The SoCon Hoops Report: A Historical Look at Furman Basketball

Furman senior forward Matt forward Matt Rafferty

It's been another interesting week of basketball to start the month of December in Southern Conference basketball. In case you missed it, Furman is ranked for the first time in program history, coming at at No. 23 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll this past Monday

The Paladins debuted that ranking in an actual game a day after the polls were released, and the then-25th ranked team in the country defeated the Elon Phoenix, 98-77. Furman went on to improve to 3-0 as a ranked team with a 74-60 win at USC Upstate and defeated Charleston Southern this past Tuesday night to move to 11-0 on the season. That makes Furman the first team in NCAA Division I Basketball this season to reach 11 wins.

Let's be honest with ourselves, Furman didn't arrive here overnight. Of the significant milestones the Paladin basketball over its 106-year history, the Top 25 ranking is among the best.

The Paladins have now won 18 of their last 19 games, and the 11-0 start marks the program's best starts in school history. Below is a milestone of both good and bad moments for Furman basketball during that timespan.

Of course earlier this season saw Furman defeat a pair of Final Four teams from a year ago, with wins over both No. 8 Villanova (76-68) and Loyola-Chicago (60-58). Both of those impressive wins came on the road. Villanova is the NCAA Division I reigning national champion, and have won two of the last three national titles.

Despite being ranked in the AP Top 25, the fact remains the Paladins have not been a part of the NCAA Tournament since the 1979-80 season. Heading into Saturday afternoon's game vs UNC Wilmington at Timmons Arena, Furman has 87 wins, with 76 of those victories coming since the start of the 2016-17 season. Furman's current run of success started with a run to the championship in the Southern Conference championship game as the No. 10 seed in the 2015 Southern Conference tournament.

Many point to Feb. 22, 2015 as the exact turning point for Furman basketball. That particular afternoon saw the Paladins drop an 84-49 humiliating loss to UNC Greensboro. The very next day, the Paladins had a three-hour practice without one basketball being bounced. The point was driven home, and Furman's basketball culture has been different ever since that day.

Furman's Basketball Timeline and Milestones:

--Feb. 13, 1954 Furman's Frank Selvy scores 100 points in a game vs. Newberry; Selvy finished the season as the nation's leading scorer and First-Team All-American. Selvy finished his Furman career averaging 32.5 PPG and 2,538 career points, which are both tops in school history. Selvy averaged 41.7 PPG in 1954-54.

--In 1955, Furman forward Darrell Floyd posted 67 points in a 130-117 home loss to Morehead State.

--The 1970-71 season marked the first in which the Paladins would qualify for the NCAA Tournament. The Paladins finished the season with a 15-12 record under the direction of head coach Joe Williams. Despite finishing fifth in the final regular-season standings, the Paladins finished strong, winning in the SoCon Tourament title, with a 68-61 win over Richmond in Charlotte to claim the SoCon Tournament title. Furman bowed out in the opening round of the Southern Conference Tournament, with a 105-74 loss to Fordham.

--The 1971-72 season didn't quite live up to the expectations created by the program's first SoCon Tournament title run, but the Paladins did finish 17-11,which was good enough for a second-place finish in the SoCon standings. Furman's Roy Simpson scored 45 points in a game vs. East Carolina in a 107-84 win.

--The 1972-73 season would see Furman enjoy its second NCAA Tournament appearance as a program, and would finish the season with a 20-9 record and claimed a 99-81 win over Davidson in the Southern Conference title game. The Paladins would bow out of the NCAA Tournament with a narrow 83-82 loss to Syracuse.

--In 1973-74, Furman repeated the feat from the previous season by finishing the season with a 22-9 record and an 11-1 record in Southern Conference. The Paladins claimed both the regular-season and tournament titles. Led by players like Clyde Mayes and Roy Simpson, the Paladins would go on to hold off Richmond in the SoCon title game, with a 62-60 win in the SoCon Tournament title game. The Paladins would claim their first NCAA Tournament win in history, defeating in-state rival South Carolina 75-67 in Philadelphia. The Paladins bowed out of the tournament with losses to Pittsburgh (L, 78-81) and Providence (L, 83-95).

