Furman Notches First Win of 2025-26 Against NAIA Columbia International

 

Furman junior forward Cooper Bowser

GREENVILLE, S.C.--Furman true freshman guard Alex Wilkins scored 26 points to lead five in double figures, as the Paladins picked up their first win in the refurbished Timmons Arena, with an 89-59 win over NAIA Columbia International Monday night at Timmons Arena. 

The win sees the Paladins improve to 1-2 on the young season, while it counts as just an exhibition for Columbia International, who remained at 3-2 on the season under eighth-year head coach Tony Stockman. The Rams are a member if the Appalachian Athletic Conference, and Stockman was a three-point specialist during his career at both Clemson and Ohio State (2000-05). Both of Furman's "inaugural wins" in different eras inside Timmons Arena have come against non-Division I competition.

On Dec. 30, 1997, Furman officially opened Timmons Arena with a 72-69 win over now defunct NCAA Division II program Northeastern Illinois. Furman's 89-59 win over Columbia International some 28 years later marks the first win following the facility's 40-million-dollar upgrade, as the Paladins improved to 3-0 all-time against the Rams and 258-109 in the history of facility, as the Paladins played their 367th home game in the facility in Monday night's triumph. The Paladins are now 110-20 at Timmons Arena since the start of the 2015-16 season. 

Furman's talented rookie guard, Alex Wilkins, connected on 9-of-17 shots from the field and finished 4-for-9 from three-point land, as well as posting a perfect 4-for-4 effort at the line. Additionally, the native of Mattapan, MA., added two assists, two steals and a pair of boards.

Wilkins' 26 points was the highest by a Furman freshman in over a decade, as it was the most by a Paladin rookie since former talented rookie guard and 2014-15 SoCon Freshman of the Year Devin Sibley scored 29 points on Feb. 14, 2015, in what was a 66-59 road loss to East Tennessee State.

Joining Wilkins in double figures for Furman were junior Cooper Bowser and true freshman guard Abijah Franklin, who added 11 points apiece, while Charles Johnston added a double-double, finishing with 10 points, 10 rebounds and dished out four helpers. Johnston has now posted double-figure rebound totals in each of Furman's first three games of the season. Asa Thomas added 10 points off the bench for the Paladins.

Franklin, who prepped at nearby Wren High School, posted his career-high 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting from the field, including 1-of-5 from long-range, and was 2-of-3 at the charity stripe. The Greenville product also added four rebounds and two assists to the cause. 

Junior 6-11 forward Cooper Bowser finished a perfect 5-of-5 from the field, including four powerful dunks, while adding seven boards, three steals and an assist. 

Columbia International finished the game with one player in double figures, as Will Kelly finished the game with 18 points on 5-of-15 shooting from the field and 1-of-7 shooting from three-point range. Kelly, a senior guard from Belmont, N.C., also was solid from the charity stripe, as he finished 7-of-9 from the free throw line.

The Paladins finished the night connecting on 44.3% (31-of-70) for the game, including just 24.4% (11-of-45) from three-point land. The Paladins finished a solid 69.6% (16-of-23) from the charity stripe.

The Rams finished the night connecting on 38.5% (20-of-52) from the field and 25.0% (7-of-28) from three-point land. Columbia International was a solid 80.0% (12-of-15) for the game from the free throw line.

The Paladins posted a substantial advantage on the boards, out-rebounding the Rams, 51-26, in the game, including 21-4 on the offensive glass, which led to an identical margin in second-chance points (21-4). Furman also posted advantages in the following categories: points in the paint (38-16), fast-break points (18-4), bench scoring (30-18), total assists (19-7), and points from turnovers (20-12).

How It Happened

Furman came out and established momentum early and by the time the first media timeout arrived, Alex Wilkins had already got going with nine of the Paladins’ first 15 points, highlighted by an early 4-of-4 effort from the free throw line. Cooper Bowser, who scored three early points, highlighted that with an emphatic two-handed stuff off a steal. The Paladins took a 15-7 lead into the first media timeout with 15:56 left in the opening half.

A pair of Abijah Franklin foul shots gave the Paladins their first double-digit lead in the reimagined Timmons Arena, at 17-7. By the time the second media timeout had arrived, the Paladins had extended their lead to 23-7 lead, on a pair of Ben Vander Wal free throws, and layups by Charles Johnston and Wilkins.

Franklin added a three and a pair of layups to his four early points, while Bowser powered home another pair of dunks off a Columbia International turnover and off an offensive rebound, as the Paladins had extended their lead to 24 by the final media timeout of the opening half, leading 39-15 with 3:55 to play in the opening half.

That would be the margin as the two teams headed into the half, with Wilkins able to score 19 of his game-high 26 points in the opening half, as Furman carried a 49-25 lead to the half. Despite struggling from beyond the arc in the opening half of play, connecting on just 31.6% (6-of-19), the Paladins still managed to shoot at a 50% clip (15-of-30) from the field in the opening half, while holding the visiting Rams to just 34.8% (8-of-23) in the opening 20 minutes of basketball. Another good sign of Furman’s offensive aggression was its 16 first-half free throws, as the Paladins connected on 13 of them (81.3%), outscoring the Rams by nine at the line (16-7) on six more attempts (16-10) in the opening 20 minutes.

All told, the Paladins would hold the Rams without a field goal for a 10:32 stretch in the opening frame, helping Furman build what would eventually build that 24-point halftime edge. During that stretch, Furman was able to put together a 24-1 run to take complete control of the game. Five different Paladins scored, as Furman assumed a 21-point lead, at 29-8.

In the second half, it was more of the same for the Paladins, although the Rams did manage to cut the 16 points on a Zach Everly jumper at the 12:57 mark of the second half, getting Columbia International to within 58-42. 

That would be, however, as close as the Rams would be able to get for the remainder of the night, as the Paladins built their largest lead of the night off to that point off a Wilkins steal and two-handed flush, which was part of a 22-10 run, which saw the Paladins build a 28-point advantage, at 80-52, with 6:10 remaining.

After Tre Kirk answered with five-straight points on a three and a short jumper in the paint to get the Rams back to within 23, at 80-57, with 4:33 remaining, Furman used a 9-2 spurt close the game, highlighted by  Gunnar Lewis and Eddrin Bronson three-pointers, while Mason Smith had a dunk and a free throw to account for Furman's final nine points of the game, which capped a 30-point win.

Furman will return to action on Friday night, traveling to Cedar Falls, Iowa to face off against Missouri Valley Conference foe Northern Iowa. Tip-off for that contest is set for 7 p.m. EST.

Postgame Press Conference

Charles Johnston (left) and Alex Wilkins (right)

Head Coach Bob Richey

Troy Holds Off Furman In Timmons Arena Reboot

 

Furman true freshman guard Alex Wilkins

GREENVILLE, S.C.—Cooper Campbell scored 21 points to lead three Troy players in double figures, as the Trojans led by as many as 15 points early in the second half, but had to hold off Furman for a 64-61 win before 2,207 fans on-hand Friday night at the newly refurbished Timmons Arena.

The loss sees the Paladins drop to 0-2 overall, while Troy improves to 2-0 with a pair of wins over teams that won 24 and 25 games last season, respectively, in Kent State and Furman.

Campbell finished his night by connecting on 8-for-13 from the field, including 5-of-9 from three-point range, while posting five rebounds, three assists and three steals. Campbell was joined in double figures by both preseason All-Sun Belt selection Thomas Dowd, who posted 11 points, six rebounds and three blocks, while teammate Victor Valdes finished the night with 11 points and five boards.

Like Troy, Furman was highlighted by three players in double figures, with talented freshman Alex Wilkins able to overcome four turnovers in the opening 10 minutes to score a team-leading 16 points and added eight assists, including not turning the ball over for the final 30 minutes to help the Paladins get back into the game and nearly pull off the come-from-behind win. 

Wilkins finished 6-of-15 shooting from the field, while included a 1-for-3 effort from three-point range and was a perfect 3-for-3 from the charity stripe. Along with his eight assists, Wilkins also added two rebounds to go with his other totals.

Eddrin Bronson added 14 points and added a pair of steals off the bench for the Paladins, while Cooper Bowser rounded out the double-figure scorers with 10 points, eight rebounds, one steal and one block. Charles Johnston led the Paladins with 10 rebounds, while Asa Thomas added nine points off the bench.

The Trojans finished the night connecting on 41.1% (23-of-56) from the field and 30% (9-for-30) from three-point land, while Furman finished the game connecting on 39.3% (22-of-56) from the field and 37.5% (9-of-24) from three-point land. Troy connected at a 69.2% (9-of-13) from the free throw line, while Furman was 66.7% (8-of-12) from the charity stripe for the game. 

Troy finished the contest with advantages in points from turnovers (22-10), points in the paint (28-26), and fast-break points (16-9). The Paladins finished holding advantages in bench scoring (26-10), total rebounds (36-33), second-chance points (9-7) and total assists (13-10).

How It Happened:

Troy came out and held Furman scoreless on its first five possessions, and much like it did against Kent State, when it took a 16-3 lead. Against the Paladins, Troy assumed a 15-3 lead.

Led by Alex Wilkins, Furman would put together a 17-5 run to get back to within a possession at 23-20 on a three-point play the old fashioned way midway through the half, however, the Trojans closed the half on a 16-3 run to take a 36-23 lead into the halftime locker room.

The Trojans scored 18 of their 36 points off Furman's 13 first-half turnovers, as well as shooting 50% (14-of-28) from the field in the opening half to build a 13-point lead. 

