To condense Molly Carter’s phenomenal basketball career into one page is virtually impossible. However, the essence of Molly Carter might be best presented in one game. On Feb. 7, 2008 Carter spearheaded one of the most unbelieveable comebacks imaginable. That night, in Rolla, Missouri, the Lady Panthers were down, 62-53, with 27 seconds left on the clock. What transpired over those final seconds was nothing short of miraculous as the Lady Panthers outscored the Lady Miners 10-1, with Carter scoring eight of the 10 points en route to a 79-69 overtime win. It was typical Molly Carter who, on the night, had 30 points, four assists and five steals. Carter was a winner in every way and her teams followed her lead.
In her four years at Drury the Lady Panthers had a combined record of 112-18. Add the 109-10 four year record her Springfield (Mo.) Kickapoo High School teams enjoyed and the overall record was an incredible 221-28, an 88.8 winning percentage. Her Kickapoo teams won two state championships and were twice state quarterfinalsts. Her Drury teams made four trips to the NCAA-II national championships with the 2007 team making it to the Elite Eight. Her Lady Panther teams won two conference titles and with Carter playing in all 130 games and starting 120. The game in Rolla was a wild ride, but the whole four-year ride was even better.
“When I think of Molly Carter the first thing that comes to my mind is a smile. I only got to coach her for one year, but you cannot help but sit back and have a smile on your face for all the miraculous things that happened that year,” said Lady Panther head coach, Steve Harold. “From my first day as the Lady Panther head coach, Molly was the player who made me feel welcome and it was “Molly’s Magic” that taught me to always believe. She is a winner and one of the greatest competitors I have ever coached.” It is no surprise that Carter is also now a member of Lady Panther coaching staff as she accepted an assistant coaching position earlier this fall.
While Carter’s team won games at an amazing pace, the individual honors and records that she accumulated along the way were equally impressive. She earned NCAA-II All-America, All-Region, All Conference and GLVC tournament MVP honors. Possibly the biggest of all was being named the 2008 GLVC Paragon winner, the GLVC’s top honor for the student-athlete who best represents academic excellence, athletic ability/achievement, character and leadership. Carter earned her undergraduate degree in Management/Marketing on December 15, 2007. She began her graduate studies in the spring semester of her senior season and earned her MBA on May 15, 2010.
Now Molly Miller, after her marriage to former Missouri State football player Derek Miller this past September 1, the name Molly Carter is found throughout the Lady Panther records books. She is #2 in the all-time records for scoring (1,570 points), assists (439) and steals (407). She is in the Top Ten in rebounding (372), career three-pointers made (122) and she also holds the record for most free throws made in a single season (149). Molly Carter personifies what it is to be a Lady Panther on the court, in the classroom and throughout the community.
Today, the Drury Community joins her parents (Jack and Cindi), brother (Sam), sister (Hannah), husband (Derek) and so many others in recognizing only the fifth Lady Panther to be inducted into the Drury Sports Hall of Fame. For on this date, November 24, 2012 Molly Carter is forever enshrined as a member of the Drury Sports Hall of Fame, Class of 2012.
