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VMI basketball will continue a busy week of action as it faces league power Furman Wednesday night at Cameron Hall. Tipoff will be 7 pm. It will be the third game for VMI over the last six days and the second of three scheduled contests this calendar week with a trip to Mercer awaiting the squad on Saturday. The Keydets fell 92-81 to ETSU Monday night in Johnson City to drop their overall record to 7-7 and 2-3 in the SoCon. Greg Parham continued his torrid January scoring run with 27 points – his fourth consecutive 20+ point game, but the Bucs poured in a school record 16 three-pointers to prevail. Furman travels to Lexington as the last unbeaten team in the SoCon with a 4-0 league record and has won five consecutive games.  On Tuesday, Parham was named SoCon Player of the Week for his outstanding play against Wofford and ETSU.
 
Last Time Out: ETSU 92, VMI 81 - January 18, 2021
A program record 16 three-pointers by host ETSU lifted the Bucs past the Keydets by a 92-81 score in a Southern Conference rescheduled game Monday night at Freedom Hall in Johnson City, Tennessee. VMI (7-7, 2-3) and ETSU (7-5, 3-1) traded baskets for the entirety of the opening half as the Bucs earned a slight 39-36 advantage going into the break. The teams continued the trend early in the second half with the game knotted at 53 apiece with 14:34 to play after Kamdyn Curfman scored on a fast break layup. The Bucs then went on a 21-6 run to take its biggest lead of the contest following three consecutive treys, including one by David Sloan to put ETSU up 74-59 with 7:27 to play. VMI was able to cut it back to single digits but could come no closer than 83-76 after a Greg Parham free throw with 2:01 left. The Bucs played clock management the rest of the way to hold on for the league victory. Parham finished the game with a team-high 27 points, his fourth consecutive 20-point game. Jake Stephens nearly finished with a second straight double-double as he ended up with 19 points and nine rebounds. Curfman and freshman Tre Bonham both finished with 13 points apiece. ETSU's Ledarrius Brewer led the Bucs with 23 points while Damari Monsanto added 19.  Sloan (18) and Serrel Smith, Jr. (15) also ended with double digits.
 
Last Time against the Paladins: Furman 74, VMI 72 (OT) - January 29, 2020
The VMI Keydets held a lead for nearly 34 minutes in regulation, but the Furman Paladins forced overtime on a 3-point shot by Jordan Lyons with 7.4 seconds left and went on to prevail 74-72 in overtime at Timmons Arena. The Keydets appeared poised for their first win in Greenville since January of 2015 when junior guard Greg Parham hit a lane runner with :47 left in regulation to put VMI ahead, 61-58. On the ensuing possession, Lyons missed a 3-point attempt resulting in a subsequent foul on Furman's Jalen Slawson, but the Keydets twice missed opportunities at the free throw line to make it a two-possession game in the final :36 of regulation. Keydet forward Jake Stephens opened up the overtime with a three-pointer to put the Keydets ahead, 65-62. VMI then went scoreless its next four trips down the floor as Furman wrestled the lead back for good on a 7-0 run capped by a layup by forward Clay Mounce with 1:21 left. The Keydets would later pull within 73-72 on a Kamdyn Curfman 3-pointer with 6.7 left in overtime and went for a quick foul on Furman's Jalen Slawson who would convert just one of two free throws leaving the door open for the Keydets with 5.7 left. VMI worked the ball front court, but could not get a shot off before time expired. Lyons finished with a game-high 26 points while Parham scored in double figures for the sixth straight game and led the Keydets with 19 points.
 
A win over Furman would:
---Give VMI its first win over the Paladins since the 2014-15 season.
---Move VMI to 8-1 at home this season.
 
VMI vs. Furman
This will be the 101st meeting between the teams that first met in 1939. Furman leads the series, 66-34, and has taken the last ten games in the rivalry. VMI last defeated the Paladins, 93-59 on February 12, 2015 in Lexington and captured their last win in Greenville that same year on January 10 with an 83-73 victory over the Paladins.
 
PARHAM REVS UP IN CONFERENCE PLAY – Senior guard Greg Parham has stepped up his play in Southern Conference action averaging 25.2 points in five conference contests which tops the league. Parham scored a season-high 29 points against Wofford Jan. 13 also ringing up a career-high seven three-pointers in eight attempts, then followed with 27 points and career-high nine rebounds in the win over The Citadel Jan. 16. Monday against ETSU Parham paced VMI in scoring with 27 points. Giving him six 20 point+ games this year including his last four games. He also tops the SoCon in 3-point percentage with a 51.7% mark. Parham on Tuesday was named SoCon Player of the Week.

