
Posted: Mar 29, 2019
Team Accomplishments
- Registered the most overall victories in a season (21) since the 2003-04 campaign (27-4)
- Posted back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time since the 1989-90 and 1990-91 campaigns
- Earned an at-large berth in the NCAA Division II Tournament for the second straight season and third time in program history
- Registered a program-record 16 conference wins to finish third in the Peach Belt Conference standings
- Hosted a PBC Tournament Quarterfinal game for the second straight year (only two instances in program history)
- Tied a program-record with seven players scoring in double-figures in the 96-88 PBC Tournament quarterfinal victory over Young Harris College
- Reached the PBC Tournament Semifinals for the second consecutive season and fourth time in program history
- Earned the program's first-ever victories over Top-5 nationally ranked teams (#5 USC Aiken on Jan. 9 and at #4 USCA on Feb. 6)
- Had a player earn All-American honors for the second straight year (Detrek Browning in 2017-18, Brandon Parker in 2018-19)
- Boasted the Peach Belt Conference Player of the Year for a second straight year (Browning in 2017-18, Parker this season)
- For the season, the same five players earned 149 of a possible 150 starts, with each averaging 11.0 points per game or more
- Six different players led FMU in scoring on multiple occasions
- In the final NCAA II national stats, FMU ranked 8th in three-point field goals made per game (11.4), 9th in three-point field goals attempted (925), 14th in three-point field goals made (342), 15th in scoring offense (87.0 ppg), and 24th in both assists per game (16.8) and steals per game (8.5)
- Francis Marion led the Peach Belt Conference in three-point field goals attempted (925)
Individual Accolades
Senior Brandon Parker (Sumter, S.C.)
- Named Peach Belt Conference Co-Player of the Year and a First-Team All-PBC performer
- Earned PBC All-Tournament Team recognition for the second straight season
- Selected to the Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) and NABC Southeast All-Region Teams
- Named an All-American by the NABC
- Invited to play in the 2019 Reese's® Division II College All-Star Game in Evansville, Ind., the host of the 2019 NCAA Division II Elite Eight
- Scored 26 points on Jan. 21 against Columbus State University to become the 21st Patriot to score 1,000 points in his career
- Finished fourth in the Peach Belt in scoring, averaging 18.6 points per game
- Scored in double-digits in 25 of FMU's 30 games, including a dozen 20-point games, and four 30-point outings
- Led Francis Marion and ranked 10th in the PBC in rebounding (6.6 per game)
- Registered three double-doubles, with two coming in wins over nationally ranked USC Aiken
- In the final NCAA II national stats; he ranked 9th in three-point field goal percentage (45.8%), 29th in three-point field goals made (93), 30th in three-point field goals made per game (3.10), and 42nd in free throws made (139)
- He led the Peach Belt Conference in free throw shooting percentage (83.2%) and free throws made (139)
- Named the Peach Belt Conference Player of the Week three times
- Made a conference-leading 139 free throws
- Set a school record by making 29 consecutive free throws
- Connected on 93 three-pointers (28th-most in NCAA II), hitting at a rate of 45.8 percent (10th-best in NCAA II)
- Finished career with 1,299 points, putting him 14th on FMU's all-time scoring list
- Ranks 22nd in program history in rebounds (470), tied for 18th in assists (202), and tied for ninth in steals (123)
Senior Ryan Davis (Cartersville, Ga.)
- Named to the All-PBC Second Team
- Finished second on the Patriots in scoring (15.2 ppg)
- Scored in double-figures in 24 of FMU's 30 games, including seven 20-point games, and one 30-point outing
- Registered four double-doubles
- In two seasons at FMU, scored 782 points, tied for 33rd on the program's all-time scoring list
Freshman Kailex Stephens (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)
- Named Peach Belt Conference Co-Freshman of the Year
- Became the seventh Patriot in program history to claim that honor
- Scored in double-figures in 22 of FMU's 30 games, including the first 10 games of his collegiate career
- Registered four double-doubles
Senior Je'Quan Perry (Charleston, S.C.)
- Scored in double-figures in 14 contests
- Posted a pair of double-doubles
- Finshed second on FMU behind Parker in free throw percentage (83.1 %) and three-point percentage (42.7 %)
Junior Jaquez Smith (Ocala, Fla.)
- Led Francis Marion and ranked in the Top-10 in the Peach Belt in assists (110)
- Ranks 11th in program history with 247 assists, and is just three shy of moving into the Top-10 all-time
- Scored in double-figures 17 times
Freshman Winston Hill (Columbia, S.C.)
- Scored in double-figures 13 times
- Collected a pair of double-doubles
- Led Francis Marion with 22 points in the first-round NCAA Tournament game against Augusta University
- Paced the Patriots with 21 blocks, already placing him inside the Top-30 on FMU's all-time blocks list
Head Coach Gary Edwards (13th season)
- Became the first coach to take FMU to multiple NCAA Division II Tournaments
- Earned his sixth trip to the NCAA II Tournament (went four times with Indiana University of Pennsylvania from 2000-05)
- Coached his 1,000th career game as a collegiate head coach, a 107-98 win over Clayton State University on Feb. 9