--Furman made it three-straight trips to the NCAA Tournament in 1974-75 under the direction of Joe Williams, posting a 22-7 overall record and a perfect 12-0 mark in Southern Conference play. The Paladins would cut down the nets at the Memorial Auditorium in Greenville after claiming a 66-65 win in the Southern Conference championship game over the William & Mary Tribe. In the NCAA Tournament, the Paladins took on Boston College in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, dropping an 82-76 game in Charlotte.

--In 1977-78, Furman would continue its dominance of the Southern Conference under head coach Joe Williams, as the Paladins posted a 19-11 record overall and a 7-5 record in league action. Though the Paladins finished fourth in the final regular-season standings, the Paladins would get hot in the tournament, knnocking off Chattanooga (83-73), Appalachian State (72-68), and Marshall (69-53) to claim the Southern Conference Tournament crown. The Paladins were led that season by the likes of Jonathan Moore, Bruce Grimm and Mel Daniel. In the NCAA Tournament opening round, Furman dropped a heartbreaking, 63-62, game to Indiana in Charlotte. Of note that season, Furman claimed wins over both North Carolina State (68-67) and North Carolina (89-83) in the North-South doubleheader. Furman also claimed another ACC scalp that season with an 87-69 win over Clemson.

--Following the 1977-78, Furman's most successful basketball coach in its history--Joe Williams--left to become the head coach at Jacksonville, who had made the Final Four in 1970 and was an emerging basketball program at the time. Eddie Holbrook took over the helm of Furman basketball for the 1978-79 season, leading the Paladins to a 20-9 overall record and a 9-3 record in conference play, which was good enough for a second place finish in the regular-season standings. Furman would drop a 86-83 game to the Bobby Cremins-led Appalachian State Mountaineers in Boone, N.C., in the Southern Conference Tournament title game.

--Holbrook would end up leading the Paladins back to the NCAA Tournament in 1979-80, and the Paladins would enjoy one of their best seasons as a basketball program, finishing the season with a 23-7 record overall and claimed the Southern Conference regular-season title with a 14-1 mark. Furman's 23 wins were a program standard to be later matched by the 2016-17 and 2017-18 teams. Led by Jonathan Moore, Mel Daniel and Ron White, the Paladins would claim the Southern Conference Tournament title in Roanoke, VA, with an 80-62 win over Marshall. The Paladins bowed out in the opening round with an 80-69 loss to Tennessee in Greensboro.

--Furman would enter some lean years following the 1979-80 season. Holbrook retired after four seasons as the head coach at Furman following the 1981-82 season, and Jene Davis took over as head coach in 1982-83. Under Davis, the Paladins went just 28-58 overall and 16-33 in conference play over the next three seasons. Davis would be relieved of his coaching duties following the 1984-85 season.

--In 1985, Furman hired successful Division II basketball coach Butch Estes from just down the road at Presbyterian College to become Davis' successor. Estes would bring a young staff to Greenville with him, which included future PC coach Gregg Nibert and current Charleston Southern head coach Barclay Radebaugh. Estes would spend nine years as head coach in Greenville before stepping down following the 1993-94 season.

--After the Paladins struggled in the 1985-86 season, the Paladins would get things turned in the right direction under Estes in the 1986-87 campaign, as the Paladins finished with a 17-12 mark and a 10-6 mark in the Southern Conference, which was good enough for a fourth-place finish in the league standings. The 1986-87 saw a streak of six-straight losing seasons come to an end.

--Furman would improve on that win total by one game in 1987-88, finishing 18-10 and an 11-5 record in the SoCon saw the Paladins finish second in the league standings at season's end. The Paladins would knock off Wake Forest, 80-68, during the regular-season, but would bow out of the Southern Conference Tournament in the quarterfinals, with a 78-73 loss to VMI. The 1987-88 team included standout guards like David Brown and Shawn Reid, as well as forward John Castile.

