- 2020 Spring Commencement
- 2021 Commencement
- 2021 Directory Opt Out
- A-Z
- AAFSC Events
- About Francis Marion University
- About Us
- Academics
- Accounting
- Administration
- Administration & Planning
- Admissions
- Admissions – Accepted Students
- Admissions – Bridge Program
- Admissions – FAQ
- Admissions – Graduate Programs
- Admissions – Requirements
- Admissions – School Counselor Breakfast
- Admissions – School Counselors
- Admissions- Scholarship Interviews
- An Exceptional Journey at FMU
- Apply Now, Francis Marion University
- Campus Visit
- FMU’s Right Choice Survey
- International Student Checklist
- Meet Our Counselors
- Orientation
- Request Information
- Scholarship Awards Day- Priority Registration
- Supplemental Application for Center of Excellence to Prepare Teachers of Children of Poverty
- Virtual Open House Registration
- Advising
- African & African American Studies
- African American Faculty and Staff Coalition
- Alcohol Education
- Alert test
- Alumni
- Annual Reporting Measures
- AP Calculus Summer Institute
- Army ROTC
- ARP, CRRSA & CARES Act Reporting & Transparency
- Arts International 2021
- Available Positions
- Belle Baruch Institute for South Carolina Studies
- Biology
- Biology – About Us
- Biology – Biology Courses
- Biology – Core Biology Degrees
- Biology – Environmental Science
- Biology – Medical Technology Option
- Biology – People
- Biology – Pre-Health Program
- Biology – Pre-Nursing Requirements
- Biology – Pre-Veterinary Program
- Biology – Research
- Biology – Research Areas
- Biology – Research Facilities
- Biology – Secondary Education Option
- Biology – Student Organizations
- Biology – Student Research
- Biology – Undergraduate Degree Options
- Freshwater Ecology Center
- Freshwater Ecology Center-DEMO
- Board of Trustees
- Board – By-Laws
- Board – Committees
- Board – Minutes
- Board Minutes – August 1, 2019
- Board Minutes – August 2, 2013
- Board Minutes – August 2, 2018
- Board Minutes – August 3, 2007
- Board Minutes – August 3, 2012
- Board Minutes – August 3, 2017
- Board Minutes – August 4, 2016
- Board Minutes – August 5, 2011
- Board Minutes – August 6, 2010
- Board Minutes – August 6, 2015
- Board Minutes – August 6, 2020
- Board Minutes – August 7, 2009
- Board Minutes – August 8, 2014
- Board Minutes – August 9, 2008
- Board Minutes – February 1, 2008
- Board Minutes – February 2, 2007
- Board Minutes – February 25, 2016
- Board Minutes – February 26, 2015
- Board Minutes – February 28, 2014
- Board Minutes – February 28, 2019
- Board Minutes – February 5, 2010
- Board Minutes – February 6, 2009
- Board Minutes – July 29, 2021
- Board Minutes – June 1, 2007
- Board Minutes – June 15, 2012
- Board Minutes – June 17, 2011
- Board Minutes – June 18, 2010
- Board Minutes – June 19, 2009
- Board Minutes – June 20, 2019
- Board Minutes – June 21, 2018
- Board Minutes – June 22, 2017
- Board Minutes – June 23, 2016
- Board Minutes – June 25, 2015
- Board Minutes – June 26, 2014
- Board Minutes – June 27, 2013
- Board Minutes – June 3, 2021
- Board Minutes – June 4, 2020
- Board Minutes – June 6, 2008
- Board Minutes – March 1, 2013
- Board Minutes – March 1, 2018
- Board Minutes – March 2, 2012
- Board Minutes – March 2, 2017
- Board Minutes – March 4, 2011
- Board Minutes – March 4, 2021
- Board Minutes – March 5, 2020
- Board Minutes – November 11, 2011
- Board Minutes – November 14, 2019
- Board Minutes – November 15, 2018
- Board Minutes – November 16, 2017
- Board Minutes – November 17, 2016
- Board Minutes – November 19, 2020
- Board Minutes – November 5, 2010
- Board Minutes – November 5, 2015
- Board Minutes – November 6, 2009
- Board Minutes – November 6, 2014
- Board Minutes – November 7, 2008
- Board Minutes – November 8, 2013
- Board Minutes – November 9, 2007
- Board Minutes – November 9, 2012
- Board Minutes – October 30, 2020
- Budget and Accountability Reports
- Business Affairs
- Calendar
- Campus
- Campus Activities Board
- Campus Life
- Campus Living, FMU Dining, FMU Meal Plans, FMU Student Life
- Campus Map
- Campus Police
