Bob Richey

Bob Richey
Current position
Title	Head coach
Team	Furman
Conference	SoCon
Record	156–71 (.687)
Biographical details
Born	March 22, 1983 (age 40); New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
Alma mater	North Greenville ('06)
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
2006–2011	Charleston Southern (assistant)
2011–2017	Furman (assistant)
2017–present	Furman
Head coaching record
Overall	156–71 (.687)
Tournaments	1–1 (NCAA Division I); 0–1 (NIT); 0–1 (CIT)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
	SoCon regular season (2023); SoCon tournament (2023)

Last updated March 11, 2024

Robert McIntire Richey Jr. (born March 22, 1983) is an American college basketball coach and current head coach at Furman.^[1]

Coaching career

Richey's coaching career began at Charleston Southern in 2006, where he served on Barclay Radebaugh's staff until 2011. He joined the Furman staff under Jeff Jackson in 2011, and was retained as an assistant coach under Niko Medved. He served in the role until 2017, when he was elevated to interim head coach after Medved accepted the head coaching position at Drake. Richey coached the Paladins in their 2017 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament semifinal matchup, in which they fell to St. Peters. Following the season, the interim tag was lifted and Richey became the 22nd head coach in Furman history.^[2]

Richey prioritizes the retention and development of his players, rather than the acquisition of talent. Under Richey's tutelage, Furman star Jalen Slawson blossomed into the 2023 Southern Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year and became the first Furman basketball player drafted to the NBA since 1984. Richey's success has led to head coaching interviews with prominent NCAA programs, but thus far he has chosen to remain at Furman.^[3]

2018–19 season

In his second season as head coach, Richey led the Paladins to wins over two teams that had reached the Final Four of the 2018 NCAA tournament: Loyola Chicago and defending national champion Villanova.^[4] Following a school-record 10-0 start, Furman became ranked in the AP Poll for the first time in program history and went on to be ranked for three consecutive weeks. Richey and the Paladins proceeded to win their first 12 games and finish with what was then a school-record 25 wins. Furman was ranked as high as 23rd in the AP poll and was invited to the National Invitation Tournament for the first time since 1991.^[1]

2022–2023 season

After falling in the Southern Conference championship game the year before, Richey and the Paladins won the 2023 Southern Conference title and qualified for the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1980. Furman went on to shock 14th-ranked Virginia with a last-second steal and three-point shot in the school's second-ever NCAA tournament win, securing a school-record 28 wins and national recognition for Furman University.^[5]

Head coaching record

Statistics overview
Season	Team	Overall	Conference	Standing	Postseason
Furman Paladins (Southern Conference)(2017–present)
2016–17	Furman	0–1*			CIT Semifinals
2017–18	Furman	23–10	13–5	3rd
2018–19	Furman	25–8	13–5	T–3rd	NIT First Round
2019–20	Furman	25–7	15–3	2nd
2020–21	Furman	16–9	10–5	3rd
2021–22	Furman	22–12	12–6	2nd
2022–23	Furman	28–8	15–3	T–1st	NCAA Division I Round of 32
2023–24	Furman	17–16	10–8	T–5th
Furman:		156–71 (.687)	88–35 (.715)
Total:		156–71 (.687)

* Niko Medved accepted Drake position; Richey coached CIT semifinal game.

Personal life

Richey is a Christian.^[6] He is married to Jessica Richey, with whom he has three children.^[1]

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The Furman Paladins are the varsity athletic teams representing Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina, in intercollegiate athletics.

The Furman Paladins men's basketball team is the basketball team that represents Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina, United States. The school's team currently competes in the Southern Conference. They are currently led by head coach Bob Richey and play their home games at the Timmons Arena. In 2018, the Paladins entered the College Basketball AP Poll for the first time in program history, coming in at number 23 on December 10. Furman made an appearance in the NCAA Division I Tournament in 2023 after having last appeared in 1980, the 43-year absence being the 15th longest drought in NCAA Division I Tournament history. During that tournament Furman would upset 4 seeded Virginia in the first round.

Niko Medved is an American college basketball coach, currently the head men's basketball coach at Colorado State University. Prior to becoming head coach at Colorado State, he was head coach at Drake University and Furman.

The 2013–14 Furman Paladins men's basketball team represented Furman University during the 2013–14 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Paladins, led by first year head coach Niko Medved, played their home games at Timmons Arena and were members of the Southern Conference. They finished the season 9–21, 3–13 in SoCon play to finish in tenth place. They lost in the first round of the SoCon tournament to Georgia Southern.

The 2014–15 Furman Paladins men's basketball team represented Furman University during the 2014–15 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Paladins, led by second year head coach Niko Medved, played their home games at Timmons Arena and were members of the Southern Conference.

The 2015–16 Furman Paladins men's basketball team represented Furman University during the 2015–16 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Paladins, led by third year head coach Niko Medved, played their home games at Timmons Arena and were members of the Southern Conference. They finished the season 19–16, 11–7 in SoCon play to finish in a tie for third place. They defeated UNC Greensboro to advance to the semifinals of the SoCon tournament where they lost to East Tennessee State. They were invited to the CollegeInsider.com Tournament where they defeated Louisiana–Monroe in the first round to advance to the second round where they lost to Louisiana–Lafayette.

The 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began on November 11, 2016. The first tournament was the 2K Sports Classic, and ended with the Final Four in Glendale, Arizona on April 3, 2017. Practices officially began on September 30, 2016.

The 2016–17 Drake Bulldogs men's basketball team represented Drake University during the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bulldogs were led by interim head coach Jeff Rutter. They played their home games at the Knapp Center in Des Moines, Iowa and were members of the Missouri Valley Conference.

