Men's basketball optimistic

The cautious optimism surrounding the Furman men's basketball team continues to grow as the talent in the program becomes more evident.Winning helps, too.

Last Friday, the Paladins knocked off Division II Lees-McRae in their regular season opener 88-49. Junior guards Jordan Miller and Justin Dehm paced the team with 23 and 17 points, respectively, and each hit 5 three-pointers en route to Furman's opening night route of the Bobcats.

"We liked the tempo that we played at," said Head Coach Jeff Jackson. "It's a good way to start the season."

The team put in a solid all-around effort, with near double-double performances from Bryson Barnes (9 points, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks) and Amu Saaka (9 pts, 10 reb) but it was 6-foot-9-inch sophomore Brandon Sebirumbi's second half performance that caught many eyes. Sebirumbi finished with 10 points, but, more importantly, he showed a vastly improved arsenal of inside moves to provide the Paladins with a legitimate offensive presence in the post.

"[Brandon] played well," said Jackson. "We're looking for him to be more aggressive on offense, we're looking for him to be a guy who can be in double figures every game."

Though the win is a good starting point for a Paladin team that is looking to build confidence within and without, Jackson knows his team has plenty of work left to do.

"We're pretty athletic, we're solid defensively, and we have a lot of different ways we can score," said Jackson. "Nothing is at a level we're totally content with yet."

The Paladins are also awaiting the return of freshman big man and projected starter Colin Reddick, who is currently day-to-day with a "pretty badly sprained" foot.

At home this Saturday, Jackson's team will face Dartmouth (0-2), a team that edged the Paladins 68-63 on the road last season.

The Big Green have struggled to score this year, averaging just 51 points per game, after losing Alex Barnett, their top scorer from a year ago. However, the Ivy League school will also be looking at their contest with the Paladins as its first chance for a win after opening its season with big losses to Boston College and George Mason.

After Dartmouth, Furman opens up a three game road trip with games at fast-starting Rice (Nov. 24) a televised contest with UNC-Asheville (Nov. 27) and an early Southern Conference game against an Appalachian State team that many think is the most talented team in the conference (Dec. 3.)