Greenville, S.C. – The 2021-22 Furman men's basketball team's bid for a championship trophy fell short, but the Paladins continued to establish themselves as a consistent contender in the Southern Conference and one of the top mid-major programs in the nation.
Furman concluded the season at 22-12 overall and 12-6 in the SoCon, securing the program's seventh consecutive winning record and seventh straight top-three finish in the conference standings. The Paladins ranked No. 67 in the RPI, No. 75 in the Pomeroy Ratings (KenPom.com) and No. 80 in the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) Rankings.
"We are proud of the incredible young men in our men's basketball program and are grateful for the journey that our team took us on this past season," said Athletics Director
Jason Donnelly. "After conversations with our coaches, our players have elected not to participate in postseason events and will instead focus on preparations for next season. We respect and support their decision and look forward to cheering them on once again next year."
Head coach
Bob Richey, who continues to build Furman into a SoCon frontrunner, became the first Paladin men's basketball coach to record four seasons with 20 or more victories. He is the fastest coach in program history to reach 100 career victories. Richey finished the season with a 111-46 career record in five seasons at Furman and his .712 winning percentage ranks in the top 10 among active NCAA Division I head coaches.
"This was such a memorable season for Furman Basketball," Richey said. "I am so grateful for these seniors and their contributions to our program. To all our fans, the work for next season begins now."
One of the hallmarks of Furman's success in recent years has been its dominant play at home, which continued during the 2021-22 season. The Paladins posted a 10-2 record at Timmons Arena this season to improve to 84-14 overall and 49-10 against SoCon opponents in the facility since the start of the 2015-16 season. Furman has won 33 of its last 36 games at Timmons Arena, 27 of the last 29 non-conference games and 49 of the last 54 regular season contests.
Leading the Paladins in 2021-22 was the duo of seniors
Mike Bothwell and
Jalen Slawson, and fifth year
Alex Hunter. All three averaged in double figures offensively with Bothwell leading the way at 15.7 points per game. Slawson contributed 14.4 points and led the team with 7.4 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.7 blocks per contest. Hunter was third on the team in scoring at 13.5 points per game.
Hunter, the program's all-time leader in wins and 3-pointers, and Bothwell both reached the 1,000-career point plateau in 2021-22 while graduate transfer
Conley Garrison eclipsed 2,000 career points.
Slawson was tabbed the SoCon Defensive Player of the Year by the league's coaches and garnered consensus first team All-SoCon honors. Bothwell joined Slawson as a first team All-SoCon pick by the coaches while receiving second team accolades from the media. Furman saw three players be named to the SoCon All-Tournament Team in Bothwell (first team), Slawson (first team) and Garrison (second team).
With the Paladins having already been announced as a participant in the Shriners Children's Hospital Charleston Classic next season, the 2022-23 campaign looks to be another exciting year as Furman chases a SoCon title and NCAA Tournament berth.