In the second half, Thomas Dowd scored on a strong two-handed stuff and a free throw, while Cooper Campbell knocked down one of his five threes of the night to give the Trojans their biggest lead of the game and spark the Trojans to a strong start to the second half with a 42-27 lead with 16:57 remaining.

A 15-2 run by Furman, which started with an alley-oop slam off a feed from Alex Wilkins and ended with a three pointer from the right elbow off another Wilkins helper, helped the Paladins slice Troy's lead to four, at 44-40, with 11:25 left. A Wilkins jumper in the paint following a rebound off his own miss got Furman even closer on its next possession, at 44-42, with 8:50 remaining.

As is did for much of the night when the Paladins drew close on the scoreboard, the Trojans seemingly always had an answer, and an Austin Cross triple six seconds later gave Troy just enough breathing room, extending its advantage back to five, at 47-42.

Campbell would connect on another three four minutes later to keep Troy's lead at five, despite the Trojans best efforts, they couldn't shake loose of the hard-charging Paladins. A Bronson corner three off a feed from Tom House got Furman to within two with 4:25 left, and following a missed hook shot by Theo Seng in the paint, Wilkins tossed another beautiful lob to Bowser, who slammed it with authority, tying the game, 55-55, with 3:32 left. 

Furman had three shots at taking the lead, missing a pair of layups in the paint and pretty good look at a three from Tom House allowed the game to remain tied. It appeared Furman might get a fourth chance to take the lead, however, after Charles Johnston rebounded a missed Cooper Campell three, Campbell stepped in front of Bowser's outlet pass and converted a layup off the steal to put the Trojans back up two, at 57-55, with 1:19 remaining. 

Following a Bronson missed 15-footer, Victor Valdes hit a dagger three from the top of the key to give the Trojans 60-55 lead with 31 seconds left. 

Furman's Asa Thomas and Charles Johnston connected on a pair of threes in the final 12.1 seconds, but Theo Seng and Thomas Dowd went 4-for-4 from the line to close out the 64-61 road win. 

Furman returns to action at Timmons Arena on Monday night, hosting Columbia International in a 7 p.m. contest at Timmons Arena. 

Postgame Press Conference:

(Head coach Bob Richey)

Furman Officially Opens Timmons Arena With Test Against Troy

 

When: Friday Nov. 7, 2025, 7 PM

Who: Furman (0-1/SoCon) vs. Troy (1-0/Sun Belt)

Where: Timmons Arena (2,750)/Greenville, S.C.)

Coaches: Furman-Bob Richey (181-82/9th yr); Troy-Scott Cross (104-87/7th yr)

Series: First-ever meeting between Furman and Troy

Opening Tip: Furman (0-1) returns to the hardwood Friday night in search of some answers as well as hoping the 97-71 loss to High Point in the Field of 68 Marathon was just an aberration and a substantial loss to a good team rather than warning signs of anything deeper.

One thing is for sure, the Paladins can't afford to dwell on the 26-point setback to open the season, as the Paladins get ready to face another quality opponent Friday evening with the Troy Trojans (1-0) slated to be the first official opponent in the newly refurbished Timmons Arena. 

Unlike Furman's 96-71 loss to No. 13 Alabama in its only official exhibition game, there was a much more uneasy feeling about Furman's 2025-26 team coming out of the season-opening loss to High Point in the Field of 68's Opening Day Marathon than there was in the exhibition loss to the Crimson Tide.

It's rare to see another mid-major program beat Furman but such a substantial margin, and the way they were able to do it was force a young Furman team to do "un Furman-like" things, with the primary concern being the amount of times the Paladins turned the ball over in the loss to the Panthers.

There were 22 of them to be exact, which led to a 25-3 differential in points from turnovers in favor of the Panthers. The Panthers had 17 steals in the game, while the Paladins only had one and forced only six High Point miscues. But as concerning as that was, it wasn't the only concern to emerge in the opening game for Furman.

The other concerns include some un-Furman-like shooting percentages, with the Paladins able to connect on just 43.9% (25-of-57) from the field for the game, while finishing just 26.9% (7-of-26) from three-point range in the opener. 

The Paladins also didn't shoot it well against the Crimson Tide, finishing that contest by connecting on just 35.1% (26-of-74) from the field in the game, including posting just a 25.0% (9-of-36) effort from three-point range. There were far more positives in the 96-71 setback to the Crimson Tide, including turning the ball over just nine times and pulled down a total of 19 offensive rebounds in the game.

But maybe it was more of a positive result against the Crimson Tide than it was against High Point simply because a program that is on the same level as you are, like High Point, shouldn't beat an elite mid-major like Furman has laid claim to being over the past decade under head coach Bob Richey. 

While some of that is true to say, there's also always some perspective. The first thing is college basketball is in a way different universe now than it was when Bob Richey took over the program as the head coach in 2017-18. In fact, the 26-point loss to the Panthers to open the season was against a team that has anywhere from a 2.5-3 million dollar roster of players. 

High Point is a mid-major program without football, however, has plenty of wealthy donors and a president that isn't scared to spend money on athletics and basketball in particular, to help take the program to the highest level possible, despite being a mid-major program, which plays in the Big South Conference.

The Paladins might have not played well, but it's not as if High Point and its highly paid roster of talent didn't have a lot to do with that. The other thing to keep in mind is that while Furman is talented, it also is young in the backcourt.

Furman has to get several things right before entering conference play on New Years Day against, and it has to play better on both ends of the floor. While the shooting wasn't great in the loss, it was only bested by the fact that Furman's defense was equally as concerning, as the Paladins allowed the Panthers to connect at a 58.0% (40-of-69) clip for the game, and that included a 45.0% (9-of-20) effort from three-point range. 

High Point finished the night by owning advantages in the following categories: points in the paint (52-36), points off turnovers (25-3), total rebounds (41-28), steals (17-1), second chance points (12-9), fast-break points (14-4), total assists (17-13) and bench scoring (38-19). Furman owned advantages in free throw attempts (19-15) and points from the line (14-8). 

Furman's 22 turnovers against High Point were its most since turning it over 22 times in a 117-110 double-overtime loss to Tulane on Dec. 14, 2023. It ranks as the most turnovers for a Furman team in regulation since Dec. 19, 2020, when the Paladins turned it over 23 times in an 87-71 loss at Winthrop. 

In fact, it 262 games under Bob Richey prior to Monday night's season opener, the Paladins had only had seven games in which they turned it over 20 or more times, finishing 2-5 in those games. The only two wins came against South Carolina State (Dec. 3, 2022) and USC Upstate (Nov. 28, 2020). Furman's 22 turnovers in regulation was bested only once in Richey's tenure as head coach, and it ironically came in Rock Hill, as the Paladins finished with 23 turnovers in an 87-71 loss at Winthrop on Dec. 19, 2020. With Monday night's loss to High Point, the Paladins fell to 2-6 in games in which they have turned it over 20 or more times in 263 contests under head coach Bob Richey.

Furman hopes to recapture some of the magic that Timmons Arena has provided since it opened in 1997, as the Paladins have posted a 257-108 mark in all games played in the facility, and that includes a 109-19 mark in the facility from the start of the 2015-16 season through the 2023-24 campaign.

The loss to High Point offers a bit of unfamiliar territory for the Paladins, which opened with a loss to a season for the first time under Bob Richey, as well as the first time since opening the campaign with a 73-71 setback at Presbyterian. Interestingly, in that 2016-17, Furman rejuvenated their season the next time out in the state of Alabama, taking down a good UAB team, 84-74, ending the Blazers' 26-game homecourt winning streak in the process. 

With that said, Furman now turns its focus to reigning Sun Belt Champion Troy in what will mark the first-ever meeting between the two programs. It is a difficult way to re-open Timmons Arena, but each of these tests are designed to get the Paladins ready for what will be another grueling SoCon slate, which will begin on Dec. 31, with a visit from the Mercer Bears. 

Previewing the Trojans: Troy is another program that is not only one of the best in mid-major basketball, but like High Point, has a good, winning culture inside the Sun Belt. 

Unlike Furman, Troy got its season started off in strong fashion, getting a solid win over a good Kent State team, 103-97, in overtime on the road as a part of the MAC-Sun Belt Challenge. 

The Trojans are under the direction of Scott Cross, who is in his seventh season leading the Trojans after unceremoniously being fired for after 12 years at the helm of UT-Arlington, which he helped reach an NCAA Tournament in 2008 and coached the Mavericks from 2006-18. 

Cross was apparently fired for unmet expectations at Arlington, however, the Mavericks haven't reached the NCAA Tournament since reaching the NCAA Tournament under Cross in 2008. As for Troy, they have been a contender at the top of Sun Belt in most every season under Cross. 

In fact, the Trojans' trip to the NCAA Tournament last March marked the first time Troy had reached the NCAA Tournament since doing it in 2017--a year prior to Cross' arrival--as the Trojans faced the Duke Blue Devils in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena, dropping what was an 85-67 decision to the Blue Devils. 

Last March, the Trojans returned to the NCAA Tournament under Cross' leadership, and after finishing in a four-way tie for first in the Sun Belt along with Arkansas State (13-5), James Madison (13-5), and South Alabama (13-5), the Trojans then went and knocked off Old Dominion (W, 75-59), James Madison (W, 79-60) and Arkansas State (W, 94-81) in the championship game in New Orleans to cut down the nets at the Superdome. 