- Campus Technology
- Campus Applications and Data Services
- Campus Technology – Programming Request Form
- Campus Technology – ResNet
- Campus Technology – User Services
- Campus Technology – Blackboard Assignments Guide
- Campus Technology – Blackboard Calendar
- Campus Technology – Blackboard Discussion Boards
- Campus Technology – Blackboard Email
- Campus Technology – Blackboard Glossary
- Campus Technology – Blackboard Groups
- Campus Technology – Blackboard Security Warning
- Campus Technology – Blackboard Tasks
- Campus Technology – Blackboard Tests
- Campus Technology – Blackboard Wiki
- Eduroam
- Faculty/Staff Information
- Password Manager
- Student Information
- Cardboard Boat Registration
- Cardboard Regatta
- Career Center
- Carolina Currents
- Catalogs
- Cell Cinema Film Festival Registration
- Center for Academic Success and Advisement
- Centers of Excellence
- Chemistry
- Choose FMU
- College of Liberal Arts
- Community
- Composition’s Common Read
- Computer Science
- Contact Us
- Contact Us
- Continuum
- Coronavirus News
- COVID-19
- COVID-19 Protocols
- Create Student Password – Redirect
- Cultural Conversations: Registration Form
- Current Students
- Department of Fine Arts
- 2017-2018 Performing Arts Highlights
- 2018-2019 Performing Arts Highlights
- 2019-2020 Performing Arts Highlights
- Art Gallery Series 2017-2018
- Art Gallery Series 2018-2019
- Art Gallery Series 2019-2020
- Faculty & Staff Directory | Department of Fine Arts
- Fine Arts – Adele Kassab Art Gallery
- Fine Arts – Alpha Psi Omega
- Fine Arts – Alumni Success
- Fine Arts – Art Education Alumni
- Fine Arts – Art Education and Visual Arts Programs Facilities
- Fine Arts – Art Education Field Trips & Festivals
- Fine Arts – Art Education Major
- Fine Arts – Art Gallery Series 1998-1999
- Fine Arts – Art Gallery Series 1999-2000
- Fine Arts – Art Gallery Series 2000-2001
- Fine Arts – Art Gallery Series 2001-2002
- Fine Arts – Art Gallery Series 2002-2003
- Fine Arts – Art Gallery Series 2003-2004
- Fine Arts – Art Gallery Series 2004-2005
- Fine Arts – Art Gallery Series 2005-2006
- Fine Arts – Art Gallery Series 2006-2007
- Fine Arts – Art Gallery Series 2007-2008
- Fine Arts – Art Gallery Series 2008-2009
- Fine Arts – Art Gallery Series 2009-2010
- Fine Arts – Art Gallery Series 2010-2011
- Fine Arts – Art Gallery Series 2011-2012
- Fine Arts – Art Gallery Series 2012-2013
- Fine Arts – Art Gallery Series 2013-2014
- Fine Arts – Art Gallery Series 2014-2015
- Fine Arts – Art Gallery Series 2015-2016
- Fine Arts – Art Gallery Series 2016-2017
- Fine Arts – Art Gallery Series Archives
- Fine Arts – Chapman Auditorium
- Fine Arts – Facilities
- Fine Arts – Fine Arts Center
- Fine Arts – Fine Arts Scholarships
- Fine Arts – Kassab Art Gallery and Lecture Series 2020-2021
- Fine Arts – Kassab Art Gallery and Lecture Series 2021-2022
- Fine Arts – Kassab Art Gallery Series
- Fine Arts – Maps
- Fine Arts – Music Ensembles
- Fine Arts – Music Facilities
- Fine Arts – Music Industry Major
- Fine Arts – National Art Education Association
- Fine Arts – Performing Arts Center
- Fine Arts – Performing Arts Highlights 2020-2021
- Fine Arts – Performing Arts Highlights 2021-2022
- Fine Arts – Student Art Guild
- Fine Arts – Theatre Alumni
- Fine Arts – Theatre Arts Major
- Fine Arts – Theatre Facilities
- Fine Arts – University Theatre
- Fine Arts – University Theatre – 1997-1998 Productions
- Fine Arts – University Theatre – 1998-1999 Productions
- Fine Arts – University Theatre – 1999-2000 Productions
- Fine Arts – University Theatre – 2000-2001 Productions
- Fine Arts – University Theatre – 2001-2002 Productions
- Fine Arts – University Theatre – 2002-2003 Productions
- Fine Arts – University Theatre – 2003-2004 Productions
- Fine Arts – University Theatre – 2004-2005 Productions
- Fine Arts – University Theatre – 2005-2006 Productions
- Fine Arts – University Theatre – 2006-2007 Productions
- Fine Arts – University Theatre – 2007-2008 Productions
- Fine Arts – University Theatre – 2008-2009 Productions
- Fine Arts – University Theatre – 2009-2010 Productions
