SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Fans of Drury men's and women's basketball will have the opportunity to greet the 2025-26 Panthers and Lady Panthers for the first time Thursday, Oct. 9 at DU's annual Meet the Teams event at 6 p.m., at Plaster Family Gallery, located inside the O'Reilly Family Event Center.

Doors for the event open at 5 p.m., and no RSVP is required. Admission to the event is free and open to the public.
 
Fans will hear from men's head coach Chris Foster, who will begin his fifth season leading the Panthers, and Lady Panthers head coach Kaci Bailey, who will start her third year leading the Drury women's program. Additionally, Information highlighting events during the 2025-26 season will be provided, and players from both rosters will be introduced.

The Drury women's team returns All-Great Lakes Valley Conference guard Rhi Gibbons and six additional letterwinners from a squad that went 22-7 overall and 17-3 in the GLVC play. The Lady Panthers will also add a deep  recruiting class consisting of nine newcomers.
 
The DU men's team brings back a pair of starters in Colin Hardrick and Zach Howell and four additional lettermen from last season's team that finished 14-13. The Panthers added eight student-athletes to their roster, including three transfers and five prep standouts.

The Drury women kick off their 2025-26 season with a Nov. 11 exhibition contest against William Woods at O'Reilly Family Event Center, before opening the regular season at Ferris State on Nov. 16. The DU men open their season with a pair of games at the GLVC/G-MAC Conference Challenge in Elsah, Ill., beginning with a Nov. 15 matchup against Ohio Dominican.