SEASON PREVIEW: Panthers Look to Sophomores for Leadership, Results in 2026-27
By: Mike Bennett, Drury Athletics
Call them the young and the ready.
Sophomores KeShaun Thomas and Keion Epps believe they are prepared to carry the leadership torch for the new-look Drury Panthers in the 2026-27 season.
So does head coach Chris Foster.
Thomas and Epps enjoyed outstanding freshman seasons and established themselves as high-achieving players in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. And they got better as the season ended in a way that bodes well for the future of the Panthers. Thomas and Epps played strong roles as Drury won its last three regular-season games to earn the eighth and final seed in the GLVC Tournament, then pulled off two upsets before falling in the championship game.
"It's great to have them back," Foster said as he sat flanked by the two at a preseason press conference.
His team finished 17-14 last season, the highest number of victories for Drury since he took over the program in 2021. The Panthers have been on a winning trajectory: 9-19 in 2022-23, then 15-13 and then 14-13. At the same time, they've gone from five wins in the GLVC regular season to eight to nine and then 10.
"Our success (came) because we continued to improve," Foster says. "That's a great lesson."
The 5-1 finish last season has Thomas hungering for another tournament run. "We have to get back there, have the same mindset," he says.
Epps concurs: "We had our feet in. If everybody locks in, we can get there again. We need to get a better seed."
It motivates Thomas to help mentor the nine new players – six transfers and three freshmen – into the Panther culture. "I'll do as much as I can," he says.
"I need to be a leader, help them all out."
It is gratifying to him that the "staff have a lot of trust in me." The 6-foot-6, 225 pound forward from Quincy, Ill., certainly earned the trust with his steady performances last season. He was the strongman of the Panthers' front court from the get-go. He scored in double digits in 27 games – including a high of 29 – and amassed 10 double-doubles. Thomas led all freshmen in the GLVC with a 14.8 points per game scoring average and the Panthers with 7.6 rebounds per game. His play earned him a GVLC Player of the Week last January, as well as a spot on the league's all-freshman team.
Thomas converted on .490 percent of his field-goal attempts last year, many coming on strongly defended moves to the basket. He made 151 free throws, the team-high by far. His 235 rebounds are second most ever for a Drury freshman and his 459 points rank fourth all-time among all Panther freshmen.
"He was very productive for us," Foster says. "The challenge is: Can you help lead through adversity. He has big shoes to fill."
The Panthers lost a pair of big shoes when its top two scorers from last season – Zach Howell (17.6 ppg) and Colin Hardrick (15.5 ppg) – transferred to NCAA Division I programs. "We are excited for players that can transfer, but we have to replace them," Foster says.
Epps led Drury with 4.2 assists per game, which ranked fourth in the GLVC. The 6-0 guard averaged 6.6 points and pulled off an eye-opening double-double of 11 rebounds and 10 assists during a game last January. He converted on .324 percent of his three-point attempts as a freshman after starring at Springfield's Central High School, just a couple blocks west of the Drury campus.
The Panthers upset top-seeded Rockhurst 101-92 and then fourth-seeded Indianapolis 85-83 in the conference tournament before falling in the GLVC championship game to William Jewell. Both turned in key performances during the run: Thomas and Epps scored 16 points and recorded three assists in the win over Rockhurst; Thomas scored 14 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in the title game, while Epps totaled 11 points and three assists.
Epps said the championship drive gave him a boost: "I needed that confidence."
He expects the payoff will bring more points and assists – and a better ability to lead.
Drury also returns another sophomore, Kevin Sargeant, who grew into a starter for the last nine games. The 6-5 sophomore forward from Missouri City, Texas, led the Panthers in field-goal percentage at .579 (44-of-76) and in blocks with 25. He averaged 4.3 points and 3.7 rebounds.
ADDITIONAL RETURNERS AND SQUAD MEMBERS
- Kanon Gipson - junior guard - Rogersville, Mo. - sat out last season due to an injury; the transfer from Missouri State averaged 4.2 points in 2024-25, including a 20-point outburst in a conference game at William Jewell.
- Brady Nicholson - sophomore guard - Ash Grove, Mo. - scored five points and made three assists in a victory last season over Central Christian.
- Hogan Smith - sophomore forward - Springfield, Mo. - third-year squad member and two-time Academic All-GLVC honoree from tradition-rich Kickapoo High program in Springfield.
- Wyatt Carr - redshirt freshman guard - Lebanon, Mo. - earned a redshirt last season after appearing in eight contests for the Panthers; earned Academic All-GLVC Team honors.