- Fine Arts – University Theatre – 2010-2011 Productions
- Fine Arts – University Theatre – 2011-2012 Productions
- Fine Arts – University Theatre – 2012-2013 Productions
- Fine Arts – University Theatre – 2013-2014 Productions
- Fine Arts – University Theatre – 2014-2015 Productions
- Fine Arts – University Theatre – 2015-2016 Productions
- Fine Arts – University Theatre – 2016-2017 Productions
- Fine Arts – University Theatre – 2017-2018 Productions
- Fine Arts – University Theatre – 2018-2019 Productions
- Fine Arts – University Theatre – 2019-2020 Productions
- Fine Arts – University Theatre – Past Productions
- Fine Arts – University Theatre 2020-2021 Productions
- Fine Arts – Visual Arts Alumni
- Fine Arts – Visual Arts Major
- Fine Arts Calendar
- University Place Gallery
- Department of Mathematics
- Digital Media: Home
- Diversity at FMU
- DNP Program – Redirect
- Doug’s Day
- Dr. Walter Douglas Smith
- Dress for Success
- Drug Education
- Dual Enrollment Program
- Economic Development
- English
- Enrollment Management
- Facilities Management
- Facility Rental Procedures
- Faculty and Staff
- Faculty Governance
- Faculty/Staff Headshots – Book a Time Slot
- Fall 2017 Commencement Home Page
- Fall 2020 Housing Selection Form (for spring 2020 residents only)
- Fall 2021 Faculty Welcome Reception
- Fall Student Teaching Deadlines
- Final Draft
- Financial Assistance
- Financial Assistance – Check on my financial aid
- Financial Assistance – Contact Us
- Financial Assistance – Federal Work Study
- Financial Assistance – IRS Information
- Financial Assistance – Loan Information
- Financial Assistance – Need a UserID & Password?
- Financial Assistance – Scholarships
- Financial Assistance – Understanding Your Award Letter
- Financial Services
- First Friday
- First Generation Fund
- First Week
- FM A’Glow
- FMU Admissions
- FMU at 50
- FMU Campus Health
- FMU Center for Speech, Language, and Hearing
- FMU Housing Intent Form Fall 2020-21 / A
- FMU Master of Business Administration, South Carolina MBA Program, Affordable MBA, Online MBA Program
- FMU Mobile Hotspot Devices
- FMU News
- FMU Safe Campus
- FMU Stories
- FMU Stories
- FMU Weather Alerts
- Foundation & Development
- Francis Marion University | South Carolina’s Most Affordable College, Best College in South Carolina, SC best colleges
- Francis Marion University Hurricane Florence Recovery Emergency Grant Fund
- Freshmen Supplement
- Freshwater Ecology Center Classes
- Freshwater Ecology Center Outreach & Public Events
- Freshwater Ecology Center Research
- Fulbright Program
- Gender Studies
- Geography
- Go Greek
- Governance
- Graduate Admissions
- Graduate Programs – Accepted Students
- Graduate Programs – International Students
- Graduate Programs – Prospective Students
- Graduation Rates (initial & advanced levels)
- Happening @ FMU
- Hewn Timber Cabins
- History
- History of FMU
- Home
- Home SACSCOC
- About Our Report
- Compliance Report
- 1.1 Integrity
- 2.1 Degree-Granting Authority
- 2.10 Student Support Services
- 2.11.1 Financial Resources
- 2.11.2 Physical Resources
- 2.12 Quality Enhancement Plan
- 2.2 Governing Board
- 2.3 Chief Executive Officer
- 2.4 Institutional Mission
- 2.5 Institutional Effectiveness
- 2.6 Continuous Operation
- 2.7.1 Program Length
- 2.7.2 Program Content
- 2.7.3 General Education
- 2.7.4 Course Work For Degrees
- 2.8 Faculty
- 2.9 Learning Resources and Services
- 3.1.1 Mission
- 3.10.1 Financial Stability
- 3.10.2 Financial Aid Audits
- 3.10.3 Control of Finances
- 3.10.4 Control of Sponsored Research/External Funds
- 3.11.1 Control of Physical Resources
- 3.11.2 Institutional Environment
- 3.11.3 Physical Facilities
- 3.12.1 Substantive Change
- 3.13 Policy Compliance
- 3.13.1 Policy Compliance: Accrediting Decisions of Other Agencies
- 3.13.2 Policy Compliance: Agreements Involving Joint and Dual Academic Awards: Policy and Procedures
- 3.13.3 Policy Compliance: Complaint Procedures Against the Commission or Its Accredited Institutions
- 3.13.4a Policy Compliance: Reaffirmation of Accreditation and Subsequent Reports
