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| Furman senior guard Andrew Brown |
However, for Furman senior guard Andrew Brown, life off the court has provided its own share of madness in the month of March.
Specifically over the past six years, that date on the calendar has been March 20, and its the type of madness he’d rather avoid for the rest of his life.
After all, Brown’s March Madness last year was spent fighting for his life--not surviving in any one of college basketball’s one-and-done postseason tournaments. It took survive and advance to a whole new level.
Six years to the day prior to last week’s 76-70 NIT loss to Wichita State, Furman guard experienced the first of what would be several hurdles that had to be cleared before he could see the completion of what was an outstanding career in a Furman basketball uniform.
Brown’s toughness was part of the DNA of the Paladin basketball team in 2018-19, and it’s no wonder that he, along with his battle-hardened, gritty roommate and best friend Matt Rafferty, were able to elevate the Furman basketball program to unprecedented heights over their respective four-year careers at Furman.
The duo would be the bedrock of a class that won a school-record 90 games over a four-year span, finishing with a final mark of 90-46 when the buzzer sounded for the final time of their careers Wednesday night at Timmons Arena.
On March 20, 2018, Brown was fighting for his life due to complications from hernia surgery, which had inadvertantly perforarated his intestine. After a stroke two years prior to his arrival at Furman, and then surgery gone wrong some six years later on the same date, it probably would have seemed fitting if the Travelers Rest, S.C., product called it a career.
Easy, however, was not what Brown or this team were about all season, and its not something any of the Furman quartet has been about throughout their respective careers as Paladins.
“You know it’s funny, yesterday my mom texted me and said you know what tomorrow is, and I said gameday,“ Brown said. “She said no, it’s the anniversary of your stroke and your surgery stuff last year and it shows you how far...how far something can come in a year...A year ago, I wasn’t really thinking about basketball and that was kind of the last thing on my mind, and to see the season we’ve had and how far we’ve come to make the NIT and I know we had are minds set on the NCAA Tournament, but making the NIT is really special,”Brown added.
Only months after returning to 100% health, Brown would suffer another blow at the tail end of summer workouts. In mid-August, Brown suffered a fractured foot in practice.
The only thing that was good about the injury was the fact that it was one that was less severe than some foot fractures, allowing his return sometime in mid-late October, which was just in time for the start of the 2018-19 season.
On Nov. 6, the Paladins opened what would turn out to be the best in school history by hosting Division II Bob Jones at Timmons Arena.
Brown started the game and finished with six points and three rebounds. It was the start of his final season for Furman, and he seemed to be out finally 100% healthy for the first time since in
the middle of the 2018 season. He commented with a big smile and a sense of relief on his face following Furman’s lopsided 102-48 win in the season opener.
“It felt really good to be back out there. You kinda take this stuff for granted to go out there and play basketball and I can’t take it for granted anymore and it was a lot of fun to get out there and have fun with these guys and the rest of the team. It was just fun and enjoyed every second of it.”
Then came Nov. 9. That excitement and relief on Brown’s face following the home-opening win over Bob Jones was followed by anguish and concern early in the first half of Furman’s 60-58 road win over Final Four participant Loyola Chicago.
It turned out that Brown re-fractured the same foot, and his immediate status for the remainder of the 2018-19 basketball season was unknown.
With Brown’s fate to be decided by the team physician on whether a return was reality or not, Furman head coach Bob Richey was forced to remove the redshirt off of talented freshman Jalen Slawson for the immediate future.
After being cleared to play and following the complete fusion of the bone, Brown returned a month later to the Paladin lineup in a road contest at USC Upstate. By now, the Paladins were 9-0 and ranked for the first time in school history, at 9-0.
Brown would see only 12 minutes, and even favored his foot at times in the contest. But, in time, he would learn to trust that he would not injure it again.
With Brown back, however, the lineup and team dynamic changed back to what it had been coming into the season. With Furman playing so well, head coach Bob Richey had to make a tough decision.
