Greenville, S.C. – Furman men's basketball standout and Cleveland Heights, Ohio, native Mike Bothwell has signed a summer league contract with his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers, it was reported on Saturday afternoon.
 
A three-time All-Southern Conference selection and two-time Lou Henson Mid-Major All-American, Bothwell propelled Furman to a SoCon regular season title, its first SoCon Tournament crown and NCAA Tournament berth since 1980, and the program's first NCAA Tournament win since 1974 this past season. The 6-foot-3 guard poured in a league-leading 17.7 points per game while also contributing 3.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists per contest to power the Paladins to a school-record 28 wins.
 
"I'm extremely grateful for the Cavs organization for giving me an opportunity to join them for the NBA Summer League," said Bothwell. "Being born and raised in Cleveland, just makes it that much more special."
 
A fifth-year senior, Bothwell netted 20 or more points on 12 occasions in 2022-23, including a career-best 36 versus Stephen F. Austin in December when he connected on the game-winning jumper in the final seconds of Furman's 72-70 win. He clinched a share of the SoCon regular season title with a 35-point performance at Samford in the regular season finale before totaling 26 points versus Western Carolina in an overtime victory in the SoCon semifinals and adding 16 points in the Paladins' 88-79 triumph over Chattanooga in the league championship game. Bothwell capped his collegiate career with 11 points in a 68-67 upset victory over No. 4 seed Virginia in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament and 15 points in a second-round loss to eventual national runner-up San Diego State.
 
With his 2,016 career points, Bothwell finished fourth on Furman's career scoring ledger and joined former Paladin greats Frank Selvy (2,538 points), Jonathan Moore (2,299), Darrell Floyd (2,281), and Karim Souchu (2,014) as one of only five players in school history to top 2,000 points. He also concluded his career ranked fifth in school history in assists (368) and steals (162).
 
Bothwell joined fellow fifth-year senior and Sacramento Kings second round draft choice Jalen Slawson in establishing a new Furman standard with 116 career victories. Over the past five seasons, the duo guided Furman to a 116-44 overall record and 65-22 SoCon mark, including wins over Villanova, Loyola Chicago (twice), Louisville, South Carolina, and Virginia.
 
A product of Cornerstone Christian Academy, Bothwell led the Cyclones to the 2016 Ohio Division IV title and a runner-up finish in 2018 when he received the Clark Kellogg Award as The News-Herald's player of the year.
 
Cleveland will participate in the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, Nev., July 7-17. The Cavs open play versus Brooklyn at 8:30 p.m. ET on July 7 at Cox Pavilion in a matchup that will air on NBATV. Summer league games will be televised on ESPN2, ESPNews, and NBATV.