Drury signs six more for 2022-23; three transfers, three high school signees added for next season

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Drury men’s basketball head coach Chris Foster has announced six more signees for the 2022-23 season. The latest batch of signees includes Adam Moore (F, 6-6, 200, Sr., Quincy Univ./Duchesne HS, St. Charles, Mo.), Preston Cook (G, 6-4, 205, Gr., Auburn Univ./Auburn HS, Auburn, Ala.), Brady O’Connell (G, 6-7, 200, Jr., Old Dominion Univ./Ravenscroft HS, Roswell, Ga.), Luke Stubbs (G, 6-3, 180, Fr., Liberty HS, Liberty, Mo.), Ethan Whatley (G/F, 6-3, 160, Fr., Ozark HS, Ozark, Mo.), and Garrett Rogers (F, 6-6, 190, Fr., Decatur HS, Decatur, Tex.).
 
Adam Moore
Adam Moore joins the Panthers transferring in from Great Lakes Valley Conference member Quincy University. Moore played in 28 games last season for the Hawks and made 17 starts. The St. Charles native averaged 7.8 points and 4.4 rebounds last year while shooting 37 percent from three-point range, hitting 44 of 118 attempts. Moore is the third member of his family to play for Drury, as his brothers Andrew and Alex both had stints playing for the Panthers. He graduated from Quincy with a degree in Marketing and will enter Drury seeking a Master’s in Business Administration. 
 
“Adam is a veteran player and has a great understanding of what it takes to win in the GLVC,” said Drury head coach Chris Foster. “He gives us some size in versatility in our frontcourt, and his experience and leadership with be valuable to everyone in our program.”
 
Preston Cook
Preston Cook transfers to Drury from Auburn where he saw action in 19 games for a Tigers team that was ranked number one nationally in Division I and ended the year 14th in the final Associated Press poll. Cook scored 14 points for the season and hit three of five three-pointers. He earned academic honors from the Southeastern Conference on the league’s Honor Roll. The Auburn, Alabama, native was a two-time All-Area performer at Auburn High School and averaged 11 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists as a senior. Cook graduated from Auburn with a degree in Exercise Science last December and will be pursuing a Master’s in Business Administration at Drury. 
 
“Preston is a big-time athlete that will be able to play every guard position,” said Foster. “He comes from a successful program at Auburn and was part of a Final Four team in 2018. He will impact the game of both ends of the floor.”
 
Brady O’Connell
Brady O’Connell is another Division I transfer and comes to Drury from Old Dominion, where he played for two seasons. Originally from Roswell, Georgia, O’Connell played in 13 games during two seasons after a prep career at Ravenscroft High School in Raleigh, North Carolina. He was a First Team All-Triangle Independent conference honoree and averaged 14.3 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 4.3 assists as a high school junior. O’Connell comes from a basketball family with one brother, Shawn, having played for Georgia Southern and North Carolina-Wilmington, another brother Alex, played at Duke and Creighton, and his father, Dave, played for Duke from 1973-76. Brady is majoring in Business.
 
“Brady has the size and versatility that make him a great fit at Drury,” noted Foster. “He is a natural leader and has a great feel for the game. His size and athletic ability will have an immediate impact on our team.”
 
Luke Stubbs
Luke Stubbs signed with Drury out of Liberty High School, where he helped the Blue Jays to a 23-3 record last year and a 51-8 mark in the previous two seasons. He averaged 12 points, three rebounds as a senior, and 1.2 steals, and he finished his high school career ranked 10^th all-time at Liberty in three-pointers made. Stubbs was named First Team All-Suburban Big 8, First Team All-District, and played in the Missouri-Kansas All-Star last April. He will be a Finance major at Drury.
 
“Luke comes from a successful high school program at Liberty,” said Foster. “He plays the game with toughness and is a proven winner. We look forward to having his winning mentality here at Drury.”
 
Ethan Whatley
Ethan Whatley was a First Team All-Central Ozark Conference selection last year as a senior at Ozark. He topped 1,000 career points for the Tigers last year and averaged 17.6 points to go with 4.9 rebounds, three assists, and 1.5 steals while helping Ozark to a 20-8 record in 2021-22. In addition to being named All-COC, he was an All-District selection and was named to the “Dominant Dozen” in the Springfield News-Leader’s list of the area’s top 12 players. Whatley will be a Pre-Med major at Drury.
 
“Ethan is a local kid that had a great high school career,” stated Foster. “He is a skilled offensive player and a big-time shot-maker. Our fans will enjoy following his career at Drury.”
 
Garrett Rogers
Garrett Rogers signed with the Panthers out of Decatur High School in Decatur, Texas and was named the Most Valuable Player for Wise County by the Wise County Messenger and was a 4A All-Region 1 selection. Rogers averaged 16.5 points, nine rebounds, two assists, and two blocks per game. He will be a Communications major at Drury.
 
“Garret is a versatile forward with an old school game and can score in the paint as well as stretch the floor from three,” Foster said. “He will be a great fit at Drury.”
 
The Panthers have now signed 12 new players for the 2022-23 season. In addition to the six announced today, Drury previously signed Ashton Hermann (G, 6-3, 175, Fr., Bellard HS, Huxley, Iowa), Elijah Whitley (G, 6-2, 192, Fr., Springfield-Parkview), Andrew Dalton (G, 6-2, 195, Fr., Ava HS, Ava, Mo.), Logan Applegate (G, 6-2, 175, Fr., We Are United Prep, Nevada, Mo.), Grant Givens (F, 6-6, 200, Fr., Springfield-Glendale), and Trey Lewis (G, 5-10, 160, Fr., Johnston HS, Johnston, Iowa).
 
“I want to thank coach Ben Fisher, coach Chris Carr and coach Sam Briscoe for all of their hard work in signing this year’s recruiting class,” added Foster. “I am confident that this group will compete for championships both in the GLVC and at the National Tournament. We look forward to getting these guys on campus soon!”
 
Drury head coach Chris Foster will enter his second season as the program’s head coach in 2022-23. Foster previously guided McKendree for three seasons leading the Bearcats to their best finish ever in the GLVC in 2020-21, and Truman State for four years, and he took that program to its first NCAA-II Tournament appearance in 11 years. Foster returns with this staff Chris Carr, Ben Fisher, and Sam Briscoe.
 
Panthers sign six for 2022-23 (May 17, 2022 news release)    
 
 
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