Greenville, S.C. – Furman men's basketball has been tabbed as the favorites in the 2026-27 Southern Conference race and Paladin forwards Charles Johnston and Marcus Kell were named to the preseason All-SoCon squad in voting by the league's 11 head coaches, it was announced on Wednesday morning.
 
The Paladins received the maximum 10 first place votes (coaches are not allowed to vote for their own team) to take the top spot ahead of ETSU, Wofford, Samford, and Chattanooga. SoCon newcomer Tennessee Tech, Mercer, Western Carolina, VMI, The Citadel, and UNCG rounded out the poll. 
 
Johnston returns to the Paladins after averaging 9.8 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game while starting all 35 contests a year ago. The Sydney, Australia, native tied for the team lead in steals (27) and ranked second with 26 blocked shots in 2025-26. 

Kell, a graduate student and native of Rock Hill, S.C., joined Furman's roster this offseason following a standout career at Western Carolina. The 6-foot-8 forward averaged 13.6 points and 4.8 rebounds per game while starting all 31 games for the Catamounts last season. He scored a season-high 27 points versus High Point and UNCG during the regular season before pouring in 18 in a SoCon Tournament semifinal loss to ETSU.
 
Head coach Bob Richey, now in his 10^th season at Furman, will appear live at 10:45 a.m. tomorrow on The Field of 68's SoCon Preview, which will air on The Field of 68 YouTube page. Furman opens its exhibition season tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. ET against the nationally-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide at Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa, Ala. The game will not be televised, but a link to the live statistics is available on the men's basketball schedule page at FurmanPaladins.com.
 
The Paladins are coming off a 22-13 record and the school's second NCAA Tournament appearance in four seasons. After finishing sixth in the SoCon regular season standings with a 10-8 record, Furman marched to the SoCon Tournament title with wins over Samford, UNCG, and ETSU in Asheville, N.C., before dropping a 82-71 decision to eventual national runner-up UConn in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.
 
2026-27 Southern Conference Preseason Coaches Poll
Team (1st-place votes)              Total
1.           Furman (10)                     100
2.           ETSU (1)                             86
3.           Wofford                             78
4.           Samford                             70
5.           Chattanooga                    59
6.           Tennessee Tech               57
7.           Mercer                                47
8.           Western Carolina           41
9.           VMI                                      32
10.         The Citadel                       21
11.         UNCG                                 14
 
2026-27 Preseason Southern Conference Player of the Year
Rickey Bradley Jr, Sr., G, VMI
 
2026-27 Preseason All-Southern Conference Team
BJ Ward, Sr., G, ETSU
Marcus Kell, Gr., F, Furman
Charles Johnston, 5th, F, Furman
Brady Shoulders, Jr., G/F, Mercer
Cooper Noard, 5th, G, Samford
Tate Darner, So., G, Chattanooga
Rickey Bradley Jr, Sr., G, VMI
TJ Johnson, Sr., F, VMI
Cam Lowe, R-Jr., G, Wofford
Chace Watley, So., G, Wofford
  
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