November 6, 2002

FURMAN TO TIP OFF 2002-03 SEASON
WITH EXHIBITION CONTEST THURSDAY

GREENVILLE, S.C. -- The Furman Paladins men's basketball team will tip off its 2002-03 season Thursday night when it entertains the Southeast Atlanta All Stars in a exhibition game at Timmons Arena beginning at 7:00 p.m.

"We're excited about getting things underway and our players are looking forward to playing against somebody else," said Paladins head coach Larry Davis, who is entering his sixth season at Furman. "Our guys have worked very hard against each other to the point that they know what they are going to do on virtually every play, so it will be nice to face some new competition."

Furman, which posted a 17-14 record and finished as Southern Conference Tournament runnerup last year, was recently tabbed by SoCon head coaches to win the league's South Division. The Paladins return three starters and nine lettermen, including a pair of all-conference performers in senior point guard Guilherme Da Luz and senior forward Karim Souchu.

Da Luz and Souchu are expected to be joined in the starting lineup by senior forward Kenny Zeigler, junior forward Maleye Ndoye, and sophomore center Paco Gonzalez, according to Davis.

Da Luz led the Southern Conference with 206 assists and averaged 11.7 points and 5.2 rebounds per game last year while Souchu averaged a team leading 14.8 points per game. Da Luz already holds Furman's career assists standard and Souchu heads into his final season with 1,417 points, good for 17th on the school's all-time chart.

Furman opens its 2002-03 season on Nov. 17 against Alabama State in the Guardians Classic in Omaha, Nebraska.

2002-03 FURMAN PALADINS BASKETBALL ROSTER

No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Yr. Hometown Last School
0 Jason Patterson G/F 6-4 195 R-Fr. Lithonia, Ga. Lithonia HS
1 Kenny Zeigler F 6-6 223 Sr. Lithonia, Ga. Lithonia HS
3 Tony Carter G 6-0 150 Fr. Burlington, N.C. Williams HS
5 Maleye Ndoye F 6-8 205 Jr. Dakar, Senegal Washington (Tenn.) Academy
10 Marijan Pojatina C 6-11 200 Jr. Zagreb, Croatia XI School
11 Guilherme Da Luz G 6-3 208 Sr. Sao Paulo, Brazil Colegio Objetivo School
14 Robby Bostain G/F 6-3 180 Fr. Duluth, Ga. Brookwood HS
15 Ryan Chancler G 6-0 170 Sr. Amarillo, Texas New Mexico JC
21 Daniel Sperry F 6-6 200 Fr. St. Simons Island, Ga. Glynn Academy
24 Ryan Carson G 6-3 180 So. Charlotte, N.C. Providence Day School
32 Paco Gonzalez F/C 6-6 240 So. Miami, Fla. Coral Gables HS
41 Nick Sanders F 6-7 215 So. Leavenworth, Kan. Leavenworth HS
43 Karim Souchu F 6-7 215 Sr. Paris, France Dijon School
45 Cedrick Price C 6-9 245 So. Savannah, Ga. Fork Union (Va.) Military Academy

Head Coach: Larry Davis (Asbury '78)
Assistant Coaches: Ken Potosnak (Randolph-Macon '90), Niko Medved (Minnesota '97), Mike Shedd (Purdue '97)