Paladins and Wildcats Ready To Open Season Monday Night
For the second-straight season, Furman will kick off its 2026-27 season in Rock Hill, S.C., as the Paladins will take on Bethune-Cookman in the final game of the Field of 68 Opening Day Marathon, as it is part of 24 hours of hoops in what will be the first meeting between the programs in 21 years.
The 8 p.m. EST will mark the final game of the eight-game event to open the college basketball season. It's the second season that the Field of 68 staff has put together a bracket buster list of mid-major programs, as it is once again the outstanding vision and creative ingenuity of both Jeff Goodman and Rob Dauster.
Both the Paladins and Wildcats are tabbed to win their respective conferences, with the Paladins being the unanimous favorite to win the Southern Conference, while the Wildcats come into the season as the favorites to win the SWAC.
The Paladins and Wildcats will be meeting for the fourth time in series history, with the Paladins holding the 2-1 all-time series lead. Furman claimed wins in 1999 (W, 71-59/Greenville) and 2003 (W, 64-49/Greenville), while Bethune-Cookman claimed its lone win in the series in Daytona Beach in 2000 (W, 63-56).
Both programs are favored to win their respective conferences in 2026-27, with Furman picked to repeat in the SoCon, while Bethune-Cookman was the consensus pick to claim the SWAC title by the league's head coaches, receiving 10 first-place votes.
Furman will be without head coach Bob Richey in the season opener, as he continues to recover from an illness. Richey, who heads into his 10th season at the helm, reached a milestone late last season, as Furman's 72-51 win over The Citadel Senior Night helped Richey reach 200 wins. Pat Estepp is expected to handle the head coaching responsibilities in the season opener.
Furman has excelled in shooting threes in nine seasons under Bob Richey, and after connecting on 311-of-947 (32.8%) for the 2025-26, it ended up being the worst three=point shooting team that Richey has coached, and yet the Paladins still found a way to win the SoCon title, finding their shooting touch in the conference tournament, shooting 42% from downtown over the course of three games in Asheville. All told, in nine seasons under Richey, the Paladins are connecting on 37% (3,001-of-8,109) of their shots from long range.
Looking Back at 2025-26
The Paladins participated in this same tournament just last season, dropping a 97-71 game against High Point. It was the start of some early lumps and then had to manage some injuries throughout the conference regular-season before taking the No. 6 seed into the Southern Conference Tournament in Asheville.
From there, the Paladins were able to find their groove in the tournament, playing their best basketball all season en route to cutting down the nets at the Harrah's Cherokee Center in Asheville.
The 2025-26 season would be one of both new beginnings and a return to a standard of excellence for the Paladins It was also fitting that the return to the NCAA Tournament season would be the first in the newly renovated Timmons Arena, which got a 40 million dollar facelift, while Furman played its 2024-25 season downtown at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena.
On Senior night, Timmons Arena would play host to another milestone, as Furman's 72-51 win over The Citadel marked the 200th-career win for head coach Bob Richey in his ninth season at the helm. Now at 203-94, Richey ranks 21st nationally in winning percentage (.684).
In the SoCon Tournament, Furman held off red-hot and No. 3 Samford in the opening game, 86-81, before getting a career-high 35 points from Alex Wilkins in the next outing to knock of No. 7 UNC Greensboro, 81-75, to reach the title game. In the title matchup, the Paladins would face another significant hurdle to overcome, as top-seeded East Tennessee State would be waiting on the Paladins on Monday night. It also marked the fourth time in five seasons that the Paladins reached the title game.
Despite losing both regular-season encounters to top seeded ETSU, the Paladins put together maybe their signature performance of the season to capture what was a 76-61 win in the championship tilt.
Cooper Bowser delivered an MVP worthy performance in the title game. The Paladins got a double-double Bowser, as he finished with 21 points and 11 rebounds, accounting for what was his 10th double-double in 12 outings in double figures since returning from a lower body injury that forced him to miss the first 10 Southern Conference games.
Bowser was sensational, connecting on 9-of-12 shots from the field, while also recording his first double-double of the season. Bowser didn't start Furman's first tournament game against Samford because he willingly gave up his spot. He finished upsetting the No. 3 Bulldogs by posting 14 points and six rebounds, then followed that up with 14 points and two rebounds in the semifinal win over UNC Greensboro.
