By MONTE DUTTON

On Wednesday morning, I had some time on my hands because a plumber was at the house, so while waiting to see how much the damage was – answer: a lot – I watched part of the Susan Smith parole hearing on TV.
I have an offbeat memory from that time.
The Spartanburg Herald-Journal then employed me as its NASCAR writer, and I didn’t have a race that weekend, so I went down to the high-school football game in Rock Hill matching Union and Northwestern to write what happened. Then, as now, I loved writing about high schools, so I was happy to oblige.

Union won, and when I interviewed the Yellow Jackets’ head coach, Shell Dula, I immediately knew something was wrong.
I knew nothing about Susan Smith. All the questions from other reporters were about how the community needed some relief. At that time, the belief was that Smith’s two boys had been kidnapped. Her claims had not yet unraveled.
The next day, I drove through Union on the way to Clinton and stopped at a convenience store.

In the window was an artist’s depiction of the alleged suspect, and I was suspicious because it was a stereotypical and unflattering sketch of a black man wearing a stocking cap.

Emotions were high, and I thought that sketch might get someone lynched.
I didn’t think much about it, but it didn’t surprise me when heard it was apparently Smith’s coverup for murdering her sons by drowning them in a car that had been pushed into John D. Long Lake.
To this day, I think about it when I drive past a road sign pointing to the lake.

Most of Furman’s edge in Tuesday night’s 81-53 victory over USC Upstate occurred in the third quarter of a women’s basketball game at the Paladins’ one-season home, Hayes Gymnasium at nearby North Greenville University.
Sydney Ryan scored all 15 of her points in a decisive third quarter.
With Furman (3-2) leading 33-27 at the half, Ryan, a junior forward, opened the third quarter with a three-pointer to spark a 20-0 run that put the Paladins in control. The Nashville, Tenn., product, who tallied 13 of her 15 points in the spurt, connected on 3/5 triples and 4/4 free throws in the period as the Paladins outscored the Spartans 30-8 to extend their advantage to 65-38.

Tate Walters and Niveya Henley scored 16 points apiece to pace Furman, and Clare Coyle was the fourth in double figures with 11 points. Walters also chipped in six rebounds, four assists and four steals in 29 minutes of court time.
The Paladins harried USC Upstate (1-4) into 25 turnovers, leading to 28-10 edge in points off miscues, and Furman dominated the Spartans in the paint, posting a 44-12 edge.

Furman shot .468 (29/62) from the field (29×62) and secured a 38-34 edge in rebounds. USC Upstate connected on just 17/50 (.340) field goal attempts.
Audrey Kierscht scored 12 points to pace the Spartans.

Take a look at the stats here.

Furman plays host to Bob Jones this Saturday in a 2 p.m. contest at Hayes Gymnasium.

Furman’s future home is less than a year away from completion as renovations continue at Timmons Arena, but the Paladins expect to have a decided home court advantage on Wednesday night when they host Oglethorpe at historic Parker Gymnasium on the campus of Legacy Early College.

Wednesday’s tip-off is 7 p.m. and the game can be heard on The Fan Upstate at 97.7 FM and 1330 AM in Greenville, 97.1 FM and 1490 AM in Spartanburg, and via the Audacy app. There will be no video stream on Wednesday.
“William Brown is a dear friend of mine,” said Paladin head coach Bob Richey. “He’s a huge Furman guy who bleeds purple and started Legacy Charter. I told him, ‘Let’s play a game in here.’ I love that gym. It has a “Hoosiers” feel a little bit. Our players go over there every week to do a reading program, and this is an opportunity for us to go into the community and play a game on their court as we try to get to different parts of Greenville. It’s going to be fun.”

Parker Gym was built in 1924 and served as the home of the Parker High School Golden Tornadoes until the school closed in 1985. The Pit, as it was known for decades, has seen many outstanding players and memorable performances over the years, including Parker’s 1959 state championship squad. The facility, which has undergone several renovations over the years, now serves as the home of the Legacy Early College Lions and seats under 900 spectators.
Parker Gym joins Textile Hall, Greenville Memorial Auditorium, Lay Physical Activities Center on campus, Greenville High’s Slick Moore Gymnasium, Timmons Arena and the Well as Greenville venues that have served as Furman’s home floor since the 1950’s.

The Paladins, who received votes in the Associated Press Top 25 this week and are ranked 15th in the latest College Insider Mid-Major Top 25, enter Wednesday’s game at 4-0 on the season after topping American Athletic Conference foe Tulane, 75-67, on Friday night at the Well.
Senior PJay Smith Jr., who was tabbed Southern Conference Player of the Week for the second straight week, led the Paladins with 29 points on 6/11 shooting behind the arc while fellow guard Nick Anderson added 19.

Furman is facing NCAA Division III Oglethorpe (2-2) for the fourth time in school history and holds a 3-0 lead in the all-time series versus the Stormy Petrels. The schools last met on November 24, 1999, with the Paladins claiming a 76-59 decision in Greenville.
Following Wednesday’s clash, Furman opens a four-game road swing with a visit to Charleston Southern at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
Furman athletics continues to excel in its of graduating its athletes, according to annual Graduation Success Rate (GSR) numbers released by the NCAA.

Furman registered an overall graduation success rate of 96 for its intercollegiate athletics program, with nine of 14 sports posting perfect marks of 100.
Men’s and women’s cross country, indoor track & field, and outdoor track & field were grouped as a single sport for both genders. The university boasts an 18-sport intercollegiate athletics program.
Sports earning perfect 100 graduation rates include men’s basketball, women’s basketball, men’s cross country/track & field, women’s cross country/track & field, men’s golf, women’s golf, softball, men’s tennis and women’s tennis.

The overall GSR of all NCAA Division I institutions is 91 for student-athletes who enrolled over the four-year period.
GSR measures graduation over six years from first-time college enrollment. It holds institutions accountable for transfer students, includes mid-year enrollees, and is calculated for every sport. Under the calculation, institutions are not penalized for outgoing transfer students who leave in good academic standing. The outgoing transfers are included in the receiving institution’s GSP cohort.
The NCAA, which developed the GSP to assess the academic success of athletes more accurately, began compiling GSP figures with the entering freshman class of 1995.

The Furman men’s cross country team is ranked 24th nationally, according to the latest U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) rankings.
On Saturday, the Paladin men earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Championship, which will be held Saturday in Madison, Wis. The men’s 10 kilometers is at 11:10 a.m. EST.
The Paladins claimed their 12th straight Southern Conference title on Nov. 2.
Furman’s Ivan Agyaakwah, Landon Hill, Christian Kraus, Jack Travis, and Lloyd Wamu Snell were named to the College Sports Communicators Men’s Soccer Academic All-District Team.
The Southern Conference champion Paladins (9-3-5) and North Carolina Tar Heels (9-4-4) are scheduled to kick off at 5 p.m. on Thursday in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament at Dorrance Field in Chapel Hill, N.C. The winner of Thursday’s match will advance to face Marshall in the second round on Sunday in Huntington, W.Va.

Women’s soccer standouts Katie Bengough, Ashlyn Goila, Helen Gutierrez, Tara Katz, Ava King, and Maddie Massie also earned Academic All-District honors, it was announced on Tuesday.
Furman finished with a 10-7-3 overall record and 5-2-2 league mark. The Paladins advanced to the semifinal round of the SoCon Women’s Soccer Championship before falling 1-0 at eventual champion Samford.
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