Which five players have scored the most points in the history of Drury men’s basketball?
The Scoop recently sat down with Dan Cashel, Drury’s former sports information director and current campus recreational director, to find out.
Cashel began his career with Drury University in 1974 and has been a part of the Panther family for over 40 years.
5. Nate Quinn (’76-’80), 1,935 points
“Nate in my mind is probably the most outstanding all-purpose guard we have ever had,” Cashel said.
Hailing from Boley, Oklahoma, and a member of the 1978-79 NAIA Championship team, Quinn could have been considered the poster child of a student athlete at Drury University.
Quinn fell just short of 2,000 points, but he was sharing a scoring load with two other players whose names are among the top six scorers in Drury history: James Bone (No. 6) and Jerry Alexander (No. 2). Quinn graduated as an Academic All-American as well as an All American on the court.
4. Matt Miller (’98-’02), 2,024 points
“Matt and the next guy on the list, Alex Hall, are two of the premiere three-point shooters in the history of Drury basketball,” Cashel said.
Cashel shared this story about Miller’s time at Drury:
“One day, I came into the Weiser Gym and they had the shooting cage up and Matt was shooting with the ball popping back out at him. He was shooting 100 three-point shots, and he made something like 82 or 83 three-point shots out of 100. I joked with him toward the end of his 100 shots saying that’s not too bad — 83 out of 100 three-point shots.
“He was a little frustrated because he said he usually shoots 90 out of 100 when he did that drill.”
Miller is from Springfield, Missouri, and is considered one of the best shooters in program history. He was also an All American on the court.
3. Alex Hall (’09-13), 2,200 points
“Then lo and behold, Alex Hall arrives on campus, and he would pass Matt’s records on the three-point line,” Cashel said. His shooting is what helped propel the Panthers to overcome deficits throughout the 2012-13 season as well as in the championship game, standing at just 6 feet, 1 inch tall.
Hall was also from Springfield, Missouri, and was a All American on the court.
2. Jerry Alexander (’75-’79), 2,280 points
“Jerry Alexander. Unfortunately, he passed away at a very early age, but he to me might be the best athlete that I have ever seen in a Drury basketball uniform. He could run like few others, he could play baseball. I really think he being left handed and about 6-foot-5, … he could be another Randy Johnson if he played professional baseball. He came to Drury and played basketball, and he could do it all.”
During his time, however, there was no three-point line, so all shots were two points. “He always would guard the opposing teams best player, but Jerry was just a great athlete,” Cashel said. Alexander came from Boley , Oklahoma, and was also an All-American his final two years at Drury.
1. Lonnie Holmes (’91-’95), 2,341 points
“There is probably no player that i could think of who had a bigger heart or anyone who was more competitive then Lonnie Holmes. He wasn’t the athlete like Alexander, but he got the job done like few others. There was not a rebound, loose ball, or putback he didn’t get. He shot more free throws then probably anybody but he would get the rebound and put it in or get fouled trying to. He had moves he could get around or by someone while being a 6’4 back to the basket player for Drury.”
Lonnie is from Little Rock, Arkansas, and was an All-American as well. “You talk about guys like Jordan, Westbrook, and Kobe with their competitiveness. Well, I would put Lonnie right there with them.”
