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LOCATION: Greenville, SC
CONFERENCE: Southern (South Division)
LAST SEASON: 12-16 (.428)
CONFERENCE RECORD: 5-11 (5th)
STARTERS LOST/RETURNING: 2/3
NICKNAME: Paladins
COLORS: Purple & White
HOMECOURT: Timmons Arena (5,000)
COACH: Larry Davis (Asbury '78)
record at school 21-36 (2 years)
career record 21-36 (2 years)
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ASSISTANTS: Mike Jones (Howard '90)
Kenny Potosnak (Randolph-Macon '90)
TEAM WINS: (last 5 years) 10-10-10-9-12
RPI (last 5 years) 277-254-258-290-233
1998-99 FINISH: Lost in conference quarterfinals.
ESPN.com Clubhouse
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Larry Davis hopes his Furman Paladins have learned to finish what they start. The Paladins appeared to be one of the Southern Conference's strongest teams coming out of non-conference play last season, winning six of their first 10 games. But Furman went into a post-Christmas swoon, losing five of its first seven conference games, then losing its final five regular-season league games en route to a fifth-place finish in the Southern Conference's South Division. Davis has plenty of experience returning as he attempts to bring the Furman program back into contention in the Southern Conference. Three starters and four key reserves return from last season. Davis has also added a group of intriguing recruits to the mix. "Practice is going to be very interesting every day because competition on both sides of the ball is going to be fierce from day one," Davis siad. "In the past, there have been some days in practice where one or two guys have been hurt and the second team couldn't offer as much competition as they needed to make our first team better. "We will probably be a team that, on any given night, will have three new starters in the lineup, not because someone is playing poorly, but because it's for the health of the team. It will be a group of guys who, if they can learn to play together, get along and accept roles, can be a formidable group, as much because of their depth as their talent." The cornerstone of this year's Furman team is 6-8 senior forward/center Stanislav Makshantsev (14.5 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 11 blocked shots, .520 FG), the Paladins' leading scorer and second-leading rebounder last season. Makshantsev is the best pure power forward in the conference but will miss the first eight games of the season for an unspecified team violation. Makshantsev, a native of Kazakhstan, is one the strongest and most physical players in the conference. He was fifth in the league in scoring and 10th in rebounding. Makshantsev has the ability to post big offensive numbers as he possesses a variety of inside moves and has a nice mid-range shooting touch. He scored 30 points at Wofford and against Charleston Southern last season, had 25 points at William & Mary and scored 23 points against Duquesne.
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Blue Ribbon Analysis |
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BACKCOURT C BENCH/DEPTH C
FRONTCORT B INTANGIBLES C
The Paladins are making baby steps under the direction of Larry Davis. Last season's 12-victory total was Furman's best since a 17-11 record in 1991-92. This year, the Paladins will need to do better in several key departments to keep moving forward. First, they will need to have a more consistent attack from the perimeter, which will keep opposing defenses from keying inside on Stanislav Makshantsev and also open up scoring lanes for slashers such as Marcus Dilligard and Anthony Thomas. Second, the Paladins need to create more opportunities for themselves on defense. Furman was 10th in the Southern Conference last season in blocked shots (2.3 per game) and 11th in steals (6.4). And third, Furman needs to take better care of the ball. Last season the Paladins had 361 assists and 512 turnovers. The development of a true point guard is crucial. All in all, there are still plenty of questions facing this year's Furman team. But the Paladins deserve a watchful eye. If everything falls into place, Furman may climb in the South Division. For now, we'll pick the Paladins fifth. |