It marked the third trip to the NCAA Tournament in program history, and first in eight years, as the Trojans would face off against the Kentucky Wildcats in opening round of the NCAA Tournament as a No. 14 seed. The Trojans would hang with the No. 3 seeded Wildcats for a while before the Wildcats' talent and depth won out in Milwaukee, as the Wildcats ended up posting a 76-57 win over the Trojans. The loss to the Wildcats saw the Trojans finish the season with an impressive 23-11 overall record.

As it is for most programs around the country in this new NIL/transfer portal era, a new season usually means a mostly new roster of players, and that's certainly the case for Troy, which returns just one starter from a year ago. 

Furman's mantra under Bob Richey has been a culture founded on offensive precision and execution. For Cross' Troy Trojans, it's defensive mentality, grit and toughness that has been the recipe for success in his time as head coach at both Arlington and now at Troy. 

That was the key ingredient in the Trojans run to the NCAA Tournament last March, but it's not the only thing the uber-athletic Trojans have done well under Cross, as Troy has been an excellent offensive rebounding team under Cross, as well as one that shoots the ball extremely well from the charity stripe. 

At the Sun Belt's preseason basketball media day last month, the Trojans were selected to finish fourth off of last season's 23-11 record and Sun Belt Tournament and shared regular-season title. 

Troy's 2025-26 roster is not only once again athletic, but it appears to be a better shooting team than the one that went on to win the Sun Belt Conference title a year ago. One glance at the stats sheet seems to back up the claim that this Trojans team might have more pure shooters than that championship team of a year ago, as the Trojans connected on 52.4% (33-of-63) of its shots in the season opener, including a 46.2% (12-of-26) clip from three-point range in the season-opening win over the Golden Flashes.

The leading returnee for the Trojans from last season's team is 6-8 junior forward Thomas Dowd (19.0 PPG, 13.0 RPG), who is coming off a solid opening act to the season against Kent State, which saw him finish the game with 19 points, 13 rebounds, three assists and two steals in 35 minutes of floor time. Dowd was the lone Troy player selected to the preseason all-conference squad.

In the opener against the Golden Flashes, Dowd connected on 7-of-14 shots from the field, which included a 2-for-5 effort from three-point range. As a sophomore last season, Dowd found his way into double figures on 15 occasions, which included nine in the final 11 games of the 2024-25 season. Dowd was key for the Trojans in Pensacola in the tournament, garnering all-tournament honors after averaging 14.0 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 2.0 SPG, and 1.3 BPG, showing he is a complete player that does the job on both ends of the floor. 

Dowd's 43 triple led the Trojans last season, and he finished the campaign connecting on 42.0% from the field, but just 29.9% from three-point range. He's a player that the Paladins will have to be aware of from the perimeter, but more importantly a guy to be aware off on the offensive glass, as he led the Trojans with three of those in the road win over Kent State.

Teaming with Dowd underneath the basket will be graduate student Theo Seng (24.0 PPG, 4.0 RPG), who got his 2025-26 season off to a flying start with his performance in the season-opening win over Kent State, as the 6-9 center finished with a team-leading 24 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field, including a 2-of-5 effort to match Dowd from three-point land. In addition to his 24 points, he also added four rebounds, a steal and a block to the Trojans cause in the opener.

Seng is in his third season in the Troy program, and after backing up Dowd in the paint last season, finds himself starting alongside him this season for Scott Cross' team. Similar to Dowd, Seng is a stretch four that is versatile enough to hurt teams with his ability to shoot from the perimeter. He is also skilled and takes good care of the basketball. 

The graduate student appeared in all 30 games last season for Troy, logging one start and averaging 14.3 MPG, while shooting 42.4% from the floor and 30.9% from three-point range. He shattered his previous career-high of 18 points in a home contest against Arkansas State last season by going for 24 in the opener vs. the Golden Flashes.

Rounding out the projected starters underneath the basket for the Trojans will be 6-7 junior forward Victor Valdes (23.0 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 6.0 APG), who was Troy's second-leading scorer in the season opener, adding 23 points on 7-of-14 shooting from the field and was 2-of-5 from three-point range against the Golden Flashes, and like Seng, ended up with a career-high in the win.

Valdes hails from Monterrey, Mexico, and would make a former Mexican star like Oklahoma's Eduardo Najera proud, as well as national pride for that type of performance in the opener. Like Seng, Valdes is poised to see his role increase for the Trojans this season. In addition to his 23 points, Valdes also dished out six assists, snagged three rebounds and recorded a pair of steals. For what Valdes lacks in overall athleticism, he makes up for in basketball IQ, as well as his ability to use his 6-7, 235-lb frame positionally to his advantage in the paint.

Rounding out the projected starters for the Trojans heading into the second game of the season are backcourt brothers, in point guard Cooper Campbell (19.0 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 8.0 APG) and shooting guard Cobi Campbell (10.0 PPG, 3.0 APG, 2.0 RPG). Cobi Campbell redshirted last season after having hip surgery and transferring in from North Idaho College, and the two Campbells, who were playing their first collegiate game on the floor together shined, as the two combined for 29 points and both ended up in double figures, which must've been a special moment for their father, Scott Campbell,  who is an assistant on the sidelines for the Trojans.

Cooper Campbell finished his contest off against the Golden Flashes by matching Dowd's scoring total, as he added 19 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field and 3-of-5 from three-point range, as well as adding on a 4-of-6 effort from the charity stripe. He also added a team-leading eight assists, six rebounds and added a team-best three steals.

Cobi Campbell played his first game in over a year, and his debut at the NCAA Division I level ended up being pretty impressive, as he added 10 points, three rebounds and an assist.

Redshirt freshman guard Austin Cross (3.0 PPG)  saw 18 minutes off the bench and is the son of head coach Scott Cross. He added three points in the opener, connecting on 1-of-5 from the field and 1-of-3 shots from long-range in the road win. 

The only other player to see double-digit minutes in the season-opening win for Troy was 6-5 sophomore forward Kerrington Kiel (2.0 PPG, 3.0 RPG) who saw 14 minutes off the bench and scored two points on 1-of-2 shooting from the field.

Kiel, who is an extremely athletic player, found his way onto the floor in 30 games last season, with a pair of starts. He finished the season averaging 1.4 PPG. Kiel turned in his best performance of the season and career against Louisiana Monroe last season, as he finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds in a career-high 28 minutes of floor time.

All told, Troy's starting five scored 95 of their 103 points in the season-opening overtime triumph over the Golden Flashes and truthfully, only go about seven deep. However, those seven players can all score and affect the game in a variety of ways, and like Furman, most of the offensive prowess for the Trojans resides in the frontcourt, though Cooper Campbell is one of the best players in the Sun Belt even though he wasn't recognized on any of the preseason all-conference teams, which mostly relies heavily on last season's numbers.

Campbell's ability to create off the dribble is very similar to what Furman encountered in the season opener against High Point point guard Rob Martin, although maybe not quite as quick. 

The stats sheet reveals that the Trojans shot the ball extremely well from all areas of the floor in the season-opening win, connecting on 52.4% (33-of-63) from the field and 46.2% (12-of-26) from three-point range, which offensively, are Furman-like numbers.

Defensively, the numbers were also solid, limiting the Golden Flashes to just 38.0% (30-of-79) from the field and 38.7% (12-of-31) from three-point range, as the three-point shot was able to keep the Golden Flashes in the game most of the way, even though the Trojans led the contest for over 39 of the 40 minutes in regulation. Kent State did manage to take one lead in the game, with just under a minute-and-a-half left, as Rob Whaley Jr. connected on a three to give the Golden Flashes a two-point, 86-84, lead.

However, the Trojans showed the grit and toughness of a team with some championship pedigree, as Cooper Campbell went coast-to-coast and to score a layup in heavy traffic in a high-pressure situation to tie the game, 87-87, with just one second left, sending the game to overtime.

Both Cooper Campbell and Theo Seng scored seven points apiece and combined for 14 of the Trojans' 16 total points in the extra session to lead them to the win. It looked as though the Trojans might coast to the road win against a team, which won one more game than Troy did a year ago, as the Trojans jumped out to a 16-3 lead in the opening five minutes of the game. But Kent showed why they are a perennial power in the MAC, and forced Troy to outscore them 16-10 in an extra five minutes of basketball to ultimately emerge with the Trojans' first win of the 2025-26 season.

If there is one weakness that perhaps Furman can exploit in the opener, it might be rebounding. The Golden Flashes outrebounded the Trojans 28-23, which included 22 offensive boards, which they converted into a 23-10 advantage in second-chance points, allowing them to obviously keep in touch with the Trojans on the scoreboard, despite struggling to shoot the ball well in spots. However, shooting the ball at a 38.8% clip from three point range on 12 makes is also a solid performance and also one that kept the Trojans within striking distance throughout.

Noting Furman:

G-Asa Thomas--Came off the bench to score 11 points on 3-for-5 shooting from the field and 2-for-3 from three-point range and has been Furman's most prolific three-point shooter through the exhibition game and season opener against High Point. The Clemson transfer has connected on 6-of-12 threes combined in the exhibition loss to Alabama (3-of-9) and the season-opening loss to High Point (2-of-3). It was obvious he was at the top of the scouting report for both Alabama and High Point, as he struggled to find any opening whatsoever to get a shot off. If there's a guard that has to step up and score for Furman, Thomas is absolutely one of those guys. This all can't be laid at the feet of three freshmen to do. That's too much pressure, and so Thomas absolutely has to manage some of that scoring load if possible.