STEPHENS CONTINUES TO ROLL – Junior center Jake Stephens scored a career-high 33 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in the 110-103 victory over The Citadel January 16 and chalked up his third double-double of the season and fourth of his career. Stephens earlier posted double-doubles against George Mason (14 points, 10 rebounds) December 21 and Hampton (11 points, 12 rebounds) December 13. Stephens has hit 44 of his last 50 free throw attempts over the last seven games and is third in the SoCon in free throw shooting at 86.2%.

CONWAY ERUPTS vs. THE CITADEL – Sophomore guard Sean Conway produced a career day in VMI's 110-103 win over The Citadel when he posted bests in points (25), rebounds (13) and 3-pointers (7). Against the Bulldogs, Conway hit on 8 of 14 from the floor and was seven of 10 beyond the arc in almost 37 minutes of action. Conway has grabbed 21 rebounds over the past two games after being credited with nine against Wofford January 13.

IRON KEYDETS – A quick scan of the box score in VMI's 110-108 win over The Citadel revealed something quite remarkable. VMI starters accounted for 108 of the 110 points scored and all of the starting five logged at least 33:17 minutes of action. Topping the workload was sophomore guard Kamdyn Curfman who was on the floor for 39:23, followed by Greg Parham (38:03), Sean Conway (36:51), Jake Stephens (34:10), and Trey Bonham (33:17).  

BONHAM SHINES IN STARTING DEBUT – Freshman point guard Trey Bonham scored a season and career high 20 points against Wofford Jan. 13 in his first start of the year which gave him his seventh double figures scoring game of the year. Against the Terriers, Bonham also set a new career-high in assists and matched his career best of five rebounds. Bonham added double figures outings in his next two games, both starts, with 14 points against The Citadel and 13 points Monday against ETSU given him nine double-figures games on the year 

LONG RANGE ACCURACY – Through games of January 18, VMI is second in the SoCon in three-point percentage (39.8%) and second in 3FG made per game (11.4) which is third in Division I. The Keydets have drained 10 or more threes in ten games this season. VMI hit a season-best 58.8% in 3-point shooting when they dropped in 10 of 17 shots from beyond the arc against Chattanooga January 2.

TOPS FROM THE STRIPE - Through games of January 18, VMI is first in the SoCon in free throw shooting percentage converting at an 80.9% success rate which ranks fifth in the nation.

EARL GETS #50 – The 84-79 win over Chattanooga January 2 marked the 50th win at VMI for head basketball coach Dan Earl.

CURFMAN EXPANDS IMPACT – VMI sophomore guard Kamdyn Curfman not only matched his season high 17 points for the fourth time this season in the win over Chattanooga Jan. 2, he also dished out a career-best five assists for the second straight game after handing out five at Samford December 30. Curfman has also established himself as one of the best 3-point shooters in the SoCon and has hit a career-best five 3FG in three games this season and six for his career. Through 14 games, Curfman is hitting 45.3 % in 3-point shooting which ranks third in the SoCon. 

NOTEWORTHY – VMI is currently 7-1 in games when leading at the half and also when outrebounding a foe…the 6-0 home start was the best home record to start a season since 2013-14 when VMI won its first eight games at Cameron Hall…VMI produced at least two 20+ point scorers in three consecutive January games (Chattanooga, Wofford, The Citadel)

BLOCK PARTY FOR STEPHENS – Junior center Jake Stephens set a new career-best in blocks when he rejected five Samford shots December 30. Stephens currently ranks fourth in the SoCon with 25 blocks (1.8/game).

LEWIS DECEMBER DOUBLE STREAK – Senior forward Myles Lewis had his string of three straight double-doubles end on December 15 after 12 points and five rebounds against CU-Harrodsburg. Lewis earlier had posted 14 points and 11 rebounds Sunday against Hampton that followed 17 points and 10 rebounds against Greensboro College Dec. 8. Lewis started the string with 13 points and 12 rebounds in the Dec. 3 game at 16th ranked Virginia Tech. Lewis currently leads the Keydets on the boards averaging 7.4 per game which ranks fourth in the SoCon.

KEYDET CAPSULE LOOK – VMI returns 10 players from last year's roster including three starters. The 2020-21 roster consists of four seniors, two juniors, four sophomores, and five freshmen.

EARL ENTERS SIXTH SEASON – VMI head basketball coach Dan Earl enters his sixth season as head coach of the Keydets and is moving into some select company in the Keydet all-time coaching ranks. Earl joins Louis "Weenie Miller (1958-64) and Charlie Schmaus (1976-82) as coaches who reached six seasons at the helm. Only Joe Cantafio (1986-94), Duggar Baucom (2005-15) and Bart Bellairs (1994—05) had longer tenures as basketball head coach at the Institute.