The 2016–17 Furman Paladins men's basketball team represented Furman University during the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Paladins, led by fourth-year head coach Niko Medved, played their home games at Timmons Arena in Greenville, South Carolina as members of the Southern Conference. They finished the season 23–12, 14–4 in SoCon play to finish in a three-way tie for the SoCon regular season championship. They lost to Samford in the quarterfinals SoCon tournament. They were invited to the CollegeInsider.com Tournament where they defeated USC Upstate and Campbell before losing in the semifinals to Saint Peter's.

The 2017–18 Drake Bulldogs men's basketball team represented Drake University during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bulldogs were led by first-year head coach Niko Medved. They played their home games at Knapp Center in Des Moines, Iowa as members of the Missouri Valley Conference. They finished the season 17–17, 10–8 in MVC play to finish in to finish in a tie for third place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the MVC tournament to Bradley. They were invited to the CollegeInsider.com Tournament where they defeated Abilene Christian in the first round in a game referred to as the Lou Henson Classic. In the second round they were defeated by Northern Colorado.

The 2017–18 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball season began with practices in October 2017, followed by the start of the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season in November. Conference play began in late December 2017 and concluded in March with the Missouri Valley Conference tournament at Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri.

The 2017–18 Furman Paladins men's basketball team represented Furman University during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Paladins, led by first-year head coach Bob Richey, played their home games at Timmons Arena in Greenville, South Carolina as members of the Southern Conference. They finished the season 23–10, 13–5 in SoCon play to finish in third place. They defeated Western Carolina in the quarterfinals of the SoCon tournament before losing in the semifinals to East Tennessee State. Despite having 23 wins, they did not participate in a postseason tournament.

The 2018–19 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball season began with practices in October 2018, followed by the start of the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season on November 6, 2018. Conference play began in late December 2018 and concluded in March with the Missouri Valley Conference tournament at Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri.

The 2018–19 Drake Bulldogs men's basketball team represented Drake University during the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bulldogs were led by first-year head coach Darian DeVries. They played their home games at Knapp Center in Des Moines, Iowa as members of the Missouri Valley Conference. They finished the season 24–10, 12–6 to earn a share of the MVC regular season championship. As the No. 2 seed in the MVC tournament, they defeated Illinois State before losing to Northern Iowa in the semifinals. They received a bid to the CollegeInsider.com Tournament where they lost in the first round to Southern Utah.

The 2018–19 Furman Paladins men's basketball team represented Furman University during the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Paladins, led by second-year head coach Bob Richey, played their home games at Timmons Arena in Greenville, South Carolina as members of the Southern Conference. They finished the season 25–8, 13–5 in Socon play to finish in a tie for second place. They defeated Mercer in the quarterfinals of the SoCon tournament before losing in the semifinals to UNC Greensboro. They received an at-large bid to the National Invitation Tournament where they lost in the first round to Wichita State. This season was the first team in school history to be ranked in the AP Poll.

The 2019–20 Furman Paladins men's basketball team represented Furman University in the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Paladins, led by third-year head coach Bob Richey, played their home games at Timmons Arena in Greenville, South Carolina as members of the Southern Conference. They finished the season 25–7, 15–3 in SoCon play to finish in second place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the SoCon tournament to Wofford. Although having 25 wins and being a strong candidate for postseason play, all post season tournaments were cancelled amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 2021–22 Furman Paladins men's basketball team represented Furman University in the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Paladins, led by fifth-year head coach Bob Richey, played their home games at Timmons Arena and Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina as members of the Southern Conference. They finished the regular season 20–11, 12–6 in SoCon play to finish second place. They defeated Mercer and Samford in the SoCon tournament to advance to the championship game. There they lost to Chattanooga in overtime.

The 2022–23 Furman Paladins men's basketball team represented Furman University in the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Paladins, led by sixth-year head coach Bob Richey, played their home games at Timmons Arena and Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina, as members of the Southern Conference. They improved on their 12-6 SoCon record from last season and finished the regular season with a 15–3 record, to finish in first place. In the SoCon tournament, they defeated Mercer, and Western Carolina to reach the championship game. In the championship game, they defeated defending SoCon tournament champion Chattanooga to make the NCAA tournament, the first time since 1980 they accomplished this. They went on to upset Virginia in the first round of the NCAA tournament, only to lose to San Diego State in the 2nd round.

References

1 2 3 "Bob Richey". Furman University.
↑ Robinson, Manie (April 7, 2017). "Furman promotes Richey to coach". Greenville News.
↑ Cloninger, David (March 18, 2022). "Gamecocks' coaching search turns to former Arizona coach Sean Miller". The Post and Courier.
↑ "Lyons leads Furman to stunning upset of No. 8 Villanova". ESPN. Associated Press. November 17, 2018.
↑ DiRocco, Michael (March 16, 2023). "No. 13 Furman deals No. 4 Virginia another early NCAA tourney exit". ESPN.
↑ Romano, Jason (June 16, 2021). "SS PODCAST: Furman men's basketball coach Bob Richey on leadership, identity & Jesus". Sports Spectrum.

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[:0-1] 1 2 3 "Bob Richey". Furman University.

[2] Robinson, Manie (April 7, 2017). "Furman promotes Richey to coach". Greenville News.

[3] Cloninger, David (March 18, 2022). "Gamecocks' coaching search turns to former Arizona coach Sean Miller". The Post and Courier.

[4] "Lyons leads Furman to stunning upset of No. 8 Villanova". ESPN. Associated Press. November 17, 2018.

[5] DiRocco, Michael (March 16, 2023). "No. 13 Furman deals No. 4 Virginia another early NCAA tourney exit". ESPN.

[6] Romano, Jason (June 16, 2021). "SS PODCAST: Furman men's basketball coach Bob Richey on leadership, identity & Jesus". Sports Spectrum.

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