One word best described the future when Matt Rafferty got his hands on the ball this season: unpredictable. That also turned out to be a pretty good descriptor for one of the most special chapters in the 106-year history of men’s basketball at Furman.

The Paladins surged to a record 13-0 start that included a stunning upset of defending national champion Villanova and culminated with an unprecedented ranking in the Associated Press Top 25 poll and the most wins ever by a Furman team (25). None of it would have been possible without Matt, who established himself as one of the nation’s best players.

Opponents didn’t know if the undersized center would break out a crafty post move (he led the team in scoring), fire a pinpoint pass to a teammate for an open 3-pointer (he led the team in rebounds and assists) or tip away a pass (he set a school record for steals).

Matt didn’t know that by the time he left Furman he’d be a part of its winningest basketball class ever (90).

“One of the coolest things I’ve ever been a part of, for sure,” he says of seeing himself and his teammates on ESPN. “People hadn’t heard of Furman until we were on SportsCenter.”

The success also put Matt on the map as a potential professional player, and powering through Furman’s dreaded Business Block like any other student will undoubtedly help in contract negotiations. He laughs when asked if professors cut hoops stars any slack. “No, no,” Matt says. “I don’t like being babied for being an athlete. We’re just held to a little higher expectation, which is good for us."