Drury women prepare for inaugural season

As of this month, Drury University's Weiser Gymnasium is home to two basketball teams.

This is the first year the school has had a women's team, and women's Head Coach Nyla Milleson said there's a lot of excitement in the Drury community and all over Springfield about the Lady Panthers.

Needless to say, she's excited about the start of the season.

"We've been practicing for several weeks," Milleson said. "We're ready to play someone else."

The Lady Panthers is an NCAA Division II team and a member of the Heartland Conference. The team's competition includes Southwest Baptist University, Evangel, Central Missouri and Missouri Southern.

Milleson said she hopes to create friendly rivalries between her team and the competition.

"It's fun to develop rivalries with schools in close proximity," she said. "Rivalries tend to create a fan base and a better atmosphere for the players."

The women's first game is Nov. 17 when they'll take on Cameron University, out of Oklahoma, in the Pittsburg State University Tip-Off Classic in Pittsburg, Kan.

Prior to taking the job at Drury, Milleson was the girls' basketball coach at Glendale High School from 1992 to 1999.

She's spent the last year recruiting players and setting up the women's program.

"This is a nice addition to our whole program, bringing our total number of sports offered to 10 ... five men's sports and five women's sports," said Drury College athletic director Dr. Bruce Harger in a news release.

"Women's basketball is a sport that is very popular locally and regionally. This move also helps fulfill the NCAA requirements for NCAA (Division) II sports sponsorship in view of the fact that our women's soccer team is now a Division I program. It is equally important for us as we position our program for future conference affiliation."

A starting lineup for the team has not yet been chosen.