I was at a local hangout, and a friend asked, “How’s that Furman football player doing?”

I told him Bryce Stanfield was apparently in bad shape, that I was praying for him and that he was a great guy. My friend, who is a Georgia fan, said, “I figured he was, playing at Furman and all.”

That’s the vibe my alma mater has: character, intelligence and success.

Even as I felt sorrow, I felt pride.

Some find the Paladins a bit pretentious, but most realize they strive to play ballgames and attend college the right way.

Stanfield died on Friday at age 21 after being incapacitated while attending a Wednesday-morning workout at Paladin Stadium on Wednesday.

“We are heartbroken beyond measure with Bryce’s sudden passing and ask that everyone, first and foremost, lift up his parents, Fred and Teri Stanfield and their family, in prayer on this day and in the days ahead,” said Furman head coach Clay Hendrix. 

“There are so many more who are really hurting — namely Bryce’s teammates, coaches and staff, classmates, friends, and the entire Furman community and beyond,” Hendrix added  “Bryce was an outstanding young man and an equally fine student, football player and friend. He was so much a part of who we are as a program and school, and was pivotal in our success on the football field and through giving of his time in outreach to our community. In every sense he was the best representative we could have.  His passing is one of the most difficult things Furman football has ever encountered, but our faith and so many wonderful memories Bryce provided us will help sustain us all in the days ahead.”  

Stanfield, from Acworth, Ga., was conferred his Bachelor of Science degree in health sciences, magna cum laude, by Furman President Dr. Elizabeth Davis in Friday morning-ceremonies surrounded by family and Paladin football teammates and coaches.

“Our Furman family is heartbroken by Bryce’s passing, and we share our deepest condolences with family, friends, and teammates,” said Jason Donnelly, Furman Vice-President of Intercollegiate Athletics. “Bryce was a beautiful soul, a loving son, loyal friend, tremendous teammate and great student. We are grateful for the outpouring of love and prayers from our entire community. Bryce will be dearly missed but will be remembered in our hearts forever.”

A defensive tackle and three-year letterman, Stanfield saw action in all 13 games last season, totaling 13 tackles, four tackles for-loss and 2-1/2 sacks, in the Paladins’ 10-3, Southern Conference championship campaign.

He played in eight games as a true freshman in 2021 and was credited with 19 tackles, including three sacks, on the way to earning SoCon All-Freshman Team honors.  As a sophomore in 2022, he appeared in all 13 games, working at both defensive end and defensive tackle in Furman’s 10-3, FCS playoff season that saw him total 17 tackles and 1-1/2 sacks.

In addition to his football contribution, he served in Furman’s Heller Service Corps Men of Distinction and was an active participant in visiting patients at Greenville Children’s Hospital and in reading to children in local schools.

Stanfield was two-time SoCon Academic Honor Roll selection and was recently named to both the 2023 SoCon Fall All-Academic Team and College Sports Communicators Academic All-District squad.

Memorial service arrangements will be announced later.

Meanwhile, on the basketball courts …

It’s time for Bob Richey, his staff and team to get this men’s basketball season together.

Furman lost its two top players to graduation and the pros.

Furman missed its three top scorers for a while due to injury.

They’re back.

No one expected the Paladins to slump at the very time they seemed to be jelling.

This cannot be construed as excess criticism. Richey sees it the same way.

After the defeat at Mercer on Wednesday night, Richey said, “Unfortunately, that was a very bad performance. It was an uninspired performance. It was a very poor defensive and rebounding effort. We’ve got to get it fixed. We’ve got to get it fixed.

“We chose to take bad shots. We had plays on. We had actions on, and we just didn’t run on them. It’s on me.”

Saturday is a good night to regain the stardust.

Remember that old nursery rhyme? When [they] are good, they are very, very good, and when [they] are bad, [they] are horrid.

Furman plays its second of four nationally televised games during the month of February when it travels to Freedom Hall in Johnson City to face the East Tennessee State Buccaneers Saturday evening on CBS Sports Network. Tip-off is at 6 p.m.

