Trey Meredith

@FurmanMBB @FUHoopsInsider Con Vander Lations, Ben! Well deserved!

Congrats to Ben Vander Wal on receiving the Dr. John Block Academic Award and the Dr. Gary Clark Student-Athlete Achievement Award last night! A true Paladin on and off the court!⚔️ #AllDIN // #BetterTogether

@JDFurmanPaladin @FurmanPaladins Con Vander Lations, Ben!!! 🎉

One of our favorite nights of the year celebrating the 2026 Graduating Class @FurmanPaladins Senior Ceremony! Another incredible and accomplished class representing Academics and Athletics Excellence! Congratulations to the graduates and their families!!!

I honestly think Pope dodged a bullet on this one. The baggage that comes with this guy may not be worth what he brings on the court. I can't imagine his teammates being big fans of his...unless he throws some of those bills their way. #BBN

@KYfor_life48992 @CoachMarkPope If they’ve already checked out before the roster is complete and before the first practice, I’d question just how big of a fan they are.

@CoachMarkPope A question I have is you know there are a lot of fans who have checked out and already said next season might not be good. What can you say to those fans to keep them excited for next season?

Keep the questions coming BBN!

@CoachMarkPope @Popedaddy9 I’m a KY native and lifelong fan, but also a Furman alum and season ticket holder. We are going to miss Alex, but I’m pumped you picked him up. Please let him know we are behind him and can’t wait for him to ball out for the Cats! I believe in you amd this team. #BBN

BBN I want to talk! Drop your questions in the comments, and I’ll spend the next couple of days answering them 👇

@BigBlueDude_ Ignore all the stats and just watch him play. He improved as the season progressed, and he’ll keep getting better.

I think Alex Wilkins will be Kentucky’s most important player next season. Could see him flourish and take a big leap and surprise a lot of people who are doubting him only because he played at Furman.

@BussinWTB Let’s go Big Blue, go McCallie!!!

Marshall Manning can spin it 🔥 Peyton Manning's son is expected to be in the class of 2030 (IG: qbc_chattanooga)

@franfraschilla @IlliniMBB Mid-Majors are benefiting by landing high school kids who may not have gone to those schools in the past. Alex Wilkins to Furman is an example. They won't be making P5 $$, but they develop under some great coaches, then show out in the tourney, which could lead to $$ next season.

I was there at the beginning of the international explosion in the NBA. 24% of the week this past season was born outside the USA. But for every good international recruit now signing in the NCAA (looking at you, @IlliniMBB ), two others can’t play dead in a cowboy movie. It’s sad what it’s doing to the high school basketball crop here in the USA. Whenever we get the CBA soon, the age limit must be a factor.

Congratulations to @FurmanWGolf on Advancing to NCAA Golf Regionals in Chapel Hill, NC! So much to be proud of including Audrey Ryu winning Player of the Year and Jeff Hull being Coach of the Year in addition to other SoCon awards!!!

Congrats to all the players that have committed to UK Men’s Basketball. Glad to have you and can’t wait to see how you mesh as a team. Stop dwelling over who is not here and get behind who is! That’s it! Let’s Go!

@GoodmanHoops Why was “MEAN” in all caps? That seems mean…

ANOTHER miss for Mark Pope: What does this MEAN for Kentucky? youtu.be/byl6zHcCQOI?si… youtu.be/byl6zHcCQOI?si…

@KySportsRadio @KyleTuckerCBB I wonder how many Furman games Tucker has actually watched. I disagree with his assessment that Alex can’t shoot. His shot selection and shooting percentage improved throughout SoCon play. Watch the SoCon tourney and the UConn game. He hit some crucial 3’s in those games.

Want a little “State of the UK Basketball Program” conversation tonight? I interviewed @KyleTuckerCBB for my “Interrupted by Matt Jones” Podcast today. We talk Pope, Calipari and some great stories from UK days past Download now

@SethDavisHoops That’s prob true for the fans of many of the top teams, but I’m thinking of the fans of the teams who typically (until now) develop long term players and have more team continuity. They aren’t used to (yet) getting to know an entirely new roster each year

@SethDavisHoops I’m with SVP. Seth makes valid points, but this is not sustainable. Coaches will burn out. Fans will lose interest. Players will struggle post college, unless they play in the pros. For decades we had one extreme. Now we’ve swung to the other. The middle would benefit everyone.

