SoCon Basketball: Ranking of 25 best players from last decade (2013-23)

3. Jalen Slawson

A 6’7 forward from Summerville, South Carolina, Slawson arrived at Furman in 2018 and would have quite a career with the Paladins, staying in town for the next five seasons. Slawson took advantage of the bonus year from the pandemic and was a major part of the winning culture with the program, which really came to a head by the end of his journey.

Slawson played a very small role as a freshman, but was a full-time starter the following year, helping Furman to a 25-win season. After decent production early in his career, he took a big step forward as a senior, averaging 14.5 points and 7.4 rebounds for the Paladins, including a career-high 33 points against the College of Charleston. His fifth season was by far the finest, with Slawson putting up 15.6 points and 7.1 rebounds in an outstanding season for Furman. Not only did he help lead the Paladins to the regular season and conference tournament titles, but he had 19 points and 10 rebounds in their Tourney upset against Virginia.

Not only was he First Team All-SoCon in those last two years, but Slawson was named Defensive Player of the Year as a senior and Player of the Year in his final campaign. He was putting up pretty incredible numbers across the board, sitting among the league’s leaders in points, rebounds, assists, and field goal percentage by the end of his career. Furman’s incredible run this past year will certainly keep Slawson among the most memorable Paladins in recent memory.