--The 1988-89 made some noise of its own, however, the Paladins still could not get over the hump in the SoCon. Furman finished 17-12 overall and 9-5 in the Southern Conference, which was good enough for a second-place finish in the 1988-89 season. Furman did record some high-profile wins during the 1988-89 season, which included a 90-86 home victory over eventual league champion and NCAA Tournament represenative East Tennessee State early in the league slate.

--Furman finished a disappointing 15-16 and seventh-place in the Southern Conference regular-season standings, however, the season did feature at least one memorable moment, with a 77-73 win over Villanova on Dec. 23, 1989. One of the more tragic moments of the season occurred during the Southern Conference Tournament. In Furman's 82-77 overtime win over Marshall in the SoCon quarterfinal, Paladin starting point guard Neal Garrison's father suffered a heart attack and would pass away at the hospital later that evening. Furman lost its semifinal game, 79-62, to Appalachian State the following day.

--The 1990-91 season would turn out to be a breakthrough season for Furman under head coach Butch Estes. Names like Hal Henderson, Bruce Evans, Tracy Garrick, David Stamey and Steven Hines had become household names to Furman fans and media. The Paladins completed the regular-season sharing the regular-season crown with East Tennessee State and Chattanooga. One of the more memorable moments during this particular season came on Feb. 11, 1991, as the No. 10 East Tennessee State team rolled into Greenville to face Furman at Memorial Auditorium. The Paladins won the game 103-94 in front of a capacity crowd over nearly 6,000 fans on hand, and that win remains one of the benchmark wins in Furman basketball history. The Paladins would lose on the final day of the regular-season at Chattanooga to force a three-way tie for first in the conference standings. Furman finished the season 20-9 overall and 11-3 in SoCon play. The Appalachian State Mountaineers ended Furman's NCAA Tournament hopes for a second-straight season, with an 87-82 win over the Paladins in the Southern Conference Tournament in Asheville, N.C. The Paladins finished well enough to receive a postseason invite to the NIT, however, where they suffered an opening round, 86-67, loss to West Virginia in Morgantown.

--Estes would begin to see his program to slowly descend in 1991-92, and in the next two seasons following the 1991-92 season, the Paladins would suffer losing seasons and lower tier finishes in both. That would see Furman make a change at head coach for the 1993-94 campaign.

--Former VMI boss Joe Cantafio was hired to succeed Estes in 1995, and despite a pair of solid recruiting classes, which included the likes of big man Chuck Vincent, wing Andre Kerr, and shooting guards Jason Stewart and Bubba Smith, the Paladins could not find success under Cantafio. Despite those two recruiting classes, Furman finished with a combined 20-30 record in Cantafio's first two seasons. Stewart and Kerr would eventually end up transferring out. The 1996-97 season would be the final one for Cantafio as head coach of the Paladins, matching his previous two campaigns with another 10-17 record. The Paladins finished 5th out of six teams in the SoCon South Division in Cantafio's final season as head coach. All told, the Paladins were 30-51 under the direction of Cantafio.

--Minnesota assistant Larry Davis was selected to take the reins of the Furman basketball program in 1997-98, and Davis would be in charge and would benefit from having a brand new, on-campus facility to play in his first season. Davis had been an assistant under the notorious Clem Haskins, who led the Golden Gophers to the 1997 Final Four, however, also got the program on probation for a number of NCAA violations. Davis would end up leading the Furman basketball program for nine seasons before moving on to become an assistant at Cincinnati following the 2005-06 season. For the most part, Furman underachieved on Davis' watch. In 1997-98, Furman big man Chuck Vincent was the Southern Conference Player of the Year. He did manage to hire a young, up-and-coming recruiter and eventual head coach, Niko Medved, in 1999. Medved would go on to recruit some outstanding players. During his first stint at Furman, Medved procured Minnesota Mr. Basketball Eric Webb, who chose Furman over Minnesota and several other bigger programs to play for Davis and the Paladins. The 2003 signing class was one of the best recruiting in the recent history of Furman basketball. The recruiting class included the likes of Moussa Diagne, Robby Bostain, Malaye Ndoye, Quan Prowell, Eric Webb. The addition of these five talents helped the Paladins helped Furman take a step towards joining the talent level of some of the bigger teams in the SoCon, like East Tennessee State and Chattanooga. The 2004 recruiting class, which included future 1,000-point scorers Bostain, Webb and Diagne, would finish as the highest scoring freshman class in Division I college basketball.

