Meet Du Quoin native Abby Myers, GA for Saluki Basketball
10/05/2018 | 8:19:00 | Men's Basketball
Abby Myers is in her second season as the graduate assistant for the Southern Illinois men's basketball program. The Du Quoin, Ill., native is proud to be a part of the program she grew up rooting for.Â
Myers grew up in a Saluki family. Both of her parents are SIU alumni. Her dad worked at SIU, and her younger brother is currently a freshman at SIU. Her family has had season tickets for Saluki Basketball since she was young, when she and her brother would sit on her parents laps during games.Â
"We always came to basketball games, and I was always around SIU," Myers said. "Jermaine Dearman, who is getting inducted into the Hall of Fame, was one of my favorite players. I had a little jersey. I remember when College Gameday was here, I was so mad because we only had two tickets, so my parents went and I didn't get to go."
Myers was a three-sport athlete in high school and also loved to water-ski. She almost majored in sports administration at SIU before settling on business management. As an undergrad, she worked with the Saluki Football program and on campus before getting in touch with men's basketball's director of operations, John Clancy, through the program's academic advisor, Kaila Tyner.Â
After a semester with men's basketball as an undergrad, Myers graduated in December 2017 and started pursuing a master's of business administration. She works on the operations side in the Saluki Basketball program, working with team travel, expense reports, day-to-day scheduling, and more. She has made an immediate impact on the program.Â
"Abby has come in here with her superwoman cape and rescued us on many occasions," head coach Barry Hinson said. "As the head coach, I'm proud to make this statement: She might be the most important person currently on our staff."
Myers is the only female graduate assistant currently working in Division I basketball, and only four other women Division I basketball work as director of operations.Â
"Women are coming into the sports business side more now than ever before," she said. "I love being around the staff and the players. There is never a dull moment. I love working here and would love to stay in athletics after I get my MBA."
With the Salukis returning all five starters from last year's 20-win team, Myers is part of an exciting time for the program that her parents still come to watch. Â
"We loved being around the program, and now I get to be a part of it," she said.
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