G-Tom House--Tom House is another potential breakout player for the Paladins this season and he was a preseason all-conference selection. Against High Point, House got the start after not starting in the exhibition game against Alabama. He posted eight points on 3-of-9 shooting from the field and 2-for-8 from three-point range. He also finished with three rebounds and turned it over twice. House was one of Furman's best players down the stretch during the 2024-25 season and became the first play in program history to finish a perfect night shooting from three-point range when he posted a 6-for-6 performance in a 19-point effort in Furman's Bon Secours Wellness Arena finale against The Citadel last season. He also posted a career-high 26 points in a late-season win over Mercer, while finishing with a 21-point effort in Furman's 95-78 SoCon Tournament win over Samford last March. House added 11 points off the bench in Furman's exhibition loss to Alabama.

G-Collin O'Neal--Collin O'Neal might already be one of Furman's best on-ball defenders this season, and that became evident in the first game against Alabama, when Labaron Philon had trouble getting the ball down hill against his physicality and strength. After a strong defensive effort in 12-and-a-half minutes of action against the Crimson Tide, as he finished with four points, two assists and one rebound against the Crimson Tide. That earned him a little more time on the floor against High Point, which he transitioned by being Furman's primary backup point guard ahead of Eddrin Bronson. O'Neal posted just over 18 minutes of action against the Panthers Monday night finishing with four rebounds, two points, one assist and three turnovers. O'Neal's hustle and effort on the defensive end will likely earn him more and more time on the floor, and it wouldn't at all be shocking to see him earn his first start against Troy on Friday evening. 

G- Alex Wilkins--Was responsible for six of Furman's 22 turnovers in Monday night's loss, but looked solid with 10 points and two assists and only one turnover in the 96-71 exhibition loss to No. 13 Alabama, fouling out of the contest against the Crimson Tide with 12:23 left. He finished with 11 points on 4-of-9 shooting from the and 1-of-3 from long-range, adding a pair rebounds and two assists against High Point. Wilkins is a four-star recruit out of Boston, MA, playing his prep basketball at Brooks Academy.

G--Eddrin Bronson--A supremely talented sophomore looking to capture the form he had at the end of last season when he led Furman offensively in its loss at North Texas in the NIT, as he posted 15 points on a 6-of-6 shooting performance, including 3-for-3 from three-point range. Bronson, who went into the off-season as Furman's starting point guard, has since lost that starting job to Alex Wilkins and has struggled to find his shooting form in the exhibition vs. Alabama and vs. High Point in the season opener. In six-and-a-half minutes vs. High Point, Bronson had one rebound and two turnovers, without taking a shot. In the exhibition loss to Alabama, he finished 0-of-5 from the field and 0-for-2 from three-point range in 13:29 of floor time and scored one point. To me, Bronson is a player that is supremely talented but has yet to figure out his role within this team. He's one of the best on-ball defenders on the roster, and when all else is not going right, it's my opinion that he should focus his efforts on doing that as well as he can and the other facets of his game will slowly, but steadily improve. It's important for him as a player to embrace that defense first mentality to regain confidence, and that will carry over to other aspects of his game.

G-Abijah Franklin--Baba Franklin might be Furman's most exciting player on the roster, and the local three-star product and South Carolina Mr. Basketball out of Wren High School might be the most talented player on the entire roster. However, like Wilkins, Franklin is young and still looking to gain confidence in his game at the Division I level, especially on the offensive end. His effort in both games so far has been great, and when he's on the floor at the same time with Alex Wilkins, Furman has a different type of offensive potential. At points in the game against High Point, Furman played some of its best basketball in the game with both Franklin and Wilkins in the game. On one break, Wilkins through a lob to Abijah, which was a little underthrown and Franklin would be fouled, but the creativity and the ability to pull that off between a pair of electrifying young guards was fun to see. It was a moment when both forgot they were freshmen and just had some fun like they would on either other court in America and forgot about fear and the fear of making mistakes. Franklin scored one point and dished out four assists, two rebounds and one point in 10:26 off the bench against Alabama, while playing almost 19 minutes and posting six points, four rebounds, three assists and one turnover in the loss to the Panthers. He's doing a lot of good, and despite just 2-of-15 from the field and 0-of-6 from three-point range, I expect Franklin's time to only increase as the season moves forward. He'd even be a player I'd consider starting vs. Troy.

F-Ben Vander Wal--Vander Wal is the best "glue guy" in the Southern Conference and the senior and lone remaining player that played in a game as a part of that 2022-23 title team that returned to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 43 years has played well in Furman's first two games this season, with a strong performance in the exhibition loss to Alabama and in the season opener against High Point. He's one of Furman's leaders, and he has now seen action in 101-career games with Furman, having posted 48 starts. In 34 minutes against High Point, Vandy finished 4-of-6 from the field and was 3-of-4 from the free throw line, as he finished the contest with 11 points, five rebounds, two assists, one block, one turnover and one drawn charge. In 30 minutes against Alabama in the exhibition, Vandy posted seven points, six rebounds, five steals, two assists, one turnover and a pair of drawn charges. He's another of Furman's best defensive performers and best rebounders. As Bob Richey often says of him, he's a player that just has "winning DNA."

F-Cooper Bowser--Junior forward Cooper Bowser is Furman's other preseason all-conference selection and is coming off a season in which he led the SoCon in blocks with 57 last season, and came into the season as Furman's leading returning scorer, averaging 8.3 PPG and 4.6 RPG last season. Bowser had a great performance in Furman's exhibition game against Alabama, as he finished with 14 points, seven rebounds, six assists, two blocks, and was 6-of-7 from the field in 33 minutes of action. In the 2025-25 season opener against High Point, Bowser was not at his best, as posted six points, nine rebounds, four assists and three turnovers in just over 33 minutes against the Panthers. Bowser has to be a more consistent scorer in the paint this season, and he needs to string games together with double-figure scoring totals. His most impressive attribute so far in what limited action we've had is that he's improved as a passer and his hand strength on rebounds has improved, although he did lose a couple of 50-50 balls on challenges against the Panthers on Monday night. Overall it could shape up to be a really big season for the Woodbridge, VA. product.

C--Charles Johnston--Charles Johnston has easily been Furman's most impressive player so far, posting back-to-back double-doubles in both the exhibition game against Alabama, as well as the season-opener against High Point. Following a 14 point, 12-rebound effort in 30 minutes of floor time against the Crimson Tide, The 6-11 junior from Sydney, Australia added a 16-point, 12-rebound effort in the loss to High Point in 27:45 of floor time. Johnston battled both knee and back issues last season, playing limited minutes as a result. This season, he's 100% and he's shown he could be a real difference-maker this season in the paint. Along with Bowser and Vander Wal, Furman perhaps has the top frontcourt in the SoCon. 

The Bottom Line: Furman has to have its guard play settle into an identity. It has to establish a go-to-scorer, whether that be House, Thomas or even guys like Wilkins or Franklin. Otherwise, it's going to be tougher to establish the deeper we get into the season.  Furman doesn't have to win this game vs. Troy, but they need to figure it out on both ends of the floor and look the part of a conference title contender. Furman especially needs to be much better defensively, as stops were few and far between in the opener against High Point. Offensively, there has to be an established go-to-guard. Furman's front line is just fine.

Notable games against Sun Belt Foes at Timmons

Nov. 19, 2014: Furman 84, Appalachian State 65

--Furman faced off against in recent former SoCon rival for the first time since the App State knocked Furman out of the SoCon Tournament in 2012, as the Paladins got a then career-high 14 points and 10 rebounds from Kris Acox, while juniors Larry Wideman and Stephen Croone added 10 and nine points, respectively in what was a comprehensive win over the Mountaineers. 

Mar 15, 2016 CollegeInsider.com Tournament First Round (CIT): Furman 58, Louisiana Monroe 57

--Daniel Fowler beats the buzzer with a putback jumper off a missed layup attempt and Furman knocks off Lousiana-Monroe, 58-57 in a Timmons Arena instant classic game. The win marked the 11th-straight at Timmons Arena, as Furman improved to 14-1 on its home floor and established a new school record for home wins in a single-season. Furman went on an 11-0 run less than two minutes after having trailed 57-47 with 1:53 left.

Mar. 19, 2016 CollegeInsider.com Tournament Quarterfinals (CIT) Louisiana-Lafayette 80, Furman 72

--Kasey Shepherd led the way for the Ragin' Cajuns, scoring 18 points as Louisiana Lafayette built as much as an 18-point first half lead and held off the Paladins in the second half to end Furman's 2015-16 breakthrough season under then head coach Niko Medved. It was also the end of Stephen Croone's Hall-of-Fame Paladin career, as the 2016 SoCon Player of the Year scored 29 points in his final game with the 'Dins to finish ranked fifth in Furman history with 1,936 career points. 

Dec. 10, 2021 Furman 73, App State 65

--Furman placed three in double figures, as Mike Bothwell added a team co-leading 16 points to become the 49th player in program history to reach the 1,000-point milestone in a career. Jalen Slawson, who was fresh off the school's first triple-double in program history against Winthrop, also added 16 points, as Furman connected on 49% from the field in what was a fiercely competitive game. 

High Point Overwhelms Furman in 2025-26 Season Opener

ROCK HILL, S.C.--Fresh off a decent showing in its exhibition game against an elite Alabama team, Furman’s much-anticipated season opener of the 2025-26 season fell well short of the anticipation, as the Paladins opened their campaign with a 97-71 setback to Big South favorite and reigning champion High Point in the final game of the day in the Field of 68’s Opening Day Marathon played at the Rock Hill Sports and Events Center.

