SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Furman guard Mike Bothwell has been named the Southern Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Week for all contests from Feb. 20-26 after leading the Paladins to a share of the SoCon regular-season title and the No. 1 seed in the upcoming Ingles SoCon Basketball Championship in the final week of play. The award is selected by the league office and is the final one of the 2022-23 season.
 
Furman entered Saturday’s nationally televised contest at Samford a game back of the league-leading Bulldogs, with a share of the regular-season title and the top seed in the conference tournament in the balance. Bothwell was up to the challenge from the opening tip, scoring the Paladins’ first 18 points of the day to personally stake Furman to a double-digit lead in the first half. He would go on to finish with 35 points, just one shy of his season high, as the Paladins won 93-79 to lock up a share of their first title since 2017 and the No. 1 seed in the tournament for the first time since 1991. Bothwell finished 10-for-15 (.667) from the floor, including a 5-for-8 (.625) effort from 3-point range. He went 10-for-11 (.909) from the free-throw line and added two rebounds and a steal on the day.
 
Earlier in the week, the fifth-year senior from Cleveland Heights, Ohio, had nine points, three rebounds, an assist, a blocked shot and a steal in his final home game. With Furman clinging to a two-point lead over Mercer in the final minute, Bothwell hit a pair of clutch free throws with 20 seconds left to make it a two-possession game in the eventual 70-67 win. He was 4-for-4 from the line on the day and added a pair of field goals, including making his only 3-point attempt.
 
For the week, Bothwell averaged 22 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game. He shot 57.1 percent from the floor (12-for-21), 66.7 percent from 3-point range (6-for-9) and 93.3 percent from the line (14-for-15).
 
The Ingles SoCon Basketball Championship begins Friday, March 3, with No. 8 seed Mercer (13-18, 6-12 SoCon) and No. 9 seed The Citadel (10-21, 5-13) squaring off at 5 p.m. in the first of two first-round games. The winner advances to face Furman (24-7, 15-3) on Saturday at noon.
 
Other nominees: Jordan King (ETSU), Luis Hurtado Jr. (Mercer), Jermaine Marshall (Samford), Taeshaud Jackson (VMI), Voneterius Woolbright (Western Carolina) and B.J. Mack (Wofford).
 
2022-23 SoCon Men’s Basketball Players of the Week
Nov. 14             Jake Stephens, Gr., C, Chattanooga
Nov. 21             Mike Bothwell, 5th, G, Furman
Nov. 28             Jake Stephens, Gr., C, Chattanooga
Dec. 5              Jake Stephens, Gr., C, Chattanooga
Dec. 12             Jake Stephens, Gr., C, Chattanooga
Dec. 19             Jake Stephens, Gr., C, Chattanooga
Dec. 26             Jackson Paveletzke, Fr., G, Wofford
Jan. 2               Logan Dye, Sr., F, Samford
Jan. 9               Jake Stephens, Gr., C, Chattanooga
Jan. 16             Jordan King, Jr., G, ETSU
Jan. 23             Jermaine Marshall, Jr., F, Samford
Jan. 30             Jalyn McCreary, R-Jr., F, Mercer
Feb. 6               Jalen Slawson, 5th, F, Furman
Feb. 13             Tre Jackson, R-Jr., G, Western Carolina
Feb. 20             Bubba Parham, Sr., G, Samford
Feb. 27             Mike Bothwell, 5th, G, Furman