--The 1999-2000 season would see Furman come within a game of its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1980, however, would drop a heartbreaking SoCon semifinal game, 60-56, vs. eventual champion Appalachian State, thanks in large part to the play of Mountaineer point guard Tyson Patterson, who scored 12 of his team's final 14 points en route to leading the Mountaineers come-from-behind win. Appalachian State would go on to defeat the College of Charleston and become the SoCon's NCAA Tournament represenative.

--The most significant moment of the 2000-01 season would be a win over an ACC foe. The 2000-01 team was highlighted by players like French-born Karim Souchu, Brazilian born Guillherme Da Luz and Sengalese standout Malaye Ndoye. Furman posted a 79-74 overtime win over Florida State on Dec. 4, 2000 in Tallahassee.The Paladins would go on to finish the 2000-01 season with a 10-16 record overall, and a 5-11, last-place finish in the SoCon's South Division.

--Davis would lead the Paladins to the Southern Conference title game in 2002 against Davidson. Furman was looking to become the first team in the modern era to claim the SoCon title, winning four games in four days, but came up just short against Bob McKillop's Wildcats, as the Paladins dropped a 62-57 decision to the sharp-shooting Wildcats at the North Charleston Coliseum. Furman knocked off Kevin-Martin-led Western Carolina (65-61), Georgia Southern (73-70) and College of Charleston (44-43) to make the title game against Davidson. The win over College of Charleston marked the last for legendary CofC head coach John Kresse's career, as he retired. Furman finished 17-14 overall and 7-9 in league play, which was good enough for a fifth-place finish in the SoCon South Division. Juniors Karim Souchu and Guillherme Da Luz were among the leaders of the team, as was newcomer and talented forward Maleye N'Doye.

--The 2002-03 season was pretty much uneventful, as the Paladins stumbled to a 14-17 overall record and the 8-8 mark in Southern Conference play was good enough for a fourth-place finish in the South Division. The Paladins would see the careers of two outstanding players come to an end, with the graduations of both Karim Souchu and Guillherme Da Luz. The Brazilian-born Da Luz finished his career with 668-career assists, which still ranks as the most for a career in school history. The French-born Souchu finished his career ranked fourth on the school's all-time scoring ledger, posting 2,014 career points.

--In 2003-04, with the likes of one of its best recruiting classes in recent memory, which included the likes of Minnesota Mr. Basketball Eric Webb, forward Quan Prowell, guard Robbie Bostain and Sengalese center Moussa Diagne were part of an excellent class put together by recruiting coordinator Niko Medved. That quartet would see Furman finish the season with college basketball's highest-scoring freshman class. The Paladins finished the season with a 17-12 overall record and an 8-8 record in the SoCon's South Division, which was good enough for a fourth-place finish in the division. Furman would knock off Kevin Martin and Western Carolina, 73-68, in the opening round of the SoCon Tournament at the North Charleston Coliseum before getting knocked out of the tournament by eventual champion East Tennessee State, with a 94-84 setback against the Tim Smith-led Buccaneers. Furman had a significant conference win over Wofford at Timmons Arena, knocking off the Terriers, 91-55, inside the friendly confines of Timmons Arena. Maleye N'Doye averaged 16.0 PPG en route to garnering All-SoCon and all-tournament honors. Webb was the Southern Conference Freshman of the Year.

--Furman would follow up its 2003-04 season with a 16-13 overall mark and a 9-7 record in the Southern Conference in 2004-05, which was good enough for a fourth-place finish in the SoCon South. It marked the first time Furman had recorded back-to-back winning seasons on the college basketball hardwood since the 1990-91 and 1991-92 Paladins pulled off the feat in consecutive campaigns under the direction of Butch Estes. It also marked Furman's third winning season out of four for the Paladins. Led by Eric Webb, Quan Prowell, Robbie Bostain and Moussa Diagne, Furman would be garner the No. 4 seed in the South and would face No. 5 seeded East Tennessee State in the North in the opening round of the Southern Conference Tournament. ETSU, which was playing in its final Southern Conference Tournament for the forseeable future, bounced the Paladins out of the Southern Conference at Chattanooga's McKenzie Arena, taking an 87-84 upset win. Prowell, who had been suspended much of the season due to academic suspension, decided to transfer to Auburn following the season.

