The conclusion of Southern Conference play means that all basketball teams will now head to Harrah’s Cherokee Center in Asheville, N.C., where a bid to the NCAA March Madness Tournament is at stake. For the Paladins, Asheville is familiar. The Dins are no stranger to competing in the tournament, having played in the conference championship in two of the last three years.
A huge part of Furman’s recent success has come from superb guard play. In recent memory, players like Alex Hunter ‘22, Mike Bothwell ‘23, and JP Pegues ‘25 have become Furman legends for the way they have played in Asheville. This year, a backcourt led by senior captain PJay Smith Jr and graduate transfer Nick Anderson hope to continue that trend.
The Paladin had a chance to catch up with Smith Jr. to talk about all things Furman basketball and beyond. Smith Jr. transferred to Furman last year following two seasons at Lee University in Cleveland, Tenn. He has thrived in his second year with the Paladins, leading Furman in scoring this season with an average of just under 17 points per game and shooting an impressive 41% from the three-point arc.
In a game on Wednesday, Feb. 22 at Samford University in Birmingham, Ala., Smith Jr. scored a career high of 32 points, which secured the Paladins an upset win. With this win, the Paladins eclipsed the 20-win mark for the seventh time in the last nine seasons.
“It is a credit to coach Richey and the people he brings in. It is all about bringing the right people in and having a good culture set so everyone plays with the same mindset and the same purpose,” Smith Jr. said when detailing what Furman’s recent success means to him and the team. When that purpose happens to be winning, the recent success makes sense.
To round out the month of February and the home conference slate, Smith Jr. scored 19 points in the game with the biggest margin of victory in the Southern Conference this season, during which Furman competed against The Citadel.
With only days remaining before the Southern Conference tournament, Smith Jr. and the Paladins are primed to make a run.
“I know we can win in Asheville next week,” Smith Jr. said when asked about the team’s prospects of victory. “If we keep playing together, stay on the same page and keep our heads straight, we can beat anyone in the league.”
The SoCon league has been very competitive this season, with several down-to-the-wire games being played every night. When it comes tournament time, truly anything can happen.
“We just have to go out there and play free. We just make every game count and play it like it’s our last,” Smith Jr. said about dealing with the pressure of needing to constantly play at his best in a competitive environment.
When looking back on the season as a whole, PJay credits a difficult non-conference schedule as the reason he has learned so much about himself and his team. After playing road games against Kansas, Seattle, Florida Gulf Coast and Belmont, it is clear that the Paladins were tested early and have come out better because of it.
“I feel like we learned a lot about each other over that stretch. Personally, I learned that I can compete with anybody, and I am a better leader than I give myself credit for. I am not the most vocal person, but I get to lead by example and play hard every night,” Smith Jr. said. “I learned a lot about my teammates as well. We went 13-1, showing that we are really talented and can compete with the best teams we face.”
The home slate was difficult for the Paladins as well this season. The current AP Poll number-one ranked team, Auburn, visited Greenville, S.C. for a preseason exhibition at the end of October. The Dins also hosted Princeton, Jacksonville and Tulane at home this year.
However, “home” looked a little different this season — all games were played downtown at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena while Timmons Arena underwent renovations.
“Playing at The Well this season has definitely been different, but I feel like we embraced it. We enjoyed it and made the best of it, and we only lost three games in there all year,” Smith Jr. said.
Smith Jr. often models his game after Kyle Lowry, a six-time all star and NBA champion, who is known for his tough defense and excellent shooting — traits Smith Jr. emulates while on the court.
Like Lowry, the game seems to sometimes come easy for Smith Jr. When asked about this phenomenon, Smith Jr. said, “It just comes naturally. As the game goes on, you just get comfortable, especially after you make one.”
Hopefully for all Paladins fans, the game continues to come naturally for Smith Jr. as the Dins head to Asheville, N.C. for the quarterfinal round of the Southern Conference tournament against rival Samford on Saturday, March 8 at 8:30 p.m. The game will be aired on ESPN+.
