I’m confident I was among the first 10,000 to notice the common thread in the past two coaches to defeat the University of Virginia in the NCAAs.

Nothing against the Cavs. It wasn’t personal.

Did it strike you as odd that six teams from the Mountain West made the field, all seeded in the lower half?

What did I watch Tuesday night? Well, mainly I was following high-school ballgames on an app, but what was on TV was a little bit of BC and Grand Canyon (on replay) and Ohio State and some imaginary teams in Division III. Not much I retained.

On to the latest farm news …

Furman’s Jason Donnelly is one of 28 administrators named an Athletics Director of the Year by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA).

Donnelly, now in his fifth year as the head of Furman’s athletics program, will be honored at the 59th Annual NACDA & Affiliates Convention at Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas, Nev., on June 11.

The ADOY Award highlights the efforts of athletics directors at all levels for their commitment and positive contributions to student-athletes, campuses and their surrounding communities.

“Our student-athletes have had several remarkable seasons in men’s and women’s sports, on the field and in the classroom,” president Elizabeth Davis said. “We’ve also received tremendous support from our students, alumni, fans and donors. That’s in large part to Jason’s leadership. Jason understands collegiate athletics, but more importantly, he understands that at Furman we help students develop holistically, and we give them the opportunity to succeed in life after graduation.”

Donnelly stated, “This special recognition is a great testament to the hard work, commitment, and success of our student athletes, coaches, staff, and everyone who supports them.”

Out of 28 recipients, 21 are receiving the ADOY for the first time. 

Hired as Director of Athletics in August 2019 and promoted to Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics in 2022, Donnelly has delivered bold new energy, excitement, and vision to Paladin athletics.

In the last reporting period Furman Athletics ranked among the nation’s best in Graduation Success Rate (GSR) and Academic Progress Rate (APR), while also claiming six Southern Conference championships and making seven NCAA Tournament appearances in 2023.  Furman athletics topped the SoCon in the 2022-23 Learfield Director’s Cup competition, finishing 113th out of 294 Division I institutions.

Furman’s competitive success has been supported by Donnelly’s leadership and work in the area of fundraising and engagement, evidenced in the fact that Paladin Athletics recorded its third consecutive record-breaking fundraising year with over $19 million in commitments from nearly 3,000 donors, representing a 426 percent increase in annual fundraising since his arrival in 2019.

Thirty-three gifts of six or seven-figures were made last year in support of athletics, including the largest gift in Furman Athletics history — a $10 million commitment from Ravenel Curry ‘63 to headline a $40 million renovation of Timmons Arena, announced in February, that will transform the current arena into a first-class facility while dramatically enhancing the game-day experience and placing it among the best arenas in college basketball at its size and scale.

Over the last two years, Furman has established new engagement and attendance records.

Donnelly currently serves as chair of the SoCon’s Athletic Directors Committee and on the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Regional Advisory Committee.

Junior J.P. Pegues is on the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division I All-District 21 First Team.

Pegues averaged 18.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game en route to earning first team All-Southern Conference honors. He also ranked among the league leaders by shooting .875 at the foul line, posting a 2.3 assist-to-turnover ratio and averaging 1.2 steals per game.

A native of Nashville, Tenn., Pegues posted 25 points and four assists per game at the SoCon Men’s Basketball Championship to secure all-tournament honors. The junior finished the season by scoring 19 or more points in his final seven games, including 33 at SoCon champion Samford and 35 at Western Carolina.

Furman finished the 2023-24 season with a 17-16 record and 10-8 league mark.

District 21

First Team

Achor Achor – Samford

Mikeal Brown-Jones – UNCG

Keyshaun Langley – UNCG

JP Pegues – Furman

Vonterius Woolbright – Western Carolina

Second Team

Trey Bonham – Chattanooga

Honor Huff – Chattanooga

Rylan Jones – Samford

Jalyn McCreary – Mercer

Corey Tripp – Wofford

Coach of the Year: Bucky McMillan – Samford

Sophomore Clark Akers surged into the second-round lead at 7-under-par after the second round Tuesday of the General Hackler Championship, hosted by Coastal Carolina at The Dunes Golf and Beach Club in Myrtle Beach. 

Akers, also a native of Nashville, is playing as an individual and teed off on No. 10.  He posted consecutive birdies on Nos. 12 and 13, then added two more birdies on the back to turn at 4-under. Akers birdied Nos. 4 and 8 on the front for six birdies on the round. He entered the final round two strokes of Max Kennedy (-5) of Louisville.  

Senior Walker Crosby (+2) carded an even 72 with three birdies on Tuesday to move up into a tie for 20th, while senior Ross Funderburke (+3) and sophomore Harris Barth (+3) were tied for 26th with one round to play.

Host Coastal Carolina (-2) led the field with a 280 on Tuesday to surge to the top of the leader board. No. 48 Louisville (E) was in second place, one stroke ahead of 15th-ranked East Tennessee State (+1). The Paladins (+4) were in fourth place, followed by College of Charleston (+5) and No. 33 Chattanooga (+7).  

The lacrosse schedule is harsh.

Eleventh-ranked Florida defeated the Paladins, 23-7, in Gainesville on Tuesday.

Furman is 2-7, having acquainted itself with many of the prominent. Florida is 8-2.

Anna Roser briefly provided the Paladins a tie, but the Gators scored the next 13 goals.
The Paladins netted five goals in the second half from Hannah Dintino and Paige Harman twice, and Sophia Buzelis. Harman recorded Furman’s first and last goal of the second half while Dintino added one each in the third and fourth quarters. Buzelis scored off an assist from Reynolds Hester with 10:25 to go in the third quarter.
The Paladins are off until Wednesday, March 27 when they open Big South play, hosting Wofford at 6 p.m.

Will work for food, but contributions would be better. They’re both good and good for me.

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