Hillcrest Standout Derek Chaney To Join Panther Basketball Squad For 2009-10 Campaign
Drury Sports Information
6/3/2009 2:05:43 PM
Drury added another new member to its incoming basketball recruiting class when Hillcrest High School standout Derek Chaney committed to play for the Panthers starting with the 2009-10 season.
Chaney is a 6-foot-3 guard who averaged 15 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.2 steals per game as a senior for the Hornets this past season, leading Hillcrest to a 21-6 overall record and spot in the Class 5 district finals.
Chaney was a three-year starter at Hillcrest who accumulated more than 1,300 points in his career. As a senior, he was named Most Valuable Player in the Lindbergh Tournament after helping the Hornets capture that tourney title, and was also an All-Ozark Conference selection in addition to earning First Team All-District and Second Team All-Ozarks honors.
"Derek is a super athletic kid ... that's his main thing, he can jump out of the gym," Hillcrest coach John Schaefer said. "He's a good outside shooter ... he's got deep range. But probably just the main thing is he's a great athlete."
Chaney, who graduated with a 3.9 grade point average from HHS and plans to study pre-med at Drury, becomes the ninth new member of the Drury squad for the 2009-10 campaign and the fifth incoming freshman.
He joins fellow Springfieldian Alex Hall, a 6-2 guard from Kickapoo, as well as 6-1 point guard Brandon Lockhart from Class 5 state champion Chaminade in St. Louis, 6-3 guard Courtney Ingram of Tulsa's East Central High School and 6-7 forward/center Cable Hogue from Arkansas Class 7 state champion Fayetteville as former prep standouts new to the Panthers.
The four junior college transfers joining the Panthers are 6-5 forward Chris Parks from John A. Logan (Ill.) Community College, 6-3 guard Chase Elliott from Northeastern Oklahoma A & M and the Cloud County (Kan.) Community College duo of 6-5 guard/forward Chris White-Ready and 6-5 forward Andrew Taylor.
All are anticipated to be in Springfield this summer to compete for the Drury squad in the annual College Pro-Am League at The Courts E-Zone, which begins on June 17.