Makshantsev will be without frontcourt partner Daniel Quigley (11.7 ppg, 8.9 rpg), who led the conference in rebounding last season. "I would think that, on paper at least, rebounding would be a concern for us with the graduation of Daniel Quigley, who did a great job for us in rebounding the basketball," Davis said. "But I think with kids who are much more athletic replacing him, we should be better." The departure of the 6-7 Quigley and the 6-8 Will Coles (4.3 ppg, 4.2 rpg) should result in more minutes for 6-11 sophomore center Stevan Petrovic (2.5 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 13 blocked shots), who played in 25 games last season. Petrovic showed signs of potential last year, as witnessed by his 10-point outburst in the second half of Furman's game against Duquesne. Petrovic has a solid build and good quickness for a big man. He shot .489 from the field and was second on the team in blocked shots. Also providing muscle inside will be 6-7 freshman Darrell Arbaugh (Blazer HS/Ashland, Ky.), an all-state performer last season. Arbaugh averaged 19.0 points and 12.0 rebounds and played in the Kentucky-Indiana All-Star Game. He possesses the solid frame (230 pounds) necessary to do battle inside. Swingman Anthony Thomas (6.5 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 23 steals), a 6-4 sophomore, played in 25 games last season and made 22 starts. He endured a rough second half of the season last year, suffering a concussion in a game against East Tennessee State, then a sprained knee several games after returning to action. Thomas is extremely quick with the ball. He prefers to get to the basket rather than shoot from the perimeter. He hit only 13-of-60 (.217) three-point shots last season. The Paladins have been hampered the last few seasons by the lack of a true point guard. Marcus Dilligard (8.4 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 57 assists, 27 steals, .344 3 PT), a 6-5 junior, ran the Furman offense last season and is expected to at least start the season at the point again. Dilligard's game is probably best suited to off-guard or small forward. He had 16 more turnovers (73) than assists last season. Dilligard is an extremely good defender on the perimeter, perhaps one of the conference's best. Offensively, he can drive to the basket and hit from the perimeter. He is also adept at using his size to back in and score against smaller defenders. Dilligard led the Paladins in scoring four times last season, including a 15-point effort in their season-ending loss to College of Charleston in the Southern Conference Tournament. "Marcus this year will probably play everything from one to four, depending on how small we want to go, time on the clock, situation of the game." Davis said. "He's certainly athletic enough and strong enough to handle any position on the floor. He may be the most versatile player on the team." If Dilligard doesn't start at off-guard, look for 6-4 sophomore Kyle Julius (8.3 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 34 assists, 19 steals, .355 3 PT) to get the nod at that position. Julius played in all 28 games last season. He is a good three-point shooter with deceptively good athletic skills. As a freshman, he had a tendency to force things on offense, something that experience should cure. Julius proved last season that he could score against top-flight competition. He had 17 points against Northwestern, 14 against Georgia, 21 against Davidson and 14 against Appalachian State. Also returning at shooting spot are 6-1 junior P.J. Brown (1.3 ppg, 0.8 rpg) and 6-1 sophomore Jon Peddrick (0.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg). Brown is known primarily as a defender. He played in 27 games last season and attempted just 38 field goals. He is athletic and has quick hands and feet. Peddrick, a walk-on, appeared in just one game last season. Candidates to take over for Dilligard at the point are 6-0 sophomore Paul Foster (3.1 ppg, 1.2 rpg, 47 assists, 22 steals, .387 3 PT), 5-11 freshman Willie Brown (Berea HS/Greenville, S.C.). Foster played in 28 games last season. He is a good ball handler and was third on the team in assists. Foster also shot a high percentage from three-point range despite having an unorthodox shot. Brown was South Carolina's 3-A Player of the Year last season after averaging 16.5 points and 5.5 assists. He also shot better than 56 percent from the field. Also vying for time at the point will be 6-1 sophomore walk-on Maurice Owens (1.0 ppg, 0.2 rpg), who played in five games last season and should see spot duty again this year. The crown jewel of Davis' recruiting class could be 6-5 freshman forward Kenny Ziegler (Lithonia HS/Lithonia, Ga.). Ziegler was an all-state performer last season. He averaged 21.0 points and 9.1 rebounds. Ziegler should earn plenty of playing time this season on the wing, where he can use his exceptional quickness to drive to the basket and score in transition. He is also a good outside shooter, something Davis emphasized in his recruiting. Last season, the Paladins finished near the bottom of the conference in three-point percentage (.318) and three-point goals per game (5.1). Other newcomers are 6-6 freshman forward Karim Souchu (Lycee Carnot Dijon HS/Angicourt, France) and 6-6 freshman guard/forward Dusan Milicic (Washington (Tenn.) Academy/Smederevo, Yugoslavia). Souchu averaged 17.5 points and 8.5 rebounds last season. Milicic is an excellent shooter. He shot .455 from three-point range and .870 from the free-throw line last season en route to averaging 18.5 points.
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