Drury University men’s basketball head coach Steve Hesser has announced eight player signings for the 2017-18 season. Joining the Panthers next year will be Julius Walker (Greenwood HS, Springfield, Mo.), Conley Garrison (Bolivar HS, Bolivar, Mo.), Cameron Potts (Webster Groves HS, Webster Groves, Mo.), Allen Billinger (John A. Logan CC, Carbondale, Ill.), Andrew Ballock (Cloud County CC, Eudora, Kan.), Lane Duncan (Missouri State-West Plains, Licking, Mo.), Tyler Clanton (North Arkansas CC, Ozark, Mo.) and Kolbe Kinghorn (Western Texas CC, Willard, Mo.).
“We’re excited about this new group coming in,” said Hesser. “All of these players are coming from winning programs, and they’ve demonstrated the sacrifice and competitiveness it takes to be successful. This is also a batch of position-less players. They all have multiple skills and can play any position. That is important in a game that has become position-less at every level of the sport.
“We’re looking forward to seeing this group contribute and compete.”
Julius Walker, G/F, Fr., 6-4, 215, Greenwood HS, Springfield, Mo.
Julius Walker was named the 2016-17 Springfield Tipoff Club Co-Player of the Year by the city’s media after averaging 27.6 points and 9.5 rebounds per game for Greenwood High School. He helped the Blue Jays to a 25-4 record and to the Class 2 state quarterfinals. The 6-4 guard / forward was named to the All-State team in Class 2 and scored 2,235 points for Greenwood during his high school career setting the school’s all-time scoring record.
Conley Garrison, G, Fr., 6-1, 170, Bolivar HS, Bolivar, Mo.
Conley Garrison helped Bolivar High School get to the Class 4 state championship game while averaging 18.6 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game. He was a Class 4 All-State selection last year and ended his career ranked second all-time at Bolivar in assists (418) and steals (139), and his 1,231 career points are ranked sixth in program history. Garrison poured in 594 points during his senior season that included a 34-point game in the state sectionals against Grandview. The Liberators finished the season with a 25-4 record and a 6-0 record in the Central Ozark Conference.
Cameron Potts, G, Fr., 6-1, 170, Webster Groves HS, Webster Groves, Mo.
Cameron Potts played for the Class 5 state champions as Webster Groves went 29-2 in a season that included a state semifinal win over Kickapoo, and a 70-35 win over Lee’s Summit West in the state title game. Potts averaged 12.1 points last year and was a 56 percent shooter from the field hitting 140 of his 250 attempts. He added 4.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.9 steals per game for the Statesmen.
Allen Billinger, G, Jr., 6-0, 162, John A. Logan CC, Carbondale HS, Carbondale, Ill.
Allen Billinger comes to Drury after playing the last season at John A. Logan Community College in Illinois. Billinger averaged 10.4 points and 3.5 assists for a team that went 24-7 and 14-3 in their conference. He shot 47 percent from the field, 39 percent from three-point range and 80 percent from the free throw line.
At Carbondale High School, Billinger scored 1,411 career points, eighth most in program history. He was named the Southern Illinois High School Player of the Year following a senior season where he averaged 18 points, four rebounds and three steals per game while hitting 80 percent of his free throws. He was an All-State selection that year and was an honorable mention All-State performer as a junior.
Andrew Ballock, G, Jr., 6-4, 185, Cloud County CC, Eudora HS, Eudora, Kan.
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Eudora, Kansas native Andrew Ballock will join the Panthers after averaging 9.8 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists at Cloud County Community College in Concordia, Kansas in 2016-17 while helping his team to a 20-11 record.
At Eudora High School, Ballock topped 1,000 career points ending his career with 1,045. He was an All-State performer and led the Cardinals to a state championship during his senior season in 2014.
Lane Duncan, G / F, Soph., 6-3, 195, Missouri State-West Plains, Licking HS, Licking, Mo.
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A 2015 graduate of Licking High School, Lane Duncan comes to Drury after playing as a redshirt freshman last season at Missouri State-West Plains. Duncan averaged 11.5 points for the Grizzlies while shooting 52 percent from the field. He hit 53 of his 93 three-point attempts resulting in a 57 percent mark from behind the arc. He utilized a redshirt season in 2015-16 at MSU-WP.
Duncan was an All-State performer for two seasons at Licking High School and was twice named the Most Valuable Player in the Frisco Conference. As a senior, he averaged 28.8 points to go with 9.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game. His Wildcats team went 24-5 and won their first district title in 18 years in 2014-15. As a junior, Duncan was named his region’s Player of the Year by KJEL radio.
Tyler Clanton, F, Jr., 6-4, 195, North Arkansas College, Ozark HS, Ozark, Mo.
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Tyler Clanton led North Arkansas in scoring last season averaging 17.1 points per game to go along with 7.5 rebounds. Two years ago as a freshman, he averaged 15.4 points and 8.1 rebounds for a NorthArk team that went 27-5. Clayton played for head coach Steve Hunter at Ozark High School and again at North Arkansas. While at Ozark, he was named to the Area Lion’s Club All-Star Game and to the Gerald Pilz & Friends state All-Star game.
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Kolbe Kinghorn, F, Jr., 6-7, 210, Western Texas College, Willard HS, Springfield, Mo.
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Kolbe Kinghorn averaged 6.1 points and 3.7 rebounds for a Western Texas squad that went 22-10 last season. He played in 55 games through two seasons for the Westerners. Kinghorn graduated from Willard High School in 2013 and spent time in Brazil as part of a Mormon mission trip prior to attending Western Texas. He was an all-district and All-Central Ozark Conference selection during his senior year at Willard.
Steve Hesser will enter his fourteenth season leading the Panthers next year making him the second longest tenured head coach in program history. He has guided the Panthers to eight regular season conference titles, two GLVC tournament championships, eight NCAA-II tournament appearances, two NCAA-II Elite Eight appearances and the 2013 Division II National Championship.
Season tickets for the 2017-18 season are on sale now and can be ordered by calling the O’Reilly Family Event Center box office at 417-873-6389.
