GREENVILLE, S.C. -- The rapidly approaching 2018-19 Furman University basketball season will bring with it an exciting addition to Timmons Arena honoring the school's greatest basketball player, according to director of athletics Mike Buddie.
Two state-of-the-art 26' x 10' videoboards, both featuring the name of Paladin All-American Frank Selvy, are currently being installed in the arena and will be fully functional in time for the start of Furman's men's and women's basketball seasons in early November.
"We are thrilled to announce the addition of these new videoboards," said Buddie. "The fan and student-athlete experience inside Timmons Arena will be noticeably improved thanks to this technology. Having the ability to utilize replay, fan cams, and sponsorship activation will improve every aspect of the experience at our basketball games and other events inside Timmons. The work and commitment of Raymond Newsom and the Timmons family to make this project a reality is greatly appreciated. And, of course, to be able to honor Frank Selvy in such a meaningful way is just icing on the cake."
Spearheaded by Raymond Newsom and the children of Bill and Connie Timmons, who grew up as Furman basketball fans, the fundraising initiative, which mobilized friends, fans, and teammates of Selvy to honor him and support Furman basketball, attracted 19 donors and generated $550,000, according to Buddie. More than half of the project was funded by the Timmons family, for which the arena was named when it opened in 1998.
Fans can get their first look at the new videoboards at the "Dins After Dark" showcase event for the Paladin men's and women's teams, scheduled for Oct. 18 at 8:00 p.m.
Selvy, a three-time All-America performer and 1954 United Press National Player of the Year selection, scored 2,538 points and averaged 32.5 ppg in his Paladin career (1952-54), helping Furman go 59-21 over that span with wins over Duke, South Carolina, Clemson, Georgia, Georgia Tech, and Virginia Tech, among many others. The NCAA's top scorer his junior and senior seasons, the Corbin, Ky., native, known as the "Corbin Comet," scored an NCAA Division I record 100 points in a 149-95 win over Newberry at Greenville's Textile Hall on Feb. 13, 1954, and was the No. 1 pick of the NBA's Baltimore Bullets following graduation. A member of the Furman, South Carolina, and Kentucky Athletic Halls of Fame, he played nine seasons in the NBA, including four-plus seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers (1960-64).
ScoreVision from Omaha, Neb., is the videoboard manufacturer.
The new videoboards are the latest in a series of recent Timmons Arena upgrades, which include a new basketball floor, lighting, and sound systems installed in 2017.
Furman's men's basketball team tips off its 2018-19 season on Nov. 6 and the women's squad on Nov. 7.
For more information on how to support the project or Furman Basketball, contact the Paladin Club (864) 294-3469.
Hunter Reid, Sports Information
