By Scott Keeler, FurmanPaladins.com

GREENVILLE, S.C. -- It wouldn't take much of a glance through the Furman women's basketball record book to notice Whitney Bunn's name. It's printed there over and over. A year after shattering the school's all-time assists record, the senior is zeroing in on finishing as one of the top-five scorers as well.

But when asking Bunn about her achievements, it might be best to keep that record book handy. She prefers to let her play on the court do the talking. Head coach Jackie Carson said that's been the case for as long as she's known her.

"Even on her recruiting visit to Furman, I swear she didn't talk during her whole visit," Carson said. "She's very quiet and shy, but she's very basketball savvy and knows the game."

Bunn was a three-sport standout at Bunn (N.C.) High School. In addition to basketball, she ran track and had collegiate scholarship offers for soccer after scoring 108 goals in her career.  But basketball was always the choice of sport to play collegiately and Furman felt like the place to attend.

"The family atmosphere, the coaches, and the education brought me here," she said. "It's been challenging, but that Furman degree is worth it."

She also said Carson's guidance has helped her in numerous ways.

"I think Coach Carson trusts me a lot on and off the court; we have a great relationship. I love playing for her.  She's taught me a lot, not only about basketball but also about life."

Even though she never started a game as a freshman, Bunn finished second on the team in assists (71) and steals (33) that season. She also scored in double figures 10 times, including a 20-point showing in a win over Wofford, to earn a spot on the Southern Conference's All-Freshman Team.

When the Paladins met to begin preparing for the 2014-15 season, Bunn broke form and spoke up. After playing quite a bit of shooting guard during her freshman year, she told Carson she wanted to switch to that spot full time. Carson explained that she played the "two" guard as a freshman because of the presence of a veteran point guard.

"She said, 'I want to be the scorer,' and I said, 'you will. You're a point guard who can score.'  We had a practice where I showed her how much the ball would be in her hands and asked if she still wanted to wanted to be the two. She said, 'no, I want to be the point again.' "

It didn't take long for Carson to be proven right. In the season opener that year, she scored a game-high 18 points and had seven of Furman's nine assists in a win over Davidson.

That was merely a sign of things to come. Less than a month later, Bunn had 17 points and a school-record 15 assists in a win over Coastal Carolina. She wrapped up the year by matching a SoCon Tournament record by connecting on 7-of-9 3-pointers in a win over Samford.

For the season, Bunn tallied a school record 226 assists, which ranked sixth-best in the country. She also led Furman in scoring (14.5 points per game), assists (a school record 6.8 per game) and steals (34). The consensus first team All-SoCon point guard also played every minute of 11 games that season and averaged a team-best 37.0 minutes per game.
Bunn has brought that same kind of production each season since.

As a junior, she scored a career-high 33 points in an overtime win at Western Carolina. Her 15.1 points per game average last season ranked fourth in the SoCon while her 158 assists were second-most in the league, helping her repeat as a consensus first team All-SoCon selection.

Perhaps her biggest memory came during an 85-71 win over UNC Greensboro on Feb. 18, 2016. Bunn entered the game one assit shy of Lucy Dunn's (1985-88) school record. It took her all of 82 seconds to tie and break the record as she had assists on each of Furman's first three field goals. She finished with seven assists that night, along with a game-high 19 points.

"Breaking the assist record was one of the best moments I've had, but I just really want to win the SoCon (championship)," Bunn said. "I want that to be the moment."

This season, Bunn again is among the league leaders. Entering Furman's game Thursday at Mercer, she ranks fourth in the league in scoring (15.5 ppg), second in assists (90), third in free throw percentage (.800) and sixth in 3-point percentage (.357).

"Whitney's always been talented and always been fast. She's faster with the ball than a lot of people are without the ball," Carson said. "What's made her really special this year is that she's way more mature than ever before.

"Everyone is trying to stop Whitney Bunn, and it doesn't bother her."

Bunn has helped the Paladins win six consecutive games, the longest winning streak in Carson's seven-year tenure. That streak includes an impressive 93-73 win at Wofford. Bunn scored 23 points, including 15 in the third quarter, in the win over the Terriers.

"That was pretty huge. Wofford is an extremely tough place to play," Carson said. "We had not won a road game up until that point and we started out the game down 11-0. … That was a big win for us."

With 1,465 points, the talented Paladin senior is currently tied for sixth place on Furman's all-time scoring ledger while her record total of 545 assists continues to grow. She is 55 points behind former teammate Holli Wilkins, who ranks fifth in career scoring.

"We lost Holli (to graduation) this past year and we lost Brittany (Hodges to graduation) two years ago. I knew I'd have to step it up and shoot more," Bunn added. "It wasn't much of a big change because I scored a lot in high school."

With this being her final season, Bunn has one more shot at her ultimate goal of winning the SoCon Championship and earning a trip to the NCAA Tournament.

Bunn said she's unsure of what life after college will bring just yet, with a professional basketball or coaching possibly figuring into the mix. Carson believes her star performer has already earned some experience as a coach on the floor.

"There are never a lot of words, but when she talks her teammates listen because she knows basketball.  She's a special player and one of the most talented to ever play in this program."

Scott Keeler is a Simpsonville native who spent more than 20 years with The Greenville News. He covered Furman athletics from 2012-16.