With the season-opening loss, the Paladins dropped their first season opener under head coach Bob Richey, who had been 8-0 in regular-season openers Richey entering tonight's contest, dropping a game a blowout fashion to officially open the new season.

For High Point’s first-year head coach Flynn Clayman, he couldn’t have asked for a much better start to his tenure as a rookie head coach, who begins his career in emphatic fashion, as the transition seemed almost seamless from the Alan Huss era-to-the-Flynn Clayman era. 

Clayman was part of High Point's 29-win, NCAA Tournament team a year ago and along with Huss, helped the Panthers to 56 wins over the previous two seasons. Now, he's built a roster full of the best mid-major players money can buy. It was on full display in the opener, as High Point simply didn't look like a mid-major.

Playing the way it did tonight, I am sure that no one in the Big South or SoCon could have touched High Point, and if the Panthers play the way they did tonight for a majority of the rest of the season, the Panthers would easily win most if not all mid-major leagues in the country, including the Big South and SoCon with ease. 

Graduate transfer guard Rob Martin led the way with 22 points for the Panthers and was one of five players in double figures, and he showed why he was such a pivotal part of a SEMO team that finished with its second-most wins in program history and made it to the OVC Tournament title game just last season.

He connected on 10-of-18 shots from the field, including going 2-for-5 from three-point land and was 0-for-1 at the charity stripe. In addition to his game-high 22 points, Martin also added four steals, three assists, and two rebounds.

Joining Martin in double figures for the Panthers were forward Owen Aquino and forward guard Conrad Martinez, who contributed 17 points apiece, while Terry Anderson finished with 12 and Cam'Ron Fletcher added a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds, while also adding three assists, a steal and a block to the Panther cause. Both Martinez and Anderson combined to score 29 of High Point's 38 bench points in the game. 

For Martinez, his aim was true all night from three-point range, as he finished the contest by connecting on 6-of-9 shots from the field, including 3-for-5 from three-point land and was 2-of-2 from the line, while dishing out a team-high four assists.

The Paladins ended the night getting another solid effort out of Charles Johnston, who finished the contest with 16 points and 12 boards on the heels of a strong start to the season in the exhibition against Alabama, which saw him post 14 points and 12 boards in the 96-71 loss last week.

Johnston, who was one of four Paladins in double figures, finished his night by connecting on 6-of-12 shots from the field, finishing 2-for-7 from three-point range and 2-for-2 at the line. Additionally, the junior from Sydney, Australia added an assist and a steal, with the only blemish on his entire stat line being a pair of turnovers. Johnston once again put in a solid night on the floor, logging nearly 28 minutes of court time. 

Joining Johnston in double figures were three Paladins with 11 points. Freshman point guard Alex Wilkins, senior wing Ben Vander Wal and sophomore guard Asa Thomas finished out the night with 11 points apiece. 

Wilkins, who made his first official career start, finished 4-of-9 from the field, which included going 1-of-3 from long-range and 2-for-2 at the charity stripe, while also adding two rebounds, two assists and six turnovers. 

Senior Ben Vander Wal finished with his 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting from the field and 3-of-4 from the charity stripe, while also adding five rebounds, two assists and a block in a solid 34 minutes of work.

Clemson transfer and shooting guard Asa Thomas rounded out the Paladins in double figures by adding 11 points off the bench, as the Paladin newcomer finished 3-of-5 from the field and 2-for-3 from the line, while going a perfect 3-for-3 from the charity stripe. Thomas also added two rebounds, one assist and one block. 

Preseason All-SoCon pick Tom House narrowly missed double figures and added eight points and three rebounds in his 2025-26 debut, while Cooper Bowser and true freshman Abijah Franklin added six points apiece. 

Bowser, who like House was a preseason All-SoCon selection, added nine rebounds and four assists, while Franklin, who logged almost 19 minutes of action off the bench in his rookie debut, added three assists and had just one turnover. 

One of the stats highlighted from Furman’s loss to Alabama was the fact that to have such a young backcourt, which was led by Alex Wilkins, Collin O’Neal and Eddrin Bronson, who combined to commit only nine turnovers against the Crimson Tide and won the points off turnovers stat, 17-13.

In the season-opening loss against High Point, the Paladins turned the ball over 22 times, which led to 25 points for the Panthers. Furman, meanwhile, forced just six turnovers and only scored three points off those turnovers forced. The Panthers had 16 steals in the game, while Furman, which had nine thefts in the exhibition against Alabama, finished with just one against High Point.

High Point finished the night connecting on a blistering 58.0% (40-of-69) from the field, which included a 45.0% effort from three-point range (9-of-20) and also finished 53.3% (8-of-15) from the charity stripe. 

The Panthers connected at a scorching 63.9% (23-of-36) in the opening 20 minutes of basketball, taking a 55-40 lead into the halftime locker room. The pace slowed only slightly in the second half, however, the margin increased, as the Panthers outscored the Paladins by 11 in the latter 20 minutes (42-31) of basketball. 

Furman, meanwhile, finished the game connecting at a 43.9% (25-of-57) clip for the game, which included finishing 26.9% (7-of-26) from three-point range and shot a solid 73.7% (14-of-19) at the charity stripe. 

High Point finished the night by owning advantages in the following categories: points in the paint (52-36), points off turnovers (25-3), total rebounds (41-28), steals (17-1), second chance points (12-9), fast-break points (14-4), total assists (17-13) and bench scoring (38-19). Furman owned advantages in free throw attempts (19-15) and points from the line (14-8). 

Furman's 22 turnovers against High Point were its most since turning it over 22 times in a 117-110 double-overtime loss to Tulane on Dec. 14, 2023. It ranks as the most turnovers for a Furman team in regulation since Dec. 19, 2020, when the Paladins turned it over 23 times in an 87-71 loss at Winthrop. 

In fact, it 262 games under Bob Richey prior to Monday night's season opener, the Paladins had only had seven games in which they turned it over 20 or more times, finishing 2-5 in those games. The only two wins came against South Carolina State (Dec. 3, 2022) and USC Upstate (Nov. 28, 2020). Furman's 22 turnovers in regulation was bested only once in Richey's tenure as head coach, and it ironically came in Rock Hill, as the Paladins finished with 23 turnovers in an 87-71 loss at Winthrop on Dec. 19, 2020. 

How It Happened:

Both teams came out and established a furious pace early in the first six minutes of the game, with Rob Martin and Alex Wilkins showcasing an array of offensive talent from the outset of the game, with the two trading basket-for-basket early on, as an Alex Wilkins triple would tie the game, 12-12, at the 15:31 mark of the opening half. 

Just before the first media timeout of the night, High Point's Rob Martin converted a nice step-back jumper to give the Panthers a lead they wouldn't relinquish the remainder of the night, as the two teams headed to their respective benches at the first media timeout with High Point holding a 14-12 lead following a furious opening six minutes of basketball. 

The Paladins would fall behind by 10 as a quick 8-0 spurt was capped by Conrad Martinez, which led to a Furman timeout with 12:24 remaining in the opening frame and the Panthers holding a 22-12 lead. The Paladins had let the game slip away, and against a team as fast and efficient offensively as the Panthers are, that can prove to be a steep hill to climb, especially for a team that is young, breaking in a new backcourt, with a trio of talented, but young first-year players seeing their first official action at the collegiate level. 

While the game wouldn't immediately get away from the Paladins, the eventuality that it would was always a lurking thought in the back of most folks' mind that watched the game unfold. 

After turning the ball just nine times against Alabama, the Paladins were uncharacteristically careless with the basketball in the opening 10 minutes of the basketball game, and that ended up providing a main overarching theme to the lopsided loss. The Paladins 

With the Panthers ahead 33-17 following a technical foul on Rob Martin following a made field goal, Wilkins stepped to the line and knocked both free throws and then a layup by Ben Vander Wal cut it to 33-21 before Martinez answered with a three to restore a 15-point lead for the Panthers, making it a 36-21 High Point lead at the under eight media timeout with 7:44 remaining in the half. 

Vander Wal would then get fouled on a layup attempt to cut the Paladin deficit to 13 after making both free throws, but a little over a minute later the Panthers took their biggest lead of the half at 17, but settled on a 15-point lead, at 55-40 at the half.

The second half would see the game get completely away from the Paladins, as the Panthers connected on 5-of-11 three-point field goals to push the lead to as much as 32 points in the second half before taking the foot off the proverbial gas and claiming what was a 26-point win.

Furman will look to regroup Friday evening, as the Paladins will welcome reigning Sun Belt Champion Troy (1-0) to Timmons Arena for a 7 p.m. EST. The Trojans were the Sun Belt's representative in the NCAA Tournament last March. 

Furman Faces High Point in Highly Anticipated Season Opener

 

FIELD OF 68 OPENING DAY MARATHON

The Game: Furman (SoCon) vs. High Point (Big South)

Venue: Rock Hill Sports and Events Complex (1,200)/Rock Hill, S.C., 6:30 PM EST

2024-25 Records and Notes: Furman/25-10, 11-7 SoCon (5th)/lost 93-85 in SoCon title game to Wofford, but did enough to qualify for the NIT; High Point claimed its first ever NCAA Tournament bid by winning a school-record 29 games, finishing 29-6 overall and 14-2 in the Big South (1st), including an 81-69 win over Winthrop in the Big South title game at Freedom Hall in Johnson City. The Panthers were a No.13 seed in the NCAA Tournament, playing Purdue tough before eventually dropping a 75-63 contest in Milwaukee, WI.

