Nyla Milleson

Who is Nyla Milleson?

Nyla Milleson was the women's basketball coach of the Lady Bears of Missouri State University in Springfield, Missouri. She was relieved of coaching duties after the 2012-13 season. Her NCAA DI record was 105-87 . Milleson began her coaching career in 1989-90 as the head coach of Junction City High School, where she turned a struggling program into one of the top-ranked teams in the state of Kansas. In just her third season, she helped Junction City to a 19-6 record, leading the squad into the Kansas state Class 6A tournament in 1992.

Then it was off to Missouri after being recruited by then-Springfield R-12 athletic director Edsel Matthews to provide a spark to the program at Glendale High School. That she did, compiling a 157-39 record from 1992 to 1999, including a state Class 4A championship in 1996. That effort earned Missouri Basketball Coaches Association and Associated Press Coach of the Year honors for Milleson.

Her final two teams at Glendale finished third in the state and made it to the state sectionals before she was handed the keys to the inaugural Drury program.

All told at Glendale, Milleson’s teams won four Ozark Conference titles, three district crowns and a state Top 10 ranking in each of her seven seasons at Glendale. She produced five first team all-state selections, two first team MBCA all-academic players and 10 players who moved on to play college basketball.