NC State’s go-gettem’ plane has landed in Greenville, SC. Is Furman’s Bob Richey next to be interviewed?

We suggested you pay attention to the NC State plane carrying the top brass around, interviewing job candidates after it left from Chicago this afternoon.

👀 pic.twitter.com/Z3QhRoNXda

— Dr. Jonathan Wall (@_jwall) March 28, 2026

The plane was in St. Louis where NC State met with SLU head coach Josh Schertz. It then headed north to Chicago where Justin Gainey’s Tennessee Volunteers are set to play Michigan tomorrow night. Both parties met there and the plane was off, headed south.

While most assumed it was en route back to Raleigh, it had one more stop to make.

It just landed in Greenville, SC.

And who might be there?

Early in the process, one name floated was Furman’s Bob Richey. Furman is in Greenville.

And who is Bob Richey?

Bob Richey is in his ninth season as head coach at Furman and his 15th overall with the program. The 43-year-old New Orleans native (who grew up in South Carolina) has compiled a strong record of 203–94 (.684) as head coach.

Under Richey, Furman has enjoyed 10 consecutive winning seasons. He has posted 22 or more wins in seven of the last nine seasons, including four seasons with at least 25 wins. His most notable achievement came in 2022-23, when he led the Paladins to the Southern Conference regular-season and tournament titles, which was their first SoCon titles since 1980.

Furman earned its first NCAA Tournament berth in 43 years and pulled off a memorable first-round upset over Virginia (68-67), advancing to the Round of 32. That season also produced a program-record 28 wins.

Furman returned to the NCAA Tournament in 2026 after winning the SoCon Tournament. The previous year (2024-25), Richey guided the team to a 25-10 record, a SoCon finals appearance, and an NIT berth.

Richey was a finalist for both the 2023 Hugh Durham Coach of the Year and Skip Prosser Man of the Year awards.

What type of offense does he run:
Richey runs a hybrid Princeton / 5-Out motion offense.

• Heavy emphasis on cutting, reads, decision-making, back-cuts, screening away, and 5-out spacing (or 4-out-1-in).
• Attack-first mentality with freedom inside the structure. Lots of motion, and ball movement. Very little isolation (State fans will love that aspect.)
• Up-tempo feel but not fast paced. Furman has been an efficient offensive team under him (top-100 ORtg in recent seasons) and spreads the floor well while excelling in the paint (59% 2PT shooting in 2025-26).

How good is the defense?
Historically elite (top-3 in SoCon for his first 6 years as HC). Focuses on team defense, rebounding, and forcing mistakes. This year, they were solid but not dominant (DRtg around the 105-110 range).

Would this be a good hire?
I would categorize Richey as a fallback in case you miss on both Gainey and Schertz.