Furman coach could interview soon for South Carolina basketball job, reports say
One in-state coach is reportedly on the list of candidates who could be South Carolina’s new men’s basketball coach.
Furman coach Bob Richey is expected to interview this week with USC athletic director Ray Tanner for its opening, Phil Kornblut and SportsTalkSC reported Tuesday. According to WSPA-TV’s Pete Yanity, there is mutual interest from both parties.
“Industry sources indicate South Carolina has interest in Furman’s Bob Richey among its field of candidates,” Yanity posted to Twitter on Tuesday.
The Gamecocks are looking for a replacement for Frank Martin, who was fired Monday after 10 seasons. Martin took the Gamecocks to the 2017 Final Four and was the third winningest coach in school history.
“Ray Tanner is expected to interview Furman coach Bob Richey within the next few days for the opening with his program,” SportsTalk reported on Twitter.
Richey, 38 and a Florence native, just finished his fifth season at Furman and led the Paladins to the Southern Conference Tournament championship game. Chattanooga defeated Furman 64-63 on a last-second shot by David Jean Baptiste.
In five seasons at Furman, Richey is 111-46, and his winning percentage ranks in the top 10 among active Division I head coaches. The Paladins have come close but have yet to make the NCAA tournament under Richey.
He received a contract extension from the school in 2020, but terms weren’t announced. Before coming to Furman, Richey was an assistant coach at Charleston Southern.
Richey was one of the possible candidates mentioned by The Athletic’s Seth Davis for the Gamecocks’ coaching opening.
“He has had a lot of success in his first head coaching job,” Davis wrote. “The Paladins have never finished below third in the SoCon in any of Richey’s five seasons, and in 2019 he even led them to a brief appearance in the AP’s top 25 poll. Richey is also plenty familiar with the area thanks to his five years as an assistant at Charleston Southern.”
This story was originally published March 15, 2022 at 1:51 PM.