Series: This will mark the fifth all-time meeting between the two programs, with Furman holding the narrow 3-1 series edge. The last time the two met was during Furman's SoCon title season of 2022-23, as the Panthers came into Timmons Arena and shocked Furman, handing the Paladins an 85-82 setback (Dec. 6, 2022).

Coaches: Furman--Bob Richey (181-81/9th yr); High Point--Flynn Clayman (1st yr)

How To Watch:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueCy55VuG1A

Scores From Earlier at Rock Hill:

Winthrop 81, Queens 74

St. Bonaventure 69, Bradley 63

Furman xx High Point xx

Scores from the Pentagon in South Dakota 

Murray State xx, Omaha

Northern Arizona xx vs. Drake xx

South Dakota State xx vs. Merrimack

Audio Preview with Prowled Sports:

https://www.prowledsports.com/podcast/episode/c7e2313e/a-look-from-the-furman-side-113-25

Previewing Tonight:

Furman will begin its highly-anticipated 2025-26 basketball season on a neutral floor as a part of the Field of 68 Opening Day Marathon. It will mark the first meeting between the Paladins and Panthers since the 2022-23 season, with the Panthers coming away from Greenville with an 85-82 win.

The Paladins would go on to cap what was a memorable 2022-23 season by returning to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 43 years, defeating Chattanooga 88-79 in the tournament title game before claiming a 68-67 win over No. 4 seed Virginia in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, finishing off what was a school-record 28-win season.

Two years later, another team in purple found its way into the NCAA Tournament, as High Point made its maiden appearance in the NCAA Tournament last March, and like Furman had done two years earlier, won a school-record number of games, as the Panthers finished the 2024-25 season with 29 total victories

In contrast to how Furman's 2022-23 season ended, High Point found met a much different an unexpected end to its campaign following its three-point, non-conference win over the Paladins at Timmons Arena.  

The Panthers came to Greenville having won eight out of their first nine games, and the Panthers would leave Greenville with a 9-1 record under first-year head coach GiGi Smith. Unlike Furman, things wouldn't end well for the Panthers in the 2022-23 campaign, as the Panthers would end up losing eight-straight and after a 9-1 start, and would finish the season after the win over the 'Dins going just 5-16 to finish 14-17 overall.

It culminated with a change in leadership for the Panthers. After the hiring of top Creighton assistant Alan Huss, the success would be almost instantaneous, as he would lead the Panthers to a 27-9 record in the 2023-24 season before getting upset in the Big South Tournament with an 80-79 overtime loss to Longwood in the semifinals of the conference tournament. 

The Panthers would eventually close out the season with a trip to the College Basketball Invitational, making the tournament championship game before losing to Seattle in the title game. 

While the Panthers would fall short in 2023-24, they would certainly get it right in the 2024-25, finishing off a 29-6 season (14-2 in Big South) in Huss' second season at the helm. The Panthers made a SoCon venue--ETSU's Freedom Hall--a memorable one, as it would be the location which will live on in High Point history as one of its biggest athletic achievements, knocking off Winthrop, 81-69, in the title matchup to punch their first-ever ticket to an NCAA Tournament as a Division I member.  

In fact, the 2024-25 season started with a 71-56 exhibition win over ETSU at Freedom Hall, and it ended with a storybook ending to the conference tournament title game won over Winthrop. 

Like Furman in 2022-23, the Panthers went into the tournament as a No. 13 seed, facing off against Purdue and despite giving the Boilermakers fits for most of the afternoon, ended up running out of gas with a 75-63 setback.

Success in NCAA Division I college basketball is oftentimes bittersweet, however, as the Panthers would come to find out. With the 29 wins, Big South regular-season and tournament titles, and the program's first-ever trip to the NCAA Tournament would lead to the departure of Alan Huss, who opted to return to Creighton to become the coach-in-waiting whenever Greg McDermott decides to retire.

Keeping continuity, philosophy, program momentum and culture in mind, the hiring of Flynn Clayman was almost a no-brainer. With the culture shift in the past couple of seasons, the Panthers have gone from 37 wins in final three seasons of the Tubby Smith/GiGi Smith era to 56 wins under the leadership of both Huss and Clayman in the past two. 

Clayman was Huss' top assistant during his time at High Point and was part of both teams that helped win nearly 60 games over the past couple of seasons. He inherits a team that still has some veterans around that helped lead the Panthers so that NCAA Tournament success last season, and the Panthers are once again the favorite in the Big South Conference after a really strong recruiting haul from the transfer portal. 

Furman's mantra after having to replace 70.8% of its scoring from a year ago has been being about being a developmental program, and with eight of the top 10 back in the rotation, look for the Paladins to also be a factor in Southern Conference once again in 2025-26.

Furman and High Point will be doing battle on the hardwood for just the fifth time in series history, with the Paladins holding a 3-1 series edge enter Monday night's clash. 

Both Furman and High Point are among the elite teams in all of mid-major basketball, with the Panthers checking in at No. 8 in the preseason CollegeInsider.com poll, while the Paladins enter the season at No. 14. 

A Look at the Paladins:

Furman comes into Monday night's much anticipated season opener against the Panthers having played a pair of preseason exhibition games against both Alabama and a secret scrimmage against UNC Asheville. 

Head coach Bob Richey enters his ninth season as the head coach of the Paladins' basketball program, and unlike last season, which saw the Paladins have to replace 70.8% of their scoring from the previous season, the Paladins return eight letterwinners from a year ago. However, that doesn't mean there aren't at least some question marks entering the season, and that includes how do the Paladins go about replacing their top two scorers from a year ago, in Nick Anderson and PJay Smith Jr., who were responsible for connecting on 207 of the team's 380 three-point field goals a year ago.

Replacing three-pointers isn't always as easy as it might seem, even though head coach Bob Richey (181-81/9th yr at Furman) has done a pretty good job of it in each of his previous eight seasons as the head coach. Under Richey, the Paladins have connected at a pretty high rate from three-point range. All told, Furman has connected on 2,690-of-7,162 attempts from three-point range over the past eight seasons, which computes to an impressive 37.5% shooting clip over that same span.

As far as who can replace that type of shooting production in the backcourt this season for the Paladins? Well, it's probably going to look a little different. Furman is more athletic in the backcourt, and maybe a little less accurate when it comes to shooting the three--at least that's the way it seemed in Furman's exhibition against Alabama.

The Paladins dropped a 96-71 contest before a sellout crowd at the re-imagined Timmons Arena, and there were some good things the Paladins did in their game against the Crimson Tide.  Those notable things the Paladins did well were get 19 offensive rebounds against an elite SEC foe, as well as turn the ball over only nine times with a new man running the point guard spot.  The Paladins also took 11 more shots (74-63) than the Crimson Tide. 

There is so much anticipation surrounding this Furman team primarily as a result of maybe the program's best signing class in its rich basketball history. While the Paladins brought in six freshmen, with five on scholarship and four slated to play this season, including three that could see some pretty major minutes.

It all starts with 6-5 Alex Wilkins (Mattapan, Mass/Brooks Academy), as he logged a little over 14 minutes of court action against the Crimson Tide, starting the game for the Paladins. He was the first-ever freshman point guard to start for Bob Richey in now his ninth season as the head coach. 

Wilkins is a four-star recruit out of Mattapan, Mass., and he wasn't lacking for confidence in the exhibition opener against, finishing with 10 points on 4-of-10 shooting from the field and 2-for-7 from three-point range, despite fouling out with 12-and-a-half minutes remaining. He was one of two Paladins to end with a positve in the +/- category, as he finished +5 for the game. 

His defense, passing, length and athleticism are potential game-changers for the Paladins at the point guard spot, which is a far different skill-set than Furman had last season with PJay Smith Jr., who was a scorer and an outstanding perimeter shooter. 

Other highly anticipated freshmen players that should see major minutes in Monday night's season opener against High Point are both 6-3 Collin O'Neal (Nashville, Tenn/Montgomery Bell Academy) and 6-5 Abijah Franklin (Greenville, S.C./Wren HS). O'Neal was notably solid on the defensive end in the opener against the Crimson Tide, as he saw 12-and-a-half minutes of floor time, finishing with four rebounds, two points, two assists, and one steal. 

Franklin logged 10-and-a-half minutes of action on the floor, and though he had only one point and was 0-of-6 from the field in his debut for the Paladins, Franklin gave Furman fans glimpses of a bright future and finished second on the team in overall assists, dishing out four of the team's 21 helpers. 

The other primary option to add some support behind Wilkins at point guard is Eddrin Bronson, who is in a much better position this season than he was a year ago, as he was still rehabbing to get back from a broken foot he suffered during the off-season. He's 100% healthy now and will serve as one of the best on-ball defenders for the Paladins this season.

Bronson, a native of Tampa, comes off a 2024-25 season which saw him end by playing some of his best basketball against North Texas, as he poured in 15 points to lead the Paladins in a road loss to North Texas, while also leading Furman in scoring against Kansas (14 pts) and in a late January road win at Mercer (career-high 16 pts).

All told, the product of Tampa Catholic finished out his first season playing for the 'Dins averaging 5.6 PPG, 1.6 RPG and 1.3 APG. Perhaps his biggest play during his freshman season with the 'Dins had nothing to do with scoring, as he ended up with a steal of a Garrison Keeslar inbounds pass in Furman's 80-77 overtime upset of top-seeded Chattanooga, clinching the win and allowing No. 5 seed Furman to move into the SoCon Tournament title game at the Harrah's Cherokee Center last March. 