- 3.13.4b Policy Compliance: Reaffirmation of Accreditation and Subsequent Reports
- 3.13.5a Policy Compliance: Separate Accreditation for Units of a Member Institution
- 3.13.5b Policy Compliance: Separate Accreditation for Units of a Member Institution
- 3.14.1 Publication of Accreditation Status
- 3.2.1 CEO Evaluation/Selection
- 3.2.10 Administrative Staff Evaluations
- 3.2.11 Control of Intercollegiate Athletics
- 3.2.12 Fund-raising Activities
- 3.2.13 Institution-Related Entities
- 3.2.14 Intellectual Property Rights
- 3.2.2 Governing Board Control
- 3.2.2.1 Governing Board Control: Institution’s Mission
- 3.2.2.2 Governing Board Control: Fiscal Stability of the Institution
- 3.2.2.3 Governing Board Control: Institutional Policy
- 3.2.3 Board Conflict of Interest
- 3.2.4 External Influence
- 3.2.5 Board Dismissal
- 3.2.6 Board/Administration Distinction
- 3.2.7 Organizational Structure
- 3.2.8 Qualified Administrative/Academic Officers
- 3.2.9 Personnel Appointment
- 3.3.1 Institutional Effectiveness
- 3.3.1.1 Institutional Effectiveness: Educational Programs
- 3.3.1.2 Institutional Effectiveness: Administrative Support Services
- 3.3.1.3 Institutional Effectiveness: Academic and Student Support Services
- 3.3.1.4 Institutional Effectiveness: Research
- 3.3.1.5 Institutional Effectiveness: Community/Public Service
- 3.3.2 Quality Enhancement Plan
- 3.4.1 Academic Program Approval
- 3.4.10 Responsibility for Curriculum
- 3.4.11 Academic Program Coordination
- 3.4.12 Technology Use
- 3.4.2 Continuing Education/Service Programs
- 3.4.3 Admissions Policies
- 3.4.4 Acceptance of Academic Credit
- 3.4.5 Academic Policies
- 3.4.6 Practices for Awarding Credit
- 3.4.7 Consortial Relationships/Contractual Agreements
- 3.4.8 Noncredit to Credit
- 3.4.9 Academic Support Services
- 3.5.1 General Education Competencies
- 3.5.2 Institutional Credits for a Degree
- 3.5.3 Undergraduate Program Requirements
- 3.5.4 Terminal Degrees of Faculty
- 3.6.1 Post-Baccalaureate Program Rigor
- 3.6.2 Graduate Curriculum
- 3.6.3 Institutional Credits for a Graduate Degree
- 3.6.4 Post-Baccalaureate Program Requirements
- 3.7.1 Faculty Competence
- 3.7.2 Faculty Evaluation
- 3.7.3 Faculty Development
- 3.7.4 Academic Freedom
- 3.7.5 Faculty Role in Governance
- 3.8.1 Learning/Information Resources
- 3.8.2 Instruction of Library Use
- 3.8.3 Qualified Staff
- 3.9.1 Student Rights
- 3.9.2 Student Records
- 3.9.3 Qualified Staff
- 4.1 Student Achievement
- 4.2 Program Curriculum
- 4.3 Publication of Policies
- 4.4 Program Length
- 4.5 Student Complaints
- 4.6 Recruitment Materials
- 4.7 Title IV Program Responsibilities
- 4.8 Distance and Correspondence Education
- 4.8.1 Distance and Correspondence Education: Verification
- 4.8.2 Distance and Correspondence Education: Privacy
- 4.8.3 Distance and Correspondence Education: Notification
- 4.9 Credit Hours
- Part 2. List of Substantive Changes Approved Since the Last Reaffirmation
- Leadership Team
- Supporting Documentation
- Technical Assistance
- Homecoming
- Homecoming 2019
- Honors
- Human Resources
- Impact on P-12 learning and development
- Indicators of teaching effectiveness
- Individual Registration for the 2018 President’s Bowl
- Industrial Engineering
- Information About Our Graduates
- Institutional Effectiveness
- Institutional Planning, Research, & Effectiveness
- Institutional Research
- International Programs
- International Programs – Carlow College, St. Patrick’s
- International Programs – De Montfort University
- International Programs – EAH Jena
- International Programs – European Academy Otzenhausen
- International Programs – Fachhochschule Schmalkalden
- International Programs – Incoming Exchange Students
- International Programs – Outgoing Application
- International Programs – Universität Koblenz-Landau
- International Programs – Universität Trier
- International Programs – Université Caen Basse Normandie
- International Programs – University College Cork
- International Programs – University of Prince Edward Island
