at Kickapoo. Miller's teams have played with frenetic energy to dominate in Division II and she exudes a similar intensity on the sideline. Founded, monitored, and run by college coaches. All the while, she has put an emphasis on her players being students first, learning life skills and acting as community stewards. 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.". I'm just a relationship coach.". Drury Athletics Director Corey Bray saw what Molly Miller did a year ago and he knew he needed to start looking for a successor. At every step, she has been a determined winner. 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. The two have not been since since. 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. Drury was ranked in the Division II top 25 for a nation-leading 111 consecutive weeks. She became a star at Drury University. Molly Miller has been hired to replace Nicole Powell as Grand Canyon's women's basketball coach. "This was a place that I felt like I could take my career if she happened to leave. She ranks fourth in program history for career points (1,570), third for assists (439) and second for steals (407). 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. 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. The 2021-22 season concluded in the WNIT first round, the first WNIT berth for the Lopes in program history. "With the resources and the excitement behind the athletic program and specifically the women's basketball program, there's real momentum there. 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. 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.. The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy. 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. She challenges them on the court, invests in their lives off the court and keeps an open-door policy to form long-term relationships. 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). Arizona Republic. READ ALSO:GCU freezes tuition for 13th year. "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. 2023 www.news-leader.com. 580 following. Facebook gives people the power to. The determination of her and her coaching staff directly resulted in their ability to sign an exciting freshmen class, as well as a few notable transfers, site unseen. Thursday, Marian McConnell released a statement via Facebook. We cannot wait for her and her family to arrive in Phoenix and join the GCU community.. We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here. ATLANTA Molly Miller, head coach at Drury University, has been named the 2020 United States Marine Corps/WBCA NCAA Division II National Coach of the Year, the Women's Basketball Coaches . We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here. This year's team was 32-0, 20-0 in GLVC Conference play. Miller and her husband, Derek, have two children, Crosby and Cy. 0:04 0:33 Molly Miller has known two things her entire basketball career: winning and doing it in Springfield. Her teams were top-5 in the nation in five different defensive statistical categories. In her Drury playing career, her teams went 112-18 (.862). 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. "To this day, she's the most competitive person I've ever been around," her Drury coach, now-George Mason head coach Nyla Milleson, once told theSpringfield News-Leader. 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. Drury won by 27.9 points per game in 2018-19 and 28.5 per game in 2019-20. 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. 1 for every week of the Division II poll up until the NCAA tournament cancellation. Copyright 2023 AZ Big Media | All Rights Reserved | Site by Blufish, PNC survey shows small business owners see bright future, Ranking Arizona: Top 10 mechanical contractors for 2023, Goodyear takes next steps to make new downtown a reality. "I thought for myself as I continued to look at my life and my career, there's not a better Division II in the country," Eagan said of her decision. Her work ethic and loyalty are unmatched, and her outstanding character sets the bar high. Molly Miller Life is good Grand Canyon University Head Womens Bball Coach #lopesup . In this week's coaching conversation, Grand Canyon University head coach Molly Miller joins the Basketball Podcast to discuss full-court pressure and playing uptempo. SPRINGFIELD, Mo.. This exciting style of basketball led Drury to the third-highest average attendance (1,768) in Division II during her final season, despite only having 1,500 undergraduate students on campus and competing with crosstown rivals Missouri State. "I'm super-competitive," Miller said. Drury has been ranked in the Division II top 25 for a nation-leading 111 consecutive weeks. Miller and her husband, Derek, are raising a 3-year-old daughter, Crosby, and a 3-month-old son, Cy. In the midst of global chaos, Grand Canyon University made a tremendous hire that might have been overshadowed by the events of 2020. "I am very excited," Eagan said during a Zoom press conference with members of the media. 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. Eagan will have some big shoes to fill as she tries to replace someone who was turning into a bit of a Springfield women's basketball icon before her departure. 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 Lady Panthers:All Molly Miller did in Springfield was win. She challenges them on the court, invests in their lives off the court and keeps an open-door policy to form long-term relationships. In her spare time, she loved to read and write. Molly Miller - Stats, Game Logs, Splits, and much more . Bray started to gather a shortlistjust in case someone hired Miller away. 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. Her leadership capabilities and strong faith background make her an ideal representative of the University. "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. 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. Passion. "I'm excited to hit the ground running and meet those kids and love them like family. "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. Miller left the Lady Panthers for Division I Grand Canyon on Wednesday and it took just five days for Drury to find her replacement. 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. Years later, she became the school's head coach. PHOENIX, Ariz.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. Visit gcu.edu GCU offers new residence halls, amenities, academic buildings and state-of-the-art athletic facilities on campus, student support resources, dynamic online classrooms, innovative learning experiences and more. Im super-competitive, Miller said. Miller recruits players with a similar hunger to win and work to improve. The Panthers have guarded opponents from baseline to baseline and led Division II with 30.8 turnovers forced per game this season. 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. 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. 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. Her leadership capabilities and strong faith background make her an ideal representative of the University. 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. Join Facebook to connect with Molly Miller and others you may know. On the heels of Mother's Day, GCU Women's Basketball Head Coach Molly Miller shares a glimpse inside her family. All the while, she has put an emphasis on her players being students first, learning life skills and acting as community stewards. Her leadership capabilities and strong faith background make her an ideal representative of the University.. Her combined high school and college record as a player was 221-27. Drury will also start '19-20 season with a 40-game . Before joining Drury, Eagan had a successful six-year stint as the head coach at Truman State. Both Mueller and Boggs raved about Millers character and leadership upon hiring her last year, and it already shows during her short time here in the Valley. Drury has been ranked in the Division II top 25 for a nation-leading 111 consecutive weeks. During her final two seasons at Drury, her team went 67-1 including a perfect 32-0 season prior to the cancellation of the 2019-20 NCAA Tournament. 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. 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, Arizona's. Miller's hustle-oriented teams defend with the intensity and trapping that was her trademark as a player. Miller recruits players with a similar hunger to win and work to improve. I think we can make a big splash. GCU named Miller, 34, as its new head coach Tuesday after she posted an astounding 180-17 record over . Her leadership capabilities and strong faith background make her an ideal representative of the University." Miller is the new head women's basketball coach of Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona. "She was one of my biggest supporters and she really, really helped me through this process," Eagan said. 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. She will enter the 2019-20 owning the best winning percentage among head coaches in all of NCAA-II women's basketball. The moment it all started "I started playing guitar when I was seven years old. 1 every week in the Division II poll. 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. The competitive fire of a 2008 Division II third-team All-American has translated to coaching. Her Panthers teams held a stunning 67-1 mark over her last two seasons at her hometown university in Springfield, Missouri. Courtesy Paul Coro, Grand Canyon Athletic Communications.