For the tournament, the 6-11 junior finished 21-of-30 from the field, scoring 49 points, grabbing 19 rebounds, dishing out four assists and blocking two shots while helping lead the Paladins to their second title in the past four seasons. Bowser was voted to the First-Team All-SoCon Tournament Team. He was one of three Paladins voted to the first or second all-tournament team.
Bowser led with 21 points and 11 rebounds, while Tom House finished with 13 points, and tournament Most Outstanding Player--freshman point guard Alex Wilkins--added 12 points, two assists and two steals in the win. It was a monumental night for the Paladin basketball program, reaching their eighth NCAA Tournament in program history, including their second title in a four-year window.
The SoCon title marked the eighth in program history, and in the NCAA Tournament, the Paladins would unfortunately fall to a No. 15 seed as a result of a sixth-place finish in the league and had the unenviable task of facing No. 2 UConn, but Furman hung around the entire night, thanks to Tom House and Alex Wilkins, who finished with 21 points apiece, but ultimately a 35-point, 21-rebound performance would help the Huskies hold off the Paladins, despite a huge scare in Philadelphia, claiming an 82-71 win.
The Paladins finished off a 22-13 season, despite facing plenty of adversity along the way.It marked the 15th twenty-win season in program history, including the eighth in the last 10 years.
Tom House and Charles Johnston Eligible
When Tom House and Charles Johnston walked off the court last March, they both likely thought it would be for the last time, but both find themselves eligible as we embark on a new season, with the NCAA adding a fifth year of eligibility at the exclusion of the class of 2022. That cause lawsuit after lawsuit to be filed against the NCAA by players, whether individually, or as part of a class-action lawsuit.
Johnston found out he was eligible much sooner than House, but both will be available for Monday night's season opener at the Rock Hill Sports and Events Center.
Both House and Johnston were instrumental in Furman's success last season, and both were a big reason why Furman cut down the nets in Asheville last March. House is a player that has come alive in both SoCon Tournaments he's played in during his Paladin career, garnering the distinction of "Tournament Tom."
House was a second-team All-SoCon Tournament selection and scored 20 or more points in three out of eight tournament games (SoCon Tourney, NIT and NCAA Tournament) over the past two seasons, including scoring in double figures in 5-of-8. He finished his 2025-26 season with four total 20+scoring efforts this season and scored in double figures in three out of Furman's final four games.
Johnston's importance to this team can't be emphasized enough, as he was a almost walking double-double last season for the 'Dins, finishing the 2025-26 season averaging 9.8 PPG and 9.0 RPG. He finished the 2025-26 campaign with 13 double-doubles, helping the Paladins rank among the top 40 nationally in rebounding average last season.
Johnston can play the four or the five, but was the more skilled big man between he and Cooper Bowser, who started on the interior last season for the Paladins.
A Look at the Wildcats:
The Wildcats are led by head coach Reggie Theus, who heads into his sixth season as a head coach of Bethune Cookman, and he has re-invigorated the program and one that expects to win championships.
The Wildcats got one step closer to making their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance last season, winning the SWAC regular-season title with a 14-4 record, however, Bethune Cookman got upset in the opening round of the SWAC Tournament by No. 8 seed Prairie View A&M, ending Theus' Wildcats abruptly and the dream of becoming the "first" to breakthrough and make an NCAA Tournament.
In addition to finishing 14-4 in league play, Bethune-Cookman finished with a 17-15 overall record and carries with it an insatiable hunger to erase that bad feeling that it had to endure over the entire off-season after failing to finish off the second part of that championship season and cut down the nets and punch their ticket to the Big Dance for the first time in school history.
Jacobi Heady (18.2 PPG) was a player that was a pure scorer, and one that could really shoot the basketball, finishing the season as a 41.5% shooter from long-range, as well as being an excellent rebounding presence on the wing, finishing the season averaging 5.0 RPG.
The best news is that while Jakobi Heady has moved on, Quentin Heady has remained in Daytona Beach after averaging 10.3 PPG, as has Daniel Perez-Rouzan (11.8 PPG), and both have ended up on preseason SWAC All-Conference teams, with Perez-Rouzan being a first-team pick, while Quentin Heady ending up on the preseason Second-Team All-SWAC team.