Bronson struggled in the exhibition against Alabama, as he saw as he was 0-of-5 from the field and 0-for-2 from three-point range, but went 1-of-2 from the line to finish with a single point. He also had one rebounds in 13-and-a-half minutes of floor time in the exhibition. 

Set to team with Wilkins as the other starting guard in the backcourt is Clemson transfer Asa Thomas. Thomas is from Lake Forest, Ill., and is a player that Furman recruited out of high school before Thomas eventually ended up at Clemson. 

The 6-7, 200 redshirt sophomore guard was the only player the Paladins sought the services of from the transfer portal during the off-season, and he spent most of last season struggling with injuries and to find time in Clemson's rotation. 

Thomas has found the fit nicely at Furman so far, and coach Richey and staff love Thomas' shooting ability. He has one of the quickest releases on the team, making his shot especially hard to block and shoots well coming off screens without needing a lot of time to square up and fire. Not only is Thomas a great shooter, but he's also a deceptively good athlete with the ability to drive the ball to the hoop. 

In the exhibition loss to Alabama, Thomas saw 31 minutes of floor time, posting all nine of his points in the opening half of play, as he finished the game 3-of-14 from the field, which included going 3-for-10 from three-point range. Thomas is a bigger and more athletic version of Nick Anderson, which will be especially important on the defensive end of the floor this season. 

"Well you get in that portal and it's like...a little bit of a needle in a haystack and you've got to find somebody that fits your place and you've got to somebody that fits your program and you've got to find somebody that you feel like is leaving for the right reasons and so you get in there and the funnel gets really tight really quickly and then you have to figure out who you can afford so then you got to say well you've probably go best player because there is only so many options and so are you going to take a less talented guy that might not fit you as well to get the quote unquote position you need and when we had the opportunity to get Asa [Thomas] it was just one of those situations where you know coming from Clemson...you know Brad [Brownell] and I have some similar values and we're good friends," head coach Bob Richey said at SoCon Media Day in early October.

"We recruited Asa in high school and he can really shoot it and knows how to cut and knows how to play and then you have to ask yourself do we need a point or do we need to replace shooting...point guard in today's game and we're playing 94-feet offense and we're just trying to get the ball out of the net and go play...So we've taken two two-guards and turned them into all-conference point guards," Richey added.

Rounding out the primary guard rotation in the backcourt will be Tom House, who transferred into Furman from Florida State last season, and his impact would gradually come into effect towards the latter portion of the season when he would begin to catch fire as a perimeter threat for the Paladins, as he got more and more confident as a shooter. Over the final 11 games of the season, House was elite as a shooter and exceeded his scoring and rebounding average of 6.8 PPG and 2.7 RPG in each of Furman's final five games last season.

His breakout, 26-point effort in what was a 96-72 home win over Mercer at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in mid-February saw confidence in his perimeter shot at an all-time high last season. In the regular-season home finale against The Citadel, House scored 21 points and was a perfect 6-for-6 from three-point range. In Furman's quarterfinal rout of Samford in the SoCon Tournament, House went 6-for-7 from long-range, finishing with 21 points in the 95-78 win. 

House’s 54 three-point field goals last season rank as the most returning three-pointers on the club, and he shot a blistering 40.6% (54-of-133) from long-range. Interestingly, House shot 56% from three and averaged over 11 PPG in Furman’s final seven games of the season. House was one of two Paladins selected to the preseason all-conference squad last month at the league's annual media day held in Greenville.

In the frontcourt, Furman has would might be considered the best collection of talent returning of any team in the Southern Conference, beginning with Furman's ultimate "glue guy" and veteran, in 6-7 Ben Vander Wal. Vander Wal is the lone holdover that saw minutes from that Furman title-winning team back in 2022-23, and his floor leadership and ability to do "winning things" on the floor is why he factors in as such a big piece to the puzzle for the Paladins.

If he's not getting a big offensive rebound, setting a key screen, or making a key pass or cut on the offensive end of the floor, his impact can usually be felt on the defensive end where he might grab a key rebound off a solid boxout, drawing a key momentum-changing charge or coming up with a key steal. He was the centerpiece of everything Furman did down the stretch last season, as he essentially served as the team's quarterback on the offensive end. 

Though Vander Wal is among the Paladins' most-skilled players on the offensive end, he's not noted for his shooting ability. What he does well is virtually everything else. In the exhibition loss to the Crimson Tide, Vander Wal saw 30 minutes of floor time, contributing seven points, six rebounds, two assists and posted five of the team's nine steals. He also drew a pair of charges in the game against the Crimson Tide.

Vander Wal's contributions and importance supplement Furman's version of the twin towers--6-11 junior center Charles Johnston and 6-11 junior forward Cooper Bowser--nicely. In fact, judging from the numbers put up by both Johnston and Bowser against the most elite front court Furman will see at least through the end of the regular-season, the Paladins have a chance to be scary good in the front court this season.

Johnston's performance was particularly notable, as he was 100% healthy for the first time in his Furman career, and following a season, which saw the staff have to manage his minutes due to both knee issues and back problems, it was blatantly obvious just how good he could be underneath for the Paladins when he is fully healthy. In 30 minutes of action against Alabama, Johnston finished with 14 points, 12 rebounds, two assists and a steal. He connected on 5-of-11 shots from the field and was 2-for-6 from three-point range.

Johnston's progression over the course of the off-season has been notable, according to Richey, especially as a true post player. Johnston spent most of his first season with the ‘Dins as a primary perimeter threat, but now he’s put on some more muscle and dedicated the off-season to becoming more of a low-post threat. Also, Johnston is a sneaky good post defender, and that will be another aspect of his game to watch this season. Last season, Johnston averaged 5.3 PPG and 3.1 RPG off the bench, while also adding 33 three-point field goals, shooting an impressive 38.8% from downtown.

Bowser rounds out what should be an outstanding front court for the Paladins in 2025-26. If Jalen Slawson's progression as a junior told us anything about his development and ultimate NBA potential, we should expect to see that same kind of jump from Bowser this season, who has arguably even more attractive tools like wingspan and overall length attractive to the NBA than his predecessor. 

With that said, his first audition against Alabama was outstanding, as he the native of Woodbridge, VA., finished with 14 points, seven rebounds, six assists, two blocks and had two steals He went 6-of-7 from the field and was 2-for-4 from the line in the exhibition loss to the Crimson Tide.

Bowser joined House as a preseason All-SoCon selection, and he is Furman's leading returning scorer from a year ago, averaging 8.3 PPG and 4.7 RPG, as well as shooting a blistering 64.6% (115-of-178) last season, while leading the SoCon with 57 blocks. Coach Richey hopes that Bowser's block percentage around the basket will improve this season. Bowser is now joined on the roster by his brother--6-6 wing Cole Bowser out of Dematha Catholic--and Cooper is thrilled to have his brother on the roster. Cole Bowser, a three-star recruit, will likely redshirt this season.

Finally, one of the few drawbacks that came in the exhibition loss to Alabama was the loss of 6-6 Davis Molnar, who suffered an apparent season-ending knee injury, although that's just my own speculation. Molnar was going to serve as another glue guy in the paint this season along with Vander Wal and would have likely seen anywhere from 10-15 minutes a game.

Richey’s Offensive Innovation

Though Furman won 25 games last season, it still finished fifth in SoCon and did hit a lull in the middle portion of conference play. While Furman’s offense and shooters against uncommon opponents was something it had great success with, racing to a 13-1 start, including a 12-1 non-conference record, when the Paladins got in league against the good coaches that make up the league, there was a game-plan that seemed to work early on.

Part of Furman’s philosophy under Richey has been trying to always have five perimeter threats on the floor, and in most seasons, that has not necessarily always been easy, but it’s always made Furman so hard to account for defensively.

Aside from their offensive actions, which seem like QB progressions in that each action has four or five options that the Paladins can go to if an opponent shuts down one, is Furman has shot the ball maybe as well as it ever has from three over the past eight seasons under Richey, which included setting a single-season SoCon record with 401 triples in the 2021-22 campaign. All told, Furman has connected on 2,690-of-7,162 attempts from three-point range over the past eight seasons, which computes to an impressive 37.5% shooting clip over the past eight seasons.

While Furman had two of its best shooters from three in eight seasons under Richey, in Smith and Anderson, it also had guys like Cooper Bowser, Ben Vander Wal and Garrett Hien that were basically minimal perimeter threats at best, with only Hien really factoring in as a potential long-range threat, and outside of his sophomore season, had struggled to hit from long-range with great efficiency.

So the strategy from the opposition in the SoCon was to play off Furman shooters by a process known as “painting”, which meant it could more closely keep tabs on Anderson and Smith at all times with the luxury of an extra defender by playing off Furman’s non-shooters.

Richey's innovative offensive strategy that used Vander Wal as the quarterback and free screener for both Anderson and Smith down the stretch was nothing short of brilliant because it didn't allow teams to just play off Vander Wal like they had done when Furman took a bit of a tumble in the standings, and it forced the opposition to have get out and engage Vander Wal in some manner with a defender. It was a move that kept teams from essentially having an extra player defensively as it had off-set the balance by making it a 4v5 game before when playing off Vander Wal

Those changes led to a major turnaround for Furman basketball during the 2024-25, as the Paladins would win six-straight games, which included the very team they would lose to in the championship--the Wofford Terriers--to reach the championship game.

Pack Line Paladins

What’s striking about the Paladins this season is they are a big team, and one of the bigger teams in the SoCon. It will be interesting to see what the change to a pack line defense will look like and how much the Paladins will use it this season, as that was one of the main reasons new assistant coach Joe Pierre III was brought in from Ritchie McKay’s staff at Liberty. Furman playing the pack line with Johnston and Bowser on the floor at the same time and with their length, as well as being in a mid-major league that features smaller, quicker guards, it all makes a lot of sense.

