November 21, 2002


FURMAN MEN'S BASKETBALL SIGNS THREE;
PROWELL RATED AMONG NATION'S TOP 150

GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Furman men's basketball head coach Larry Davis today announced the signing of three recruits to national letters of intent.

Gerad Punch, a 6-4 wing guard from Phoenix, Ariz.; Eric Webb, a 6-2 combination guard from Grand Rapids, Minn.; and Quan Prowell, a 6-8 1/2 forward from Columbus, Ga., have officially inked with the Paladins and will join the program in the fall of 2003.

Punch, who stars at Brophy Preparatory School in Phoenix, averaged 18.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game while helping his squad to a 22-7 record and appearance in the 5A Elite 8 last year. He was one of only two juniors to earn all-state honors and selected Furman over Northern Arizona and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

"Gerad is a tremendous athlete, mature and strong who is only going to get bigger," said Davis. "He's a player who can score in a lot of different ways, slashing to the basket or shooting the 3-pointer. He's another athlete like Jason Patterson and will improve us athletically."

Jeff Schneider of College Bound Recruiting Service said, "Furman got a steal in Gerad Punch. He's one of the top players in Arizona. A lot of people were surprised they (Furman) could come out here and get one of the best players in the region, but they got on him early. He was beginning to get some serious interest from the Pac 10 schools, so it was a great get for Furman to lock him up early."

Webb averaged 20.8 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 3.4 steals per game as a junior for Grand Rapids High School, helping his squad to a 29-2 record and third place finish in state 3A. Owner of a 3.9 GPA, he scored 28 on the ACT and chose Furman over Harvard, Princeton, and Army.

"Eric was a hidden diamond in northern Minnesota," said Davis. "He's a tremendous scorer and point guard, which is a rare combination. He can really pass the basketball and understands how to play and where the ball should go. It was great to get him in combination with Tony (Carter), because that now gives us two point guards. The added bonus is Eric can also play the wing guard. I think he will help make our backcourt very solid over the next four years."

Prowell, rated among the Top 150 high school seniors nationally by Bob Gibbons of All Star Sports Publications, averaged 18.0 points and 11.0 rebounds per game as a junior at Jordan High School, where he helped his squad to a 15-14 record and appearance in the state 4A playoffs. He carries a 3.75 GPA, recently scored 1,100 on his SAT, and selected Furman over Virginia Tech.

"Quan is a tremendous athlete with size, who can also shoot the ball from the perimeter," said Davis. "That probably separates him and makes him a special kind of big guy. He is 6-8 1/2, 210 right now who can probably get to 230 over one summer. He will be very difficult to guard because he can take bigger, slower guys outside and take those same guys inside and score. He's a bigger Karim Souchu, not as polished a Karim right now, but a lot like Karim was a freshman with a quick first step."

"He was very impressive at our evaluation clinic last year and has grown two and a half inches since then," said Gibbons. "He's a very gifted player and great get for Furman."

Furman, 1-1, returns to action on Friday when it hosts James Madison at Timmons Arena in the Paladins home season opener. Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m.