- International Programs – Wildsumaco Biological Station
- Outgoing Exchange Programs
- Job Dashboard
- Join Us Fall 2020
- Kelley Center
- Leadership Case Study Competition
- Leadership FMU Program
- Library
- Log In
- Log Out
- Lost Password
- Mass Communication
- Measure 6: Ability of completers to meet licensing (certification) and any additional state requirements: Title II (initial & advanced levels)
- Measure 7: Ability of completers to be hired in education positions for which they have prepared (initial and advanced levels)
- Mechanical Engineering
- MLK Event
- Modern Languages
- Ms. FMU
- MSLP Pre-Requisite Courses
- MSPAS – Application Requirements
- MSPAS – Technical Standards
- My Account
- My FMU Story
- My Profile
- Nursing – New Student Information
- Nursing Application Status
- Office of Counseling and Testing
- Office of General Counsel
- Office of Sponsored Programs
- Ombudsman
- Open House, Francis Marion University
- Outreach
- Parents & Family Weekend
- Parents and Families
- Patriot Bookstore
- PATRIOT FRATERNITY COUNCIL SPRING RECRUITMENT
- Patriot Portal (Formerly Swampfox Web)
- Philosophy
- Physics & Engineering
- Physics & Engineering – Facilities
- Physics & Engineering – Faculty & Staff
- Physics & Engineering- Opportunities for Students
- Physics & Engineering- Programs
- Physics & Astronomy – Degree Programs – Course Offerings
- Physics & Engineering – Degree Programs – Computational Physics
- Physics & Engineering – Degree Programs – Dual Degree Program in Engineering
- Physics & Engineering – Degree Programs – Engineering Technology
- Physics & Engineering- Degree Programs – Health Physics
- Physics & Engineering- Research Areas
- Pie Eating Contest Registration
- Policies
- Political Science
- Portal 101
- Potential Students
- Pre-Nursing Group Advisement
- Pre-Nursing Registration Help
- President’s Bowl
- President’s Bowl Results
- President’s Page
- Procurement (Purchasing)
- Provost’s Office
- Psychology
- Re-Opening 2020
- Regional & Community Programs
- Register
- Register
- Register for President’s Bowl
- Registrar’s Office
- Research and Exhibition Day
- Research and Exhibition Day 2017 Presentations
- Reset Password
- Residence Life
- Amenities
- Campus Safety
- Dining at FMU, FMU Meal Plans
- Explore FMU Housing
- Housing – Amenities and Services
- Housing – Student Worker Application
- Housing – Work Order Form
- Intent to Leave Campus Form
- Intent to Remain on Campus
- New Students
- On Campus Housing Application Form
- Overnight Guest Form
- Residence Life Policies & Procedures
- Room Assignments
- Roommate/Suitemate Relationships
- Services
- Summer Housing Application
- Richardson Center for the Child
- Road to the NCAAs
- Robert E. McNair Center
- Rogers Library – Redirect
- Satisfaction of completers
- Satisfaction of employers and employment milestones
- Save the Bank
- School of Business
- BUS-475: Organization Information
- BUS-475: Student Information
- Business – A.A.S to B.B.A
- Business – A.A.S-NS to B.B.A-MIS-NSM
- Business – About
- Business – Accounting
- Business – Economics
- Business – Finance
- Business – General Business
- Business – Healthcare Informatics
- Business – Majors
- Business – Management
- Business – Management Information Systems
- Business – Marketing
- Business – Minors & Collaterals
- Business – Scholarships
- Certificate in Business Analytics
- Certificate in Executive Management
- Certificate in Lean Six Sigma
- Certificate in Management of Emerging Technology
- Executive Management Application
- Faculty & Staff
- Internship Opportunities
- Master of Business Administration
- School of Education
- CAEP – Accreditation
- Education – Alumni
- Education – Contact Information
- Education – Faculty and Staff
- Education – Graduate Programs
- Education – Graduate Programs
- Education – Job Postings
- Education – Teacher Cadet
- Education – Teaching Fellows
- Education – Undergraduate Programs
- Education – Using LiveText
- Fall 2020 Student Teaching
- News and Announcements
- Requirements for Field/Clinical experience in Darlington, Florence, Horry, and Marion.