Final Word on Furman

“This is the most returning plus new I’ve had since I’ve been here as the head coach…six new players…I’ve never had that…but also a good clump of returners back and so really getting the young and the old assimilated quickly you know I think that’s going to be a big challenge for us and getting the point guard spot figured out…we’ve got talent there but it’s going to be young talent…We are going to have a new point guard and I can guarantee you this…the 40 point guard minutes this year will all be all guys that have never played point guard before in a college game,”—Bob Richey at SoCon Media Day 2025.

Probable Starting Five for Furman:

G-Alex Wilkins

G-Asa Thomas

F-Ben Vander Wal

F-Cooper Bowser

C-Charles Johnston

A Look at High Point's Personnel: 

High Point enters 2025-26 with high expectations, despite having a new head coach and almost a completely brand-new roster of the players. That hasn't deterred expectations, however, and in fact, Flynn Clayman enters his first season as the head coach with an embarrassment of talent from other places, with only a few players still around that contributed to that milestone moment of the Panthers breakthrough, 29-win campaign of a year ago.

The lone holdover from that team that cut down the nets as Big South Tournament champions for the first time is 6-3 graduate sharp-shooting guard Chase Johnston. Johnston, like most of High Point's roster entering the 2025-26 season, is well-traveled himself, having spent time in the Atlantic Sun, playing at both Stetson and Florida Gulf-Coast prior to his arrival in the Gate City.  He also spent a redshirt season (2019-20) as a Mastodon at Purdue-Fort Wayne before transferring to Stetson during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

During his time in the A-SUN, Johnston was the A-Sun's Freshman of the Year in 2020-21 and would go on to garner second-team all-conference honors in 2021-22 with the Hatters. He played his junior and senior seasons at FGCU before making his way to Greensboro to play for High Point as a graduate student in 2024-25. 

Johnston is one of the better shooters in mid-major basketball, and he comes off a season, which saw him start 34 of 35 games for the Panthers, averaging 6.9 PPG, 1.8 RPG and 1.0 APG last season. Johnston blistered the nets to the tune of 42.5% last season, connecting on 71-of-167 shots from long range.  He posted 213 of his 241 points from three-point range last season, and his 71 threes led the Panthers for the season, averaging 4.8 made threes per game. 

Johnston, who originally experimented with entering the portal to see if he could get any major offers but returned to the Panthers in the off-season and became a voice that the new head coach could lean on as a leader in the locker room. 

Most of the rest of the incoming talent is new and talent acquired from other places, giving the Panthers one of the most talented rosters from top-to-bottom in mid-major basketball.  y

The addition or SEMO transfer guard Rob Martin is one of the more anticipated new additions on the roster for the Panthers, and he will offer experience and scoring ability at the position, as he comes off a solid final season for the Redhawks, averaging 14.8 PPG and 4.5 APG a year ago. Martin is a prolific scorer and scored a career-high 31 points in a late regular-season road game at SIU Edwardsville, who was the team that kept Martin and SEMO from making it to the NCAA Tournament last year.  In that late regular game win over SIU-Edwardsville, Martin scored those 31 points by blistering net the nets at a blistering 68.4% (13-of-19) shooting effort from the field.

In fact, Furman will face three of those guards from that OVC title game last season, with SIU-Edwardsville guard Brian Taylor II transferring to East Tennessee State, while the Martin's backcourt mate at SEMO last season--Terry Washington Jr.--opted to finish out his career at reigning NIT and SoCon regular-season champion Chattanooga. For both Martin and Washington, they played a key role in helping SEMO to the program's second-most wins (21) in program history. 

Like Johnston, Martin can flat out shoot the basketball, connecting on 40.4% from the beyond the arc last season, connecting on 46-of-113 shots from long range a year ago. His 14.8 PPG led the Redhwaks last season, while his 46 threes ranked third on the team.

At 5-10, Martin is extremely quick and takes great care of the basketball an impressive 2.63 assist-turnover-ratio to go along with his 4.8 APG last season and was a first-team All-OVC selection.  He will be matched up against Furman's length and good athleticism at the point spot, in both Wilkins and Franklin in the game. 

While those two have good athleticism, both Bronson and O'Neal are hard to get downhill against because of they are two of the strongest players on Furman's roster. It will be something to watch in tonight's opener for both teams. Martin has some extremely big shoes to fill this season, having to replace one of the best to play point guard in program history, in Kezza Giffa last season. In addition to being an outstanding three-point shooter, Martin also excelled as a free throw shooter last season, connecting on a solid 82.8% from the charity stripe last season. 

Two other players that came from programs in the Show Me State and will close out their respective careers in the Tar Heel State are both senior guard Vincent Brady II (Missouri State) and 6-6 senior wing Boubacar Diallo (UMKC).  Brady is another double figures scorer transfer, as he averaged 13.5 PPG, 4.3 RPG and dished out 2.5 APG last season. Like teammates Martin and Johnston, Brady is another good three-point shooter, connecting on 38.0% (49-of-129) from three-point range last season. The 6-3 guard is a good rebounding guard and that's something the Paladins will have to be aware of this evening.

Diallo has good length and athleticism, and he is potentially a glue guy type for the Panthers, as he excels as a defender. When he was with UMKC last season, Diallo averaged 7.4 PPG, 3.7 RPG, and 3.5 APG, while shooting 50.5% from the field and 35.7% from three-point land. Diallo, a senior graduate student, started 23 of 33 games last season for the Kangaroos. 

Adding another similar type of player to that of Diallo's skill set, and that is 6-6 senior Terry Anderson, who is also a holdover from that 29-win team of a year ago. Anderson transferred into High Point two years ago from Lamar, as he would log action in 26 games in 2024-25 for the Panthers. He ended up averaging 4.5 PPG and 2.8 RPG as essentially the first man off the bench for the Panthers. Like Diallo, Anderson is extremely athletic and excels on the defensive end of the floor as an on-ball defender.  

University of Arizona transfer Conrad Martinez, who will have two years of eligibility remaining, will provide good depth at the point. The 6-0 point guard from Granollers, Spain has international experience, as well as being a good shooter and possessing good overall skill. However, unlike most of High Point's transfers, he's not a noted scorer and is more of a true floor general.

Another high profile talent from the portal is Cal State Northridge wing guard transfer Scotty Washington. In the 2024-25 season, the 6-4 guard garnered All-Big West Honorable mention accolades after leading his team in scoring average 14.6 PPG, field goals made (161), three-point field goals made (53) and total free throws made (106). 

He also finished the 2024-25 season as a solid three-point threat, connecting on 35.1% from downtown, while ranking 10th in program history in single-season free throw percentage, connecting at an impressive 85.5% clip for the season.

Maverick Miller is a player that redshirted last season for the Panthers, but figures to add depth at two-guard this season. Miller is a good shooter, as he showed in his high school career playing in one of the USA's basketball hotbeds, starring for Houston High School in Memphis, averaging 15 PPG as a senior in 2023-24.

Set to go up against Furman's strong frontcourt will be a talented one for the Panthers, although it won't possess the overall size the Paladins have underneath. At least one guy that will be comparable in size for the Panthers will be Yousouff Singare, who transferred into the High Point from UConn and will have two years of eligibility remaining. The 6-10, 230-lb junior logged action in a total of 16 games last season, and saw action in 23 games during UConn's 2023-24 national title run.

Singare's addition was made directly in response to the graduation of Juslin Bodo Bodo, who was a defensive menace and provided great rim protection for the Panthers. The native of Bamako, Mali, is still a bit of a project on the offensive end,  but his athleticism and prowess around the basket could end up paying off big-time for the Panthers as the season progresses.

Maybe the most talented all-around basketball player from High Point's outstanding transfer portal recruiting haul is 6-7 Xavier transfer forward Cam'Ron Fletcher.  He was limited to only 11 games in 2-2024-25 before suffering a season-ending injury. In addition to his one season at Xavier, Fletcher also spent time at both Florida State and Kentucky before finding his way to High Point. He enjoyed his best season of college basketball back in 2022-23 with the Seminoles, averaging 10.8 PPG and 7.5 RPG. He is a defensive menace and should be one of the top defensive players in the Big South this season. It will be interesting to see how Fletcher matches up against Furman's 6-11 Bowser.

Rounding out the front court for the Panthers are Owen Aquino, who comes to High Point from Liberty where he the 6-8 forward averaged 8.6 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 2.1 APG and shot 58.5% from the field in helping the Flames to the NCAA Tournament just last year. It's a player that newly hired Furman assistant Joe Pierre II will be well aware of, who coached Aquino while an assistant at Liberty last season. Aquino started all 35 games for the Flames, helping Liberty to its first Conference USA title along with an NCAA Tournament appearance. 

Finally, one of the up-and-coming young talents in the High Point front court is freshman Caden Miller. The 6-9 freshman was runner-up for Mr. Basketball as a senior in the state of Kentucky, which is pretty impressive. Miller is also one of the top freshman recruits in the history of High Point basketball.

The season opening clash between Furman and High Point is a great game to kick things off in 2025-26 for both programs that once again aspire to reach the Field of 68. Fittingly, it was with that in mind that the Field of 68 put together another outstanding field of mid-majors for some must-see basketball to open the 2025-26 season, and fittingly, Furman and High Point is the culmination and main event so-to-speak of an outstanding three games at the Rock Hill Events Center.