--The 2005-06 season would be the final one in charge for head coach Larry Davis, as he would take a job as Mick Cronin's top assistant with the Cincinnati Bearcats following a 15-13 overall mark and an 8-7 finish in Southern Conference play, which was good enough for a fourth-place finish in the SoCon South. The Paladins, which had a bye in the opening round of the Southern Conference Tournament, were upset in the opening round by an upstart Citadel team, which canceled Furman's plans of a deep run in the conference tournament, with a 65-53 win over the Paladins at the North Charleston Coliseum. Furman would be led by juniors Eric Webb, Moussa Diagne, and Robbie Bostain led the Paladins. One of the bright spots came in a non-conference, bracket busters game against North Dakota State, as the Paladins defeated the Bison, 73-61, in late January at Timmons Arena. Furman's 70-66 win over Davidson snapped what had been a nation-best 27-game winning streak in Southern Conference play. It also ended what had been a 16-game series losing streak for the Paladins against the Wildcats. Davis finished his career with a 124-139 record at the helm of the Furman basketball program. Davis led the Paladins to three-straight winning seasons and four winning campaigns in the last five in his time as the Furman head coach.

--The 2006-07 season would usher in a new era for Furman hoops, with former Vanderbilt assistant and New Hampshire Jeff Jackson hired to succeed Davidson. Jackson would have the deck stacked in his favor when taking over the Furman basketball program. Seniors Eric Webb, Robbie Bostain, Moussa Diagne and Gerad Punch were part of an experienced lineup expected to make waves in the SoCon in Jackson's first season as the head coach. He would help the Paladins to a hugely successful non-conference record, however, the Paladins disappointed with their talent in conference play, and finished with a losing record of 15-16 overall, but did finish third in the SoCon South Division, which offered the opportunity for a bye in the Southern Conference Tournament.One of the more impressive wins of Jackson's first season came against eventual Sweet Sixteen qualifier Vanderbilt, as Jackson's Paladins pulled off a 70-62 win on the road against Jackson's former employer. After posting a 73-71 in a SoCon quarterfinal matchup with UNC Greensboro, the Paladins eventually suffered a 91-68 loss to Davidson in the SoCon semifinals. The Wildcats went on to win the tournament, led by the mecurial freshman guard Stephen Curry.

--The next two seasons under Jackson were abysmal for Furman basketball, and the Paladins posted just a 13-47 record in back-to-back seasons, which is the worst record in combined seasons in Furman basketball history. Let that sink in. Furman won just six games in the 2008-09 season. The Paladins were 0-16 away from Timmons Arena during the 2008-09 season. Furman had a young guard emerging, however, named Jordan Miller. The sophomore finished the season leading Furman in scoring average, at 13.8 PPG. Furman went 1-29 away from Timmons Arena in back-to-back seasons.

--The 2009-10 season would start to see some turnaround for Furman basketball, buoyed by the addition of South Florida transfer Amu Saaka, who was an immediate impact player for the Paladins. Saaka, an explosive athlete, helped change the general direction in which the program was headed. Players like Noah States, Justin Dehm, Colin Redick and Charlie Redick were also instrumental in helping Furman's improvement. The Paladins finished the 2009-10 season with a 13-17 overall record, including a 7-11 record in Southern Conference play, which was good enough for a fifth-place finish in the six-team South Division. The 13 wins by the Paladins matched the win total from the previous two. The Paladins were knocked out of the Southern Conference Tournament after only one game, dropping a 66-65 game to UNCG in Charlotte at Cricket Arena.