The reason we have unlimited free agency is because in 2023 the NCAA denied a waiver to a basketball player at West Virginia. With the school's encouragement and support, the state AG recruited a dozen other states plus the US Dept of Justice to mount a legal assault on the transfer rule. That forced the NCAA to pass a new rule allowing players to transfer as often as they want without having to sit out. The reason we have zero salary cap is because despite many years of expensive legal wrangling to produce the House settlement, schools and coaches are basically operating as if it never happened. The CSC and NIL Go might as well be canasta clubs. It's a money laundering shell game with no enforcement and no proper scrutiny. The very same people who complain the loudest about the system are the ones who created it. As for a union and collective bargaining, not only is that legally improbable and logistically unfeasible, but the players have no incentive to create a CBA which would limit their freedom of movement and/or compensation. Players are making a killing off the current setup, which simply requires the NCAA to follow the law as it is currently written. Why would they want a CBA? And why is it a problem for so many people that players are finally benefiting from the exponential growth and profitability of this sport? Meanwhile, within the last few days at least three players, including two projected lottery picks, turned down the NBA to come back to college. Dozens of quality Euros are also playing in college. Rick Pitino and many others say the quality of play is better than it has been in decades. Coaches salaries are going up, players are finally making what they're worth, and TV ratings are through the roof. And now college hoops has legit free agency, which means many people are paying close attention to the sport at a time when they otherwise wouldn't. To call this "a great plan" is to suggest that all of this was planned. It was not. This is a full-scale disruption, and it was long overdue. Messy, chaotic, confusing and dizzying, yes, but on balance a much better system than the one it replaced IMHO.

@GoodmanHoops I watched all of Wilkins’s games, and all the home games and SoCon games in person. Check his shooting stats for the 2nd half of the season vs. the 1st half. He improved throughout the season, and will continue to do so. FU had guys out hurt all season. He carried them thru that

Dai Dai Ames and Terrence Hill can both shoot the ball. Zoom Diallo hasn’t proven he can shoot it and Alex Wilkins very inconsistent from 3 (although it should improve). I like the Tennessee backcourt fit better - especially with Lundblade.

@KySportsRadio Huge Wilkins fan. I’m a Furman season ticket holder and saw every one of his games. His growth from the exhibition game against Alabama to the game against UCON was remarkable, and he’s not finished improving. He can take and make big shots from all 3 levels. The Cats got a star

Alex Wilkins is a HUGE commitment for Kentucky and was the player I wanted the 2nd most in all of the portal I think he is going to be great for the Cats. It’s also a definitive win for Mark Pope who beat out a lot of schools for him

@GoodmanHoops @TheFieldOf68 I would sign with @FurmanMBB right now for 5 No Show CLP’s per semester, plus unlimited Pala-Points in the student center. @FurmanPaladins may not get their money’s worth though. It’s been a few decades since I was in game shape. #FU #ALLDIN

The @TheFieldOf68 has polled 10-plus high-major head coaches, assistants and GM's for the following prices that elite (Top 25 guys) portal players will likely command:

@Furman_Alumni @rileyinstitute He has incredible hair too

For more than five decades, Dr. Don Gordon shaped generations of Furman students. His vision led to the founding of the @rileyinstitute, creating meaningful change across South Carolina and beyond. 💜 Read more about Dr. Gordon's remarkable legacy: bit.ly/3Ov0qka

@Pacers coach Rick Carlisle congratulates @FurmanPaladins alum Jalen Slawson on making All NBA G League Defensive team. @FurmanMBB program prepared him well for the next level. That’s the @FurmanU Advantage! #FU #ALLDIN #BetterTogether

So Proud of @ben_vanderwal for his leadership and inspiration on behalf of @FurmanMBB hosting Special Olympics @FurmanU! A great Furman tradition and awesome day for everyone involved!