That decision was telling Brown he would no longer be in the starting lineup, but rather coming off the bench. Richey told Brown he would be the top man coming off the bench for the Paladins. Brown, as he had done with everything that has happened over the past six years, took it in stride.
In his second game back this season, Brown was rewarded for his patience, tenacity and perserverance to return to the floor for the Paladins. He helped No. 23 Paladins to a 10-0 start by posting 16 points off the bench.
“We were 10-0. It wasn’t like we needed some huge spark.I was feeling good today and some shots were falling. The guys kept looking for me and that’s what it’s about. It’s about finding the right guy for that night,” Brown added.
It was obvious that Brown didn’t have any trouble adjusting to his new role not being in the starting lineup, with his 16 points marking one of eight double-figure performances during his final season as a Paladin.
Brown poured in 15 points in Furman’s first loss of the season, which was on the road at current Sweet Sixteen bound LSU. He also posted one of his best performances in a road loss in early January at eventual SoCon unbeaten and tournament champion Wofford, totaling 10 points in the 59-54 setback to the Terriers.
The senior from Travelers Rest, S.C., also was a key in more some of Furman’s best victories this season. In the 30-point home win over East Tennessee State, Brown posted a season-high 17 points and in Furman’s opening round, Southern Conference Tournament win over Mercer, he finished with 14.
Unfortunately, postseason basketball is unpredictable, and for Brown, he and the rest of the Paladins were hoping to make a deep run in the National Invitational Tournament, however, it wasn’t in the cards.
In his final game for the Paladins, Brown got in foul trouble early on in the contest, and he never was able to find an offensive rhythm, finishing scoreless.
He will be remembered as one of Furman’s most efficient three-point shooters in the history of the program, however. The hometown product finished his career with 163 triples, and shot the ball at a 41.9% clip for his career, which is second-best in program history.
In many ways, Brown’s tenacity and toughness were easily discernible, but it was his perserverance and humility that give you an idea what the 2018-19 Paladins were about and why they elevated the program to new heights with a program-best 25 wins.
He was part of a senior class of four players that led by serving, which is the mantra that Furman basketball exhibited night in and night out in 2018-19, ending with more wins than any other in school history. That's the way you wanna go out.
Six years to the day prior to last week’s 76-70 NIT loss to Wichita State, Furman guard experienced the first of what would be several hurdles that had to be cleared before he could see the completion of what was an outstanding career in a Furman basketball uniform.
Brown’s toughness was part of the DNA of the Paladin basketball team in 2018-19, and it’s no wonder that he, along with his battle-hardened, gritty roommate and best friend Matt Rafferty, were able to elevate the Furman basketball program to unprecedented heights over their respective four-year careers at Furman.
The duo would be the bedrock of a class that won a school-record 90 games over a four-year span, finishing with a final mark of 90-46 when the buzzer sounded for the final time of their careers Wednesday night at Timmons Arena.
On March 20, 2018, Brown was fighting for his life due to complications from hernia surgery, which had inadvertantly perforarated his intestine. After a stroke two years prior to his arrival at Furman, and then surgery gone wrong some six years later on the same date, it probably would have seemed fitting if the Travelers Rest, S.C., product called it a career.
Easy, however, was not what Brown or this team were about all season, and its not something any of the Furman quartet has been about throughout their respective careers as Paladins.
“You know it’s funny, yesterday my mom texted me and said you know what tomorrow is, and I said gameday,“ Brown said. “She said no, it’s the anniversary of your stroke and your surgery stuff last year and it shows you how far...how far something can come in a year...A year ago, I wasn’t really thinking about basketball and that was kind of the last thing on my mind, and to see the season we’ve had and how far we’ve come to make the NIT and I know we had are minds set on the NCAA Tournament, but making the NIT is really special,”Brown added.
Only months after returning to 100% health, Brown would suffer another blow at the tail end of summer workouts. In mid-August, Brown suffered a fractured foot in practice.
