Furman Basketball: 2022-23 season preview for the Paladins

Key reserves

Guard- Carter Whitt (Sophomore)

The biggest addition to the Paladins roster is Wake Forest transfer point guard Carter Whitt. Whitt struggled in his role at Wake with 22 minutes per contest with 4.7 points and 2.7 assists while also committing 2.7 turnovers. The change to the SOCON should provide Whitt with a change of scenery that is less daunting than playing in the ACC.

In his time at Wake, he didn’t excel as a three-point shooter (27.7% in his career) or at the free throw line (56.3% in his career) but carved out a role as a secondary facilitator. While his assist/turnover ratio was almost flat (7.1 to 7.2), there is still some promise that he can fulfill the role of shot creator for other outside shooting threats like Bothwell and Anderson when he is on the floor. If he can corral that turnover number and lower it to a much smaller number, he can be a huge addition to this rotation.

Guard- JP Pegues (Sophomore)

The sophomore guard from Nashville will have an expanded role after logging only 12.6 minutes per game last season. He showed some three-point shooting flashes throughout the year (making 35%) including a 6/9 perimeter shooting outburst against Western Carolina.

Coach Richey didn’t dip into his bench often last season, but when Pegues’ number was called, he proved he could be a reliable role player. He’ll be jockeying for starting time and for a much-expanded role this season. If he can improve upon his five assists per 100 possession production and prove to be a consistent knock-down three-point shooter with an ability to get others involved, he can be the perfect prototype player to replace Hunter’s production from last season.

Forward – Tyrese Hughey (Sophomore)

Another wild card in this rotation, Hughey is another player from last season who might see an uptick in playing time. Appearing in only eleven minutes per game, Hughey’s role was limited. But at 6-6 on a team that isn’t flooded with size, he was relied upon to grab rebounds and did it well.

Per 100, Hughey was grabbing 14.8 boards and over nine percent of Furman’s missed shots while he was on the floor. There’s room for growth and it will be interesting to see if he is able to find his way onto the floor for more minutes this season.

Forward – Alex Williams (Sophomore)

Like Hughey, Williams is another guard/forward with decent size at 6-5 and with limited playing time during their freshman seasons. Williams appeared in only 14 games but when he did play, shot the ball from outside well, making 12 of his 27 attempts (44%).

If there is a blueprint for him to get more playing time, it’s to be able to continue shooting at that clip while also proving he can be a playable defensive asset and be able to function well within an egalitarian offense that does well getting the whole offense involved.