--The 2010-11 season would prove to be a breakthrough season for Jackson and Furman basketball, as the Paladins finished with their first 20-win season since 1990-91, finishing 22-11 overall and 12-6 mark in SoCon play, which was good enough for a third-place finish in the SoCon South. Led by Amu Saaka, Colin Redick, Jordan Miller, Darryl Evans, Justin Dehm and Noah States, the Paladins were impressive all season. Furman pulled off a road win at eventual champion Wofford, and had some impressive non-conference wins, including ones at Middle Tennessee State and on a neutral court vs. Northeastern. However, most Paladin fans will readily call a 91-75 win over South Carolina just before Christmas at Timmons Arena. The Paladins also rode that success into Southern Conference play, taking a 73-68 overtime win at eventual SoCon champion Wofford in late January. The Paladins would make a decent run in the Southern Conference Tournament as well, as the Paladins ended up knocking Samford (61-48) and hometown favorite Chattanooga (61-52) before bowing out in the conference semifinals, with a 63-58 loss to College of Charleston. Leading scorers Amu Saaka and Jordan Miller both graduated, as did walk-on and lightning-quick point guard Darryl Evans. With its performance in the regular-season and with its 22 wins, Furman made its first appearance in a college basketball postseason of any sort since the 1990-91 season, qualifying for the CollegeInsider.com Tournament. The Paladins bowed out in the opening round, however, dropping a 76-63 contest at then Atlantic Sun member East Tennessee State. Bob Richey was added the staff in June of 2011.

--The 2011-12 season saw the Paladins do a little better than expected on the hardwood, in a season which was expected to be a rebuilding campaign for head coach Jeff Jackson and Co. The Paladins ended up finishing out the season with a 15-16 overall record and 8-10 mark in Southern Conference play, which was good enough for a fifth-place finish in the SoCon South Division. The Paladins opened the SoCon Tournament with a 75-66 win over Samford before dropping a 73-54 contest to Davidson in the SoCon quarterfinals to bow out of the tournament and effectively end the season. Gone were some important pieces which had been part of a Furman's rise back to respectability as SoCon basketball program, with the graduation of guys like Colin Redick and Bryson Barnes.

--The 2012-13 season would once again signal alarm bells for the Furman basketball program, and it would prove to be the final one in charge for head coach Jeff Jackson, who was fired at season's end. Furman finished the 2012-13 campaign with just a 7-24 record--the third season of seven or fewer wins in Jackson's seven seasons as the head coach--and the Paladins could only muster a 3-15 record in conference play, which was sixth out of six teams in the SoCon South Division. Furman won its opener in the SoCon Tournament, with a 55-51 win over Samford before bowing out of the tournament in the quarterfinals to Appalachian State with a 74-60 setback. The Paladins were plagued by injuries during the season, and at one point in a game, dressed only eight players in a game late in the season at Chattanooga. One of the few bright spots in Jackson's final season as the head coach was the emergence of SoCon All-Freshman guard Stephen Croone, who would finish his career as the program's fifth all-time leading scorer, and would be part of the rebuilding project and foundation of the Furman basketball program in future seasons. Jackson would complete his career in Greenville with an 85-131 record in seven seasons at the helm.

--Niko Medved, who was hired to succeed Jeff Jackson as the head coach in April of 2013, would begin rebuilding Furman basketball from scratch in 2013-14. One of the first wise decisions Medved would make would be to keep Richey on staff and leave him in charge of recruiting. That would prove one of the major factors in Furman rebuilding its program.Furman would stumble to a 9-21 record and bow out of the SoCon Tournament with an opening-round, 65-50, loss to Georgia Southern. Furman posted just a 3-13 record in SoCon play, which saw the Paladins finish 10th in the SoCon standings. One of the few bright spots of the season would be sophomore guard Stephen Croone. In an 86-83 home win over Liberty on Dec. 20, 2013, Croone became the first Paladin to score 40 or more points in a game since 1972, scoring 40 against the Flames. Croone was the SoCon scoring champion in 2013-14, averaging 19.3 PPG.