DRURY NEWCOMERS:
- Cale Clingan - freshman guard - Derby, Kan. - averaged 15.3 points, 7.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 2.4 blocks and 1.2 steals per game as a senior at Derby High School.
- Caison Cole - junior guard - Norman, Okla. - a transfer from Northern Oklahoma College, Cole averaged 12.5 points while shooting .429 from three-point range last season for the Mavericks.
- Elijah Edosa - junior guard - Scarborough, Ont. - a transfer from Rend Lake College in Ina, Ill., Edosa averaged 18.0 points and 9.2 rebounds in leading Rend Lake to a 22-9 record and NJCAA Regional semifinal appearance last season.
- Christian Hughes - junior guard - Kirkwood, Mo. - a transfer from NCAA D-I Arkansas-Little Rock with two years of eligibility remaining, Hughes started five games last season; he also played for Drury assistant coach Sam Briscoe at Kirkwood (Mo.) High School, helping the Pioneers to a 24-3 season in 2022-23.
- Matija Medic - freshman forward - Čacak, Serbia - most recently played in the Serbian ABA League for Borac Čacak at the U19 level; Medic shot 45 percent from the floor last season while averaging five points and five rebounds.
- Hudson Rorex - freshman guard - Imboden, Ark. - a three-time Arkansas All-State honoree for Sloan-Hendrix High School, Rorex totaled 2,285 career points, including 24 ppg. during his senior year in which he averaged 24 points per contest.
- Evan Simon - sophomore guard - St. Louis, Mo. - a transfer from fellow GLVC member Illinois Springfield, Simon was a First-Team All-Suburban Conference selection at Kirkwood High School where he averaged 20 points and four assists in 2023-24.
- Judah Vignery - junior guard - Platte City, Mo. - played the last two seasons at Iowa Western CC, where he averaged 17.0 points while shooting 44 percent last season.
- Payton Weemer - junior forward - Fishers, Ind. - a transfer from Grand Valley State; Weemer earned all-region and all-conference honors in two seasons at Lakeland CC, where he averaged 11 points and six rebounds in 2024-25.
Foster likes the chemistry and potential of the Panthers as they prepare to open at 6 p.m. Monday night (Nov. 9) against Ecclesia College.
"We've been dealing with a lot of new faces," Foster says.
It's challenging, but working well: "It's been a good mix. We've had a good fall of practices."
Drury plays nine of its first 10 games at home. Following Monday's season opener with Ecclesia, Harding visits The O' on Nov. 13 and Union on Nov. 14 as part of DU's Season Tipoff Challenge. The Panthers will also host Central Bible (Nov. 17), as well as PItt State (Nov. 24) and Central Missouri (Nov. 25) as part of the DoubleTree by Hilton Thanksgiving Classic to round out the November portion of the schedule.
Drury was voted to finish eighth in the GLVC coaches preseason poll. The Panthers received 121 points. McKendree was first with nine of 15 first place votes and 190 points. William Jewell received the other six first-place votes and totaled 186 points. They were followed in the top eight by Upper Iowa (146), Illinois Springfield (144), Indianapolis (140), Missouri S&T (136) and Missouri-St. Louis (125).
SEASON-OPENING NOTES
- Drury men's basketball will tip off its 119th year Monday (Nov. 9) evening when the Panthers host Ecclesia College for a 6 p.m., game at O'Reilly Family Event Center.
- DU is coming off three consecutive winning season for the first time since 2019-21 after going 17-14 a year ago.
- The Panthers have gone 17-6 against non-conference foes over the last three seasons, including a combined 13-4 mark in November non-GLVC contests over the same span.
In season-opening contests since 2003, Drury has gone 21-2, including five-straight opening day wins under head coach Chris Foster.
- The Panthers won five of their last six games in 2025-26, punctuated by a GLVC Tournament run that concluded with a runner-up finish for Drury, marking its best postseason finish since 2021.
- Drury welcomes back five letterwinners last year's club, led by sophomore KeShaun Thomas who turned in a breakout rookie year in which he led all GLVC freshmen in scoring (14.8 ppg.) while pulling down a team-best 7.6 boards per game en route to earning GLVC All-Freshman Team honors.
- Drury's 28-game 2026-27 regular-season schedule will feature 18 home dates at O'Reilly Family Event Center this winter, including six games versus 2026 NCAA-II postseason qualifiers.
- The Panthers will open the new season with six straight home games (Nov. 9-25), including a pair of two-day classics in at The 'O in the month of November.
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