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As Chris Foster watches from the bleachers at Drury’s summer league games, he sees some of the newest faces of the DU program.
“They get to spend some time together, they get to play together,” Foster said about the players.
It’s the first chance for a few transfers to do that.
Among them are former Division I players Clay Gayman from Abilene Christian and Jett Canfield from Creighton.
“We’re here to do the best we can at the end of the day, to get better every single day,” Gayman said. “That’s our job and that’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to bust our butts for Coach Foster.”
That tough, competitive mindset helped Gayman average nearly 16 minutes per game for Abilene Christian this past season.
He helped the Wildcats reach the NCAA Tournament and upset No. 3 seed Texas.
“You certainly need those kinds of guys to be successful so [we’re] really excited to have him,” Foster said.
Gayman will be a senior, but will have two years of remaining eligibility.
He says the experience will help, but he’s not dwelling on his past accomplishments.
“At the end of the day, it’s a new program, a new face. We may as well be freshmen,” Gayman said.
That competitive spirit comes with a connection to the area as well.
A native of Nevada, the 6’6” forward will join his brother Dalton on Drury’s roster as both move back closer to home.
Dalton is transferring from Arkansas-Fort Smith.
“I got my old man and my mom coming to every game, so that’s always a good thing,” Gayman said. “It’s good to have them around. I get to see my siblings every weekend. It’s nice, it’s good to be home. It’s good to play ball around home.”
It’s the sort of connection Foster hopes to build on by attracting more local talent down the line.
“That’s certainly important to me too that we find the kids in our area that are a good fit and we get them to stay close to home,” Foster said.
He’s off to a good start, landing one who’s had success at college basketball’s highest level.