--The 2014-15 season looked as if it would be another dismal campaign for the Paladins. Late in he season, Furman suffered an 84-49 setback at UNC Greensboro. The next day, then head coach Niko Medved challenged the Paladins and their collective mental toughness--a three-hour practice without a basketball will do that. The Paladins then started to play well down the stretch. The Paladins closed out the home slate in 2014-15 against Western Carolina and a powerful Wofford team that ranked as high as No. 54 in the RPI that particular season, and also had an early non-conference win over North Carolina State. In what was far from anything considered to be a basketball masterpiece, the Paladins were able to gut out a 53-49 win over defensive-minded, tough Western Carolina. The Catamounts had handed the Paladins a 70-52 setback in early January at the Ramsey Center. The Catamounts, who would end up taking the No. 5 seed for the upcoming league tournament, were shut down by a stingy Paladin defense. Despite shooting just 28.3% for the game, Furman's defense would limit head coach Larry Hunter's Catamounts to just 25.8% shooting from the field. Though it was not a pretty win, it would be the start of a very bright future on the horizon for Paladin basketball. Junior guard Stephen Croone provided one of his gutsiest performances of the season, finishing with a team-leading 15 points, while Kris Acox showed his toughness by adding a double-double of 12 points and a career-high tying 17 boards. Then a young freshman from Toledo, OH., sharp-shooting Geoff Beans came off the bench to post 11 points, including nine during a crucial 14-0 run that had seen Furman turn a four-point deficit (33-37) into a 10-point lead (47-37). It was the first time the Paladins showed the kind of toughness, leadership and killer instinct that would come to define this senior class over the next three seasons. The 2015 regular-season finale provided even more adversity and drama. It was going to be hard enough to face league juggernaut and tournament favorite Wofford with Stephen Croone in the lineup. However, without him, it seemed nearly impossible for the Paladins to have a fighting chance of thwarting any SoCon regular-season title hopes of the visiting Terriers.

--Furman's mettle would be tested, however, it would be another freshman--John Davis III--that would step up and shine for the Paladins, helping keep things interesting all the way through in the absence of the Paladins' leading scorer. Davis posted a then career-high 20 points in the Paladin loss, and his shot from three to tie at the buzzer just caromed out for the freshman guard, as the Paladins dropped a 62-60 decision without the services of Stephen Croone in the lineup. The Paladins would arrive in Asheville as the No. 10 overall seed, but would prove to be the most dangerous lower seeded team in the history of the Southern Conference Tournament. Furman would start the 2015 General Shale Southern Conference Tournament by facing The Citadel in its opening game of the 95th edition of the Southern Conference Tournament. Furman would go on to win games against #7 The Citadel (73-56), #2 Chattanooga (69-67) and No. 3 Mercer (52-49). The Paladins would eventually drop a heartbreaking 67-64 game in the championship to top-seeded Wofford (64-67). Furman had three players make the SoCon All-Freshman team, with Daniel Fowler, Geoff Beans and Devin Sibley all ending up on the postseason scroll, with Sibley having been named SoCon Freshman of the Year.

--2015-16 The 2015-16 season saw the Paladins break through and reach the cusp of a 20-win season, finishing 19-16. The Paladins won their first postseason tournament game since 1975, with an opening round buzzer beater from Daniel Fowler that allowed the Paladins to down Sun Belt Conference member Louisiana Monroe in the opening round of the CollegeInsider.com, as the Paladins escaped with a 58-57 win. The Paladins lost in the next round of the tournament to Louisiana Lafayette (L, 80-72), but it was the start of things starting to take a turn for the better in Greenville and momentum followed forward for the next two seasons. One of Furman's top wins of the season came in the regular-season against juggernaut Chattanooga, which at the time, sported a Top 50 RPI. The Paladins downed the eventual SoCon champions and NCAA Tournament participant Chattanooga, ending the Mocs' eight-game winning streak for the SoCon favorites, as the Paladins triumphed, 70-55, in early January inside the friendly confines of Timmons Arena. The Paladins also had a thrilling, buzzer-beating win over Wofford on a Stephen Croone tip-in at the buzzer in a 63-62 thriller. Croone, a senior, was named Southern Conference Player of the Year. The Paladins finished the season posting a an 11-7 record in SoCon play, which was good enough for a sixth-place overall finish in the league standings. The Paladins bowed out of the SoCon Tournament in the semifinals, with an 84-76 setback contest to ETSU. The Paladins tied a school record with 14 home wins, and finished 14-2 on their home floor, including going 9-0 against SoCon teams. It would be the end of a stellar four-year career, and Furman graduated a couple of other instrumental foundational parts of their current run, in guard Larry Wideman and post Kendrec Ferrara. Matt Rafferty was named to the SoCon's All-Freshman team.

