Furman superfans take their part in the basketball tournament as seriously as the team

For the Hammer family, Furman basketball isn’t just a pastime, it’s a way of life.

Jeffrey Hammer ’95, his wife Missy and their 15-year-old daughter Sophia don’t just follow the Paladins. They build their schedules around them. They show up early, sit close, travel often and cheer loudly. Now, they’re taking that same energy to Philadelphia as Furman prepares to face UConn on Friday in the NCAA Tournament.

“We bleed purple,” Missy said. “There’s something about basketball – you feel like you’re part of the team, part of the family.”

A Family Tradition, Courtside and Beyond

Jeffrey’s fandom stretches back to his student days, but the family’s shared devotion took off in 2018. What started as a fun outing quickly turned into something more. Courtside seats. Road trips. Traditions.

Sophia, now a sophomore in high school, has grown up alongside the program.

“I try when I can,” she said. She’s often right there with them, sprinting into arenas, helping save seats and waving signs designed by the whole family.

They arrive hours early. They lead chants. They bring the energy.

“We take that responsibility seriously,” Jeffrey said. “If you want the crowd involved, you’ve got to start it.”

Part of the Family

That connection runs deeper than the scoreboard.

The Hammers don’t just know the players, they know their parents. They travel for tournaments, rearrange holidays and gather in hotel lobbies before and after games. Along the way, they’ve built relationships that are less fan-based and more family-oriented.

“It truly is a communal environment,” Missy said. “They make us feel like we’re part of it, and we feel that way too.”

Jeffrey agreed: “We actually get to know the parents more than the players. And they’re grateful we’re there supporting their kids – it means something.”

Heading to Philadelphia

That sense of community is packing up and heading north.

The Hammers will be in Philadelphia, decked in purple, attending fan events, sending the team off from the hotel and, of course, bringing their signature energy into the arena.

“We’ll wear purple everywhere,” Missy said. “That’s the plan.”

They understand the challenge ahead. UConn is a national power and multi-national champion. But their belief in this team doesn’t waver.

“To be the best, you’ve got to beat the best,” Jeffrey said. “They can only put five guys on the court. So can we.”

Jalen Slawson ’23, Danai Agakidou ’17 and Mike Bothwell ’23 at Harrah’s Cherokee Center in Asheville, North Carolina, after the 2023 SoCon championship.

A Global Purple Connection

Across the Atlantic Ocean and a five-hour time difference, Danai Agakidou ’17 said she wouldn’t miss Friday’s match for the world.

Agakidou is a diehard fan who in 2023 flew from her home in Greece to Asheville, North Carolina for the Southern Conference Men’s Basketball Championship. Now she lives in the Netherlands but is still planning to wake up at 2:30 a.m. to catch the pre-game show and text her Furman friends throughout the game. As a friend once said, ‘I wish I cared about anything as much as Danai cares about Furman Basketball,’” she joked.

She doggedly followed the team through her years at Furman, and though she couldn’t follow the 1 a.m. tip-offs live from the Netherlands, she kept tabs on scores and watched highlights. When she watched the SoCon Championship game against East Tennessee State University, she saw all the pieces fall into place for the Paladins.

“This year the championship felt empowering, making a statement about who we are as a team, a program and a school,” she said. “People forget, these players are students too – and Furman is not an easy school. The level of discipline it takes to make it at this level is hard to come by.”

As fans watch the Paladins on Friday, she hopes they see more than the game, but the tremendous work everyone involved puts in to make the program what it is today.