Quentin Heady is a solid outside shooting threat, but his knowledge of Theus' system on both ends of the floor could prove beneficial for the Wildcats this season, having almost turned over an entire roster of players from a year ago. He started 28 of 32 games for the Wildcats last season, and is the lone returning starter that Theus hopes to build Bethune-Cookman's first-ever NCAA Tournament qualifier around this season.
The biggest reason that Theus believes this team can be even more talented than the one last season is how the Wildcats' stats was able to strike gold in the portal. Kansas City transfer Karmello Branch is a player that is one of the tremendous additions from the transfer portal.
Branch is part of a list of 10 NCAA Division I transfers that Theus brought in to help fill out his new roster of players, along with bringing in one JUCO player. Theus has a wealth of depth and size on his roster. During his time at Kansas City last season, point guard Jaylen Jones is a player that could be a real difference maker at point guard for the Wildcats this coming season. Branch, who averaged 12.2 PPG and 2.6 RPG at Kansas City last season, is good pick-and-pop shooter and has an especially quick release.
The senior transfer from Jacksonville made 29 starts and 31 appearances for the Dolphins last season, averaging 9.7 PPG and 3.5 RPG and was especially good as a perimeter defender for the Wildcats last season, as he registered 42 steals, which was good enough to rank 12th in the Atlantic Sun last season. He scored a season-high 19 points in a game at West Georgia, connecting on 8-of-15 shots from the field. Jones has also spent a season at Oakland (2024-25) after starting his career at Tennessee State (2023-24).
Jameel Morris comes to Bethune Cookman from Alcorn State where the 6-1 senior guard averaged 11.2 PPG, 2.9 APG and 2.5 RPG en route to garnering all-conference honors. Along with Jones, Morris gives the Wildcats a second capable ball-handler and scorer in the backcourt that can run the point guard position. It will be interesting to see just how Morris and Jones are used, or if Theus decides to play both of them on the floor at the same time.
The lone non-Division I transfer set to suit up for the Wildcats this season and be a potential impact player for the team is Kollen Murphy, who averaged 16.3 PPG and 4.6 RPG at Riverside City College last season. Murphy is a tough, physical slashing type guard that can get to the rim in a hurry.
Another guard that could find his way into a significant role in the rotation this season is 6-3 guard Connor Teasley, who comes to Bethune-Cookman out of Georgia's Next Level Academy. He averaged more than 30 PPG in his high school career.
Atlanta, GA native Mari Jordan gives the Wildcats some size and athleticism at combo guard and he comes to Daytona from Radford. The redshirt junior saw action in 32 games, which included an eight starts last season for the Highlanders. He averaged 5.3 PPG and 2.7 RPG in 13.6 MPG last season. Prior to his time at Radford, he also spent some time at
Rounding out the backcourt rotation will be brothers Kallai Patton and Kevin Patton Jr. Kevin Patton Jr. is a 6-8 wing guard that can also play small forward, and he comes to the program from San Diego where he was a member of the WCC's All-Freshman team three seasons ago, but in his previous two stops at both New Mexico and USC, has averaged less than 10 MPG. He will provide good length and athleticism on the wing for the Wildcats. Kallai Patton is a 6-4 combo guard that spent last season receiving from an injury while at New Mexico.
In the front court, the Wildcats have some good athleticism, depth and overall size. IJ Ezuma is a player that coach Theus expects to see make a jump this season. He averaged 2.1 PPG and 1.9 RPG last season. He came to Bethune-Cookman to play his final season of eligibility after spending time at Southern Miss, South Plains CC and Ohio prior to his arrival in Daytona. He's a guy expected to provide about 10-12 minutes a game as a rugged changeup in the front court for the Wildcats.
One of the wildcards for the Wildcats this season could be Vuk Boskovic, who is a big, strong player that can step out and shoot the three. The 6-7, 265-lb bulldozer is also a force on the block and he will present a unique matchup for Furman in the season opener.
He averaged 6.1 PPG and 3.2 RPG, while shooting 35.8% last season at San Diego. He saw action in all 33 games for the Torreros last season. He's also a skilled passer out of the post, enjoying a pair of 14-point performances last season, which included a 14-points, five assists, three rebounds, one steal and one block vs. UC Riverside last season. Boskovic is a native of Bileca, Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Redshirt senior Melian Martinez is.a player that will be a rim protector and transferred in from Louisiana Tech. The seven-footer from Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic saw action in 30 games, which included 19 starts with the Bulldogs last season. He finished the 2025-26 season averaging 4.2 PPG, 2.9 RPG and an impressive 1.7 BPG in 15.5 MPG. He figures to see more floor time in Daytona, and he will likely project as a starter in the middle for Bethune Cookman in the coming season. Martinez started his career at St Bonaventure before playing at New Mexico JC and the matriculating to Louisiana Tech.