Furman (12-12, 6-5 SoCon) is looking to find its form after dropping three of its last four games, including a 78-69 defeat at Mercer on Wednesday night. Jalyn McCreary totaled 28 points and eight rebounds for the Bears as they rallied from a nine-point second-half deficit by outscoring the Paladins 44-29 over the final 20 minutes.

Marcus Foster contributed 19 points and nine rebounds for Furman, and Alex Williams and Tyrese Hughey reached double figures with 15 and 10 points, respectively, but the Paladins allowed Mercer to shoot .567 in the second half and .516 for the game.

Seven Southern Conference games remain.

Saturday’s visit to ETSU marks the 69^th series meeting versus the Bucs with the series knotted at 34-34. Furman has won each of the last three meetings and downed ETSU, 82-73, in Greenville on Jan. 13 behind 20 points apiece from Williams and J.P. Pegues. Last season, Furman claimed a 70-56 victory in Johnson City.

The Bucs grinded out a 57-50 victory over Wofford at Freedom Hall on Wednesday night. Jaden Seymour paced ETSU with 15 points as the Bucs improved to 13-11 overall and 5-6 in the league. 

Furman returns home on Wednesday, Feb. 14, to host the VMI Keydets at 7 p.m. at Timmons Arena.

In addition to the national television broadcast, fans can listen to the action on The Fan Upstate at 97.7 FM and 1330 AM in Greenville, on 97.1 FM and 1490 AM in Spartanburg, or via the Audacy app.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch …

UNC Greensboro headed the Paladins off at the pass, literally, in the final minute its 59-56 victory over Furman on Thursday evening at Timmons Arena on Thursday night.

The Spartans converted three Furman turnovers into baskets in the final minute of play to erase a three-point deficit.

The victory improved UNCG to 15-8 overall and 4-4 in SoCon action, while the loss evened Furman’s record at 12-12 and 2-6.

After Hannah Hansson collected a blocked shot perimeter shot and deposited it for basket to give Furman a 54-51 lead with 1:36 remaining, UNCG’s Nia Howard stepped in front of a Paladin pass and converted the layup to cut the Paladins’ lead to 54-53 with 53 seconds to go.

Furman turned it over on its inbounds attempt, and the Spartans quickly took advantage with a Ayanna Khalfani basket in the paint.

 The Paladins’ Jada Session drained two free throws to give Furman a 56-55 lead with 16 seconds to go, but it didn’t hold up as Khalfani drove hard down the left side of the lane for a layup an 57-56 advantage with 10 seconds remaining.

Following a timeout, Furman’s Evie DePetro’s pass on the perimeter was picked off by Jayde Gamble, who was sent to the free throw line, where she drained a pair of free throws with two seconds left for the game’s final points.

Gamble led the Spartans with 14 points, followed by Khalfani and Isys Grady with 12 points apiece.

Furman got a game- and career-high 24 points from Niveya Henley, who made 8/14 shots, including 3/5 three-pointers.

Jada Session was the only other Paladin in double figures with 10.

 Furman competed without the services of starting junior forward Kate Johnson (11.4 ppg, 7.0 rpg), who sustained an knee injury early in the second quarter of the Chattanooga game, as well as the team’s top two point guards, redshirt junior Tate Walters (10.0 ppg), who missed her fourth game with an ankle injury, and senior Paraskevi Koilia, also out.

DePetro, whose season high in minutes (16) had come in a pre-Christmas win over Bob Jones, played 28 minutes and tallied seven points and a career-high six assists.

The game featured 16 lead changes and eight ties.  With Johnson unavailable, UNCG was able to compile a 46-32 edge in rebounding, including a 20-9 differential on the offensive glass, converting it to a 20-8 scoring advantage.

Furman plays host to Western Carolina on Sunday at 2 p.m. The game was rescheduled from Saturday.

Take a look at the stats here.

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