Bringing a wealth of experience at the Division-I and Division-II levels, former Barry University top assistant coach Justin Furr has been selected by FGCU head men’s basketball coach Michael Fly as the first of the program’s three new assistant coaches.
Formerly the lead assistant coach with Barry for the past three seasons, Furr – who has been an assistant with the Miami-based school since 2013 – begins his duties with the Eagles today, May 14.
“Justin is a tireless worker who comes from a very successful program and has worked for an extremely respected head coach in Butch Estes,” said Fly, who was promoted to lead FGCU last month. “He has done a tremendous job recruiting – especially in the state of Florida – and is well-versed in how a program functions from top to bottom.
“Most importantly, Justin fits our culture at FGCU because he treats people the right way and is an even better human being than he is a basketball coach,” Fly added. “I could not be more excited to welcome Justin, his wife, Jennifer, and their son, Ezra, to our basketball family.”
This past season with Barry, Furr helped guide the Buccaneers to a 23-9 record, advancing to the Elite Eight of the D-II NCAA Tournament for the second time in three years. In addition, Barry defeated Auburn – which won the SEC Regular Season Championship – in an exhibition contest to open the year.
In Furr’s five seasons at Barry, the Buccaneers made the NCAA Tournament each year, winning at least one game four times and advancing to the Elite Eight twice. Furr assisted Barry to an impressive 116-38 record (.753), including three-straight Sunshine State Conference championships. He also recruited the 2016, 2017 and 2018 SSC Players of the Year.
“I’m extremely excited to join coach Fly and the FGCU family,” stated Furr. “The tradition and atmosphere that has been built here in Southwest Florida is something that you can feel as soon as you step on campus. I believe in coach Fly and his vision for the future of Dunk City.
“I know Alico Arena is one of the best home-court advantages in the country, and we want to keep it that way,” Furr continued. “Jen, Ezra and I can’t wait to get involved in the Southwest Florida community and make this our new home for years to come.”
In 2012-13, Furr served as an assistant coach at D-II Lynn University (Boca Raton, Fla.), where he served as a recruiting coordinator and on-floor coaching of guards, opponent scouting, fundraising, academic mentoring and all other facets of the program.
Prior to landing at Lynn, Furr was an assistant at D-II Newberry College from 2010-12 where he coached a conference First Team member in 2011 and the league’s Freshman of the Year in 2012.
Before Newberry, Furr served as an assistant coach at UNC Wilmington for four seasons from 2006-10. As the program’s recruiting coordinator, Furr assembled the No. 2-ranked class in the Colonial Athletic Association in 2007-08, according to Street and Smith’s College Basketball magazine. That class helped produce the largest turnaround among all D-I teams in 2007-08, going from 7-22 the previous year to 20-13.
He coached John Fields, who set the UNCW record for blocked shots in a season with 59. Furr also instructed Keith Rendleman, who finished his career among the top 10 in scoring, blocks and rebounds. Another one of his players, Chad Tomko, finished among UNCW’s career scoring, assists, steals and 3-point leaders.
From 2004-06, Furr was an assistant at High Point University. He aided in the development of Arizona Reid, a two-time Big South Conference Player of the Year, who scored more than 2,000 points and grabbed over 1,000 rebounds in his career. Furr also coached 2004 Big South Player of the Year Danny Gathings.
Furr was the associate head coach at Saint Andrews Presbyterian College in 2003-04. There he coached Chad Eichelberger, who played professionally in Romania, in addition to logging stints in the American Basketball Association.
From 2001-03, Furr worked as an assistant at his alma mater, Wingate University. In 2001-02, his team advanced to the D-II NCAA Tournament, finishing 26-7. He coached Lorinza Harrington, who went on to play for the Denver Nuggets, New Orleans Hornets and Memphis Grizzlies. His two Wingate teams had a combined record of 44-18.
Furr’s coaching start began at Pfeiffer University in 1999. He was there for two years and made the D-II Sweet Sixteen after becoming the first team in conference history to run the table with an 18-0 record in 1999-00. Pfeiffer led the country in scoring that year. Furr recruited 1,000-point scorer Rico Grier and a trio of All-American performers.
Furr played collegiately at North Carolina-based Wingate, receiving his Bachelor’s of Science in Sports Management in 1999.
Furr joins an FGCU program which went 23-12 in 2017-18, and won the ASUN Regular Season Championship outright for the second-straight season with a 12-2 record. FGCU played in the NIT for the second time in program history; part of a larger stretch of six postseason appearances in the program’s first seven years of eligibility – believed to be the only team in NCAA D-I men’s basketball history to have accomplished that feat.