Another big man that will provide size and a bit of rim protection is Jacori Ervin, as the 6-11 sophomore comes to Daytona out of North Idaho College where he averaged 5.4 PPG, 3.9 RPG and 1.1 BPG. According to Theus, the biggest thing for Ervin will his ability to adjust to Division I basketball, but he will be a guy that he can use in spurts to spell Martinez in the middle.
Rounding out the rotation and a player that is versatile enough to play the three or four spot is 6-7 junior Daniel Johnson, who comes to Bethune Cookman from Hampton. He averaged 10.0 PPG and 5.0 RPG last season for the Pirates and was a CAA All-Freshman Team selection two years ago. Johnson ended the season on a tear, averaging 14.8 PPG over the final four games of the season.
Furman in Exhibition Play
Alabama 111, Furman 93 (TUSCALOOSA, AL/Coleman Coliseum)--Despite posting 18 three-pointers and 93 points, the Paladins had no answers for Alabama, who finished the night shooting light's out from pretty much everywhere on the floor, connecting on 56.4% and placing six players in double figures in the win. Amari Allen led the Crimson Tide with 19 points, while Furman was led by Western Carolina transfer Marcus Kell, who finished with 22 points, while guard Abijah Franklin added 21. Charles Johnston added a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds.
Furman 85, Georgia Southern 78 (GREENVILLE, S.C./Timmons Arena)--Furman led by as much as 18 points (67-49) in the second half, however, was forced to hold on for an 85-78 win over Georgia Southern, as the Paladins' former bitter Southern Conference rival used a 27-11 run down the stretch in the second half to make things interesting before a pair of clutch threes from Marcus Kell gave the Paladins a little breathing room and that eventually led to.seven-point win. Abijah Franklin led the Paladins with 20 points on 6-of-20 shooting from the field, and was just 1-of-8 from three-point range, but went 7-of-9 from the charity stripe in the win. Franklin was one of three Paladins in double figures in the win, as Cole Bowser added 12 points and eight rebounds, while Marcus Kell added 11 points after spending most of the afternoon in foul trouble in helping the Paladins hold off the Eagles in the win. Furman utilized a much better day on the defensive end of the floor, which helped off-set a day in which the Paladins shot just 38.4%, which included just a 32.4% from three-point range (12-of-37). The Paladins held the Eagles to just 38.1% (24-of-63) from the field and only 25.9% (7-of-27) from three-point range. The Eagles was also had three in double figures, with Truman Clayton IV leading the way with 25 points, while Dallas Gardner chipped in with 24.
College of Charleston 89, Furman 83--Furman rebounded from a dismal opening half of play, which saw the College of Charleston take a 52-39 lead into the half, however, the Paladins rallied late to cut the deficit to as little as two (84-82) before CofC was able to make its foul shots down the stretch and escape with an 89-83 win. The Paladins, who played without Cole Bowser for the entire afternoon, finished the game allowing the Cougars to shoot 52.5% (32-of-61) from the field, which included a 45.8% from three-point range (11-of-24), while Furman struggled shooting the basketball for the second-straight game, connecting on just 40% (28-of-70) from the field and just 24.3% (9-of-37) from three=point range. Abijah Franklin led the Paladins for a second-straight game, scoring 21 points on 9-of-21 shooting from the field, while adding four assists, four rebounds and three steals in an all-around complete effort.. Charles Johnston added a double-double with 20 points and 12 rebounds, wbile Marcus Kell finished with 10. The Cougars had five finish in double figures, with Ben Bradford leading the way with 15 points, while Eli Ellis and Max Green chipped in with 13 and 12, respectively. Xavier Abreu added 12 off the bench, and Braden Pierce rounded out the double-figure scorers with 11.
Probable Starting Five for Furman
C-Charles Johnston
F-Marcus Kell
G-Abijah Franklin
G-Collin O'Neal
G-Luka Toews
No comments:
Post a Comment