--In the 2016-17 season, the Paladins would tie with both ETSU and UNCG for the Southern Conference regular-season title, finishing 14-4 in league play. It would prove to be the final season for head coach Niko Medved, who moved on to become the head coach of Drake just days before Furman's CIT semifinal contest vs. Saint Peters--a game which the Paladins would lose by 26 points under interim head coach Bob Richey--but that would turn out to be the exception rather than the rule after the interim tag was removed for Richey and he was hired as the full time head coach. He currently is 33-11 as the head coach of the Paladins. Prior to the loss to Saint Peter's and Medved's departure in the CIT semifinals, Furman claimed wins over both USC Upstate (79-57) and Campbell (79-64), and both wins came on the road. But it can't be overlooked that Medved cared about Furman, and while some may have questioned the move, the truth is he left Furman in a great situation to be successful under Richey, and you can't say that for all head coaches. Medved's genuine care for the program allowed the Paladins to keep a high-level recruiting class intact and on-board under Richey. Richey, in turn, would elevate the program to the next level with some quality assistant coaching hires over the past two seasons, with the only turnover coming as a result of guys getting a better opportunity for their respective families. The Paladins completed the season with a 23-10 overall record, and lost in the SoCon quarterfinals to Samford in upset fashion. The Bulldogs claimed a 67-63 quarterfinal win over Furman to end the Paladins' hopes of an NCAA Tournament. The Paladins would graduate some great players like All-SoCon forward Kris Acox, which was instrumental in helping Furman start the momentum back towards the place it is now. The 23 wins for the Paladins were their most in a season since 1979-80, and the SoCon regular-season title was the first since 1990-91. Devin Sibley wins Southern Conference Player of the Year honors, marking the second-straight season a Paladin has won the award. Furman's Jordan Lyons claimed SoCon All-Freshman team honors.

--The 2017-18 season saw four senior leaders return for newly hired head coach Bob Richey, and the coach who had been there during some of the program's worst years, started to recruit and coach the Paladins into uncharted territory. Furman would finish the 2017-18 season falling short of their preseason projection of SoCon champions and NCAA Tournament participant, however, the Paladins did win 23 games for a second straight season and finished with a 23-11 overall mark and a 13-5 conference mark, which was good enough for the third seed in the Southern Conference Tournament. The Paladins ended Western Carolina's season, with a 97-73 quarterfinal win. The Paladins bowed out of the tournament with a 62-54 loss to East Tennessee State, and opted not to participate in the SoCon Tournament. Four seniors: Devin Sibley, Geoff Beans, Daniel Fowler and John Davis III were huge pillars of Furman's turnaround. The quartet was part of 76 wins, a SoCon regular-season title, and program-tying, back-to-back 23-win seasons. The group was also responsible for helping Furman to its first postseason wins in a non-conference sponsored tournament for the first time since 1975.

Supplemental Articles on Furman Basketball:

Niko Medved

https://www.midmajormadness.com/2015/10/9/9478123/2015-16-season-preview-neko-medved-resurrecting-furman

Bob Richey

https://www.midmajormadness.com/2016/1/20/10803784/furman-owes-plenty-of-gratitude-to-assistant-coach-recruiting

Jordan Lyons

https://www.midmajormadness.com/2018/9/25/17897844/jordan-lyons-is-ready-to-help-furman-to-cement-its-own-legacy-in-2018-19

Furman Flashback: The Big Brown Box

https://www.midmajormadness.com/2016/2/17/11037196/furman-flashback-the-big-brown-box-part-1

Daniel Fowler buzzer-beater vs. Louisiana Monroe

https://www.midmajormadness.com/2016/3/15/11243642/furmans-fowler-sinks-buzzer-beater-and-louisiana-monroe-in-cit