Breaking Down NC State Head Coach Candidate Bob Richey

NC State Athletic Director hopped on a plane and interviewed three different head coaching candidates yesterday: Saint Louis head coach Josh Schertz, Tennessee associate head coach Justin Gainey, and Furman head coach Bob Richey. Schertz has withdrawn his name from consideration, and Gainey is currently coaching the Volunteers against Michigan in the Elite Eight.

Here’s a look at Richey’s résumé.

Richey is the youngest candidate of the bunch at 43 years old, compared to the 49-year-old Gainey.

He has spent his entire coaching career in the state of South Carolina. Richey began his coaching career as an assistant at Charleston Southern from 2006–11.

He then moved roughly three hours down the road and took an assistant coaching job at Furman, where he served from 2011–17. Richey was thrust into the head coaching role at the tail end of the 2016–17 season after Niko Medved left for Drake.

Furman decided to retain Richey as head coach the following season, and he has led the Paladins ever since.

Over the past nine seasons, Richey has compiled an overall record of 203–94 (.684) and a conference record of 109–50 (.686). In 2022–23, he led the Paladins to Southern Conference regular-season and tournament championships, qualifying for the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1980. They made history by defeating No. 4 seed Virginia 68–67 as a No. 13 seed in the first round. Richey guided Furman to just the second NCAA Tournament victory in school history and the most wins in a single season (28).

This season, Richey led the Paladins to another Southern Conference Tournament Championship — only the eighth in school history. Furman entered the tournament as the No. 6 seed but went on a run that ended with a 76–61 victory over East Tennessee State in the title game.

Since 1980, Richey has led Furman to its only two NCAA Tournament appearances and its only two Southern Conference Tournament titles. He has also led the Paladins to their only two regular-season conference championships since 1991.