The only thing that was good about the injury was the fact that it was one that was less severe than some foot fractures, allowing his return sometime in mid-late October, which was just in time for the start of the 2018-19 season.
On Nov. 6, the Paladins opened what would turn out to be the best in school history by hosting Division II Bob Jones at Timmons Arena.
Brown started the game and finished with six points and three rebounds. It was the start of his final season for Furman, and he seemed to be out finally 100% healthy for the first time since in
the middle of the 2018 season. He commented with a big smile and a sense of relief on his face following Furman’s lopsided 102-48 win in the season opener.
“It felt really good to be back out there. You kinda take this stuff for granted to go out there and play basketball and I can’t take it for granted anymore and it was a lot of fun to get out there and have fun with these guys and the rest of the team. It was just fun and enjoyed every second of it.”
Then came Nov. 9. That excitement and relief on Brown’s face following the home-opening win over Bob Jones was followed by anguish and concern early in the first half of Furman’s 60-58 road win over Final Four participant Loyola Chicago.
It turned out that Brown re-fractured the same foot, and his immediate status for the remainder of the 2018-19 basketball season was unknown.
With Brown’s fate to be decided by the team physician on whether a return was reality or not, Furman head coach Bob Richey was forced to remove the redshirt off of talented freshman Jalen Slawson for the immediate future.
After being cleared to play and following the complete fusion of the bone, Brown returned a month later to the Paladin lineup in a road contest at USC Upstate. By now, the Paladins were 9-0 and ranked for the first time in school history, at 9-0.
Brown would see only 12 minutes, and even favored his foot at times in the contest. But, in time, he would learn to trust that he would not injure it again.
With Brown back, however, the lineup and team dynamic changed back to what it had been coming into the season. With Furman playing so well, head coach Bob Richey had to make a tough decision.
That decision was telling Brown he would no longer be in the starting lineup, but rather coming off the bench. Richey told Brown he would be the top man coming off the bench for the Paladins. Brown, as he had done with everything that has happened over the past six years, took it in stride.
In his second game back this season, Brown was rewarded for his patience, tenacity and perserverance to return to the floor for the Paladins. He helped No. 23 Paladins to a 10-0 start by posting 16 points off the bench.
“We were 10-0. It wasn’t like we needed some huge spark.I was feeling good today and some shots were falling. The guys kept looking for me and that’s what it’s about. It’s about finding the right guy for that night,” Brown added.
It was obvious that Brown didn’t have any trouble adjusting to his new role not being in the starting lineup, with his 16 points marking one of eight double-figure performances during his final season as a Paladin.
Brown poured in 15 points in Furman’s first loss of the season, which was on the road at current Sweet Sixteen bound LSU. He also posted one of his best performances in a road loss in early January at eventual SoCon unbeaten and tournament champion Wofford, totaling 10 points in the 59-54 setback to the Terriers.
The senior from Travelers Rest, S.C., also was a key in more some of Furman’s best victories this season. In the 30-point home win over East Tennessee State, Brown posted a season-high 17 points and in Furman’s opening round, Southern Conference Tournament win over Mercer, he finished with 14.
Unfortunately, postseason basketball is unpredictable, and for Brown, he and the rest of the Paladins were hoping to make a deep run in the National Invitational Tournament, however, it wasn’t in the cards.
In his final game for the Paladins, Brown got in foul trouble early on in the contest, and he never was able to find an offensive rhythm, finishing scoreless.
He will be remembered as one of Furman’s most efficient three-point shooters in the history of the program, however. The hometown product finished his career with 163 triples, and shot the ball at a 41.9% clip for his career, which is second-best in program history.
In many ways, Brown’s tenacity and toughness were easily discernible, but it was his perserverance and humility that give you an idea what the 2018-19 Paladins were about and why they elevated the program to new heights with a program-best 25 wins.
He was part of a senior class of four players that led by serving, which is the mantra that Furman basketball exhibited night in and night out in 2018-19, ending with more wins than any other in school history. That's the way you wanna go out.
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