In his 20 years as a college head women’s basketball coach, Steve Harold still describes Melanie Oliver as “one of the best athletes I have ever coached and absolutely the best rebounder I have ever had.” While Melanie’s career is punctuated by her rebounding, her overall talent and work ethic make her one of the best to ever wear the Lady Panther uniform.
Melanie followed Coach Harold to Drury after he assumed the Lady Panther head coaching position prior to the 2007-08 season. “Not very many kids would leave after being a freshman-of-the-year in a league, transfer and go 16 hours from home...but she did. I sincerely appreciated her loyalty and trust.” That mutual loyalty and trust translated into a three-year run that is among the best in Lady Panther history.
For three consecutive years the Lady Panthers qualified for NCAA-II National Tournaments and won two Great Lakes Valley Conference titles. In 2009-10 the Lady Panthers carved out one of the program’s finest campaigns by winning the GLVC championship en route to an overall record of 28-7 and a “Sweet 16” appearance in the NCAA-II national tournament. In 2007-08 the Lady Panthers were 28-4, won the GLVC title and made the NCAA-II national tournament field of 32. Sandwiched between those two years was a national tournament squad that finished 19-10 overall. The Lady Panther overall record for those three years was an impressive 75-21. Melanie twice earned All-GLVC honors.
An integral cog in the Lady Panther teams from 2007-10, teams that were a force at the conference and national level, was a young lady who, according to her head coach “had the gift.” That “gift” was a work ethic that may be matched, but never surpassed. That “gift” was rare athletic talent combined with a sense of selflessness to do whatever it took to help the team win. Though she stands less than six feet tall, Melanie Oliver now stands among the best ever to play women’s basketball at Drury University.
A native of Glen Allen, Virginia, Melanie came to Drury after one year at Glenville (W.Va.) State College. She was her conference’s Freshman-of-the-Year in 2006-07. She also earned All-Region and All-America honors and helped lead her Lady Pioneer team to a 33-3 record and an Elite Eight appearance at the NCAA-II national tournament. But her loyalty to her head coach brought her to Drury. And the Drury program was all the better the next three years.
Melanie is likely remembered best for her rebounding. Called a “relentless rebounder” by Coach Harold, Melanie holds the Lady Panther record for most rebounds in a game with 22 (at UIndy on Feb. 6, 2010) and the most rebounds in a season with 311 (2009-10). She also holds the record for most rebounds in a career. Though she played only three years at Drury she grabbed 812 rebounds, eclipsing the 793 career rebound mark set by Lady Panther great Amanda Newton (2002-06). Other individual records provide more evidence of her athletic ability and selflessness. Melanie could score if called upon and she was a model of consistency in that regard. Ranked 11th on the Lady Panther all-time scoring list with 1,181 career points, Melanie averaged 12.3 points per game in 2007-08; 12.3 ppg. in 2008-09; and, 12.2 ppg. in 2009-10. It is worth noting that she also ranks fourth in all-time steals. “If you needed a rebound, she got it. If you needed to score, she found a way. She was an extremely hard worker, a blue collar worker and that is what made her special,” stated Harold. In summarizing Melanie as a player and person, Harold concluded, “It was an honor to coach her.”
Today Melanie and Lindsay (Ballweg) Martin become only the sixth and seventh Lady Panthers to be inducted into the Drury Sports Hall of Fame. Both played 96 games (out of a possible 96) and started 95 in their three years at Drury. Both graduated from Drury on May 15, 2010, each with a degree in Advertising and Public Relations. It seems fitting that both of these young women go into the Hall of Fame in the same year and the Drury Community shares the sentiments expressed by their head coach, Steve Harold: “I love those kids and they are two wonderful people that you cannot say enough about. I could not be more proud of two players that I have ever coached”.
Melanie earned her Masters in Education/Human Service from Drury in December of 2014. She now resides in Richmond, Virginia where she is a juvenile probation officer for the Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice.