- Spring 2021 Student Teaching Deadlines
- Student Teaching Spring 2018
- Virtual Teacher Cadet Day
- School of Education Program Sheets to complete for Student Teaching Clearance.
- School of Health Sciences
- Healthcare Administration
- Nursing
- MSN Family Nurse Practitioner
- MSN Nurse Educator
- Nursing – Academic Programs
- Nursing – Alumni Resources
- Nursing – Applications & Forms
- Nursing – Faculty and Staff
- Nursing – Scholarship Opportunities
- Nursing – Student Handbooks
- Post-Master’s Nurse Educator Certificate
- Pre-Licensure BSN Program
- RN to BSN Program
- School of Health Sciences – About Us
- School of Health Sciences – Dean’s Welcome
- School of Health Sciences – Faculty and Staff
- School of Health Sciences – Scholarship Opportunities
- Speech-Language Pathology
- Seniors-Prepare for Graduation
- Sociology
- Spring Student Teaching Deadlines
- Staff Advisory Committee
- Staff Awards
- Strategic Plan
- Student Government Association
- Student Life
- Student loan default rates and other consumer information (initial & advanced levels)
- Student Outcome Data
- Student Services and Documents
- Submit Job
- Summer Financial Aid
- Summer School
- Swamp Fox Alerts
- swampfox alerts
- Swampfox Grand Prix
- The Latest News
- Transparency Reports
- Tucker Hipps
- Tutoring Center
- University Communications
- University Communications
- University Fees & Expenses
- University Place Gallery
- Untitled
- Untitled
- Vaccination Participation Drawing
- Vaccination Participation Drawing Form
- Veterans
- Welcome to the Alumni Family!
- Writing Center
- Your FMU Story
- Slide Anything Popup Preview
- Fall 2013
- Fall 2014
- Fall 2016
- Spring 2015
- Spring 2016
Detrek Browning stayed true to FMU and became the school’s all-time leading scorer
In an early January game against Clayton State, Detrek Browning waited calmly behind the three-point line while teammate Brandon Parker battled for a loose ball in the lane. Eventually, Parker swatted the ball towards Browning, who gathered it in, paused to set himself and casually flipped in a three-pointer that etched his name into a prominent place in the FMU record books. With that relatively unremarkable basket, Browning became something quite remarkable — the leading career scorer in the school’s almost 50-year-old history.
That the record-setter came on a routine play is not surprising. Browning’s calling card as a player is his ability to score, seemingly without effort; to make a unique ability to find ways to put ball basket appear quite ordinary.
What was remarkable about the play is that Browning was around to do it at all.
FMU Basketball standout Detrek Browning
The dynamics of college basketball at all levels have changed dramatically in the past decade. Players move regularly and easily from school to school, looking for the next bit of slightly greener grass; and there is not much hard-working coaches and schools can do about it. Their path is fraught with peril.
Bring a player along too slowly and he will leave for a situation where he can play/shoot/start more often. But, bring them along too quickly, develop them too well – and this is especially true for programs at Division II schools like FMU — and bigger schools will come calling. They can’t recruit a player, per se, until he puts his name on the NCAA’s official transfer list (which numbers each year in the thousands) but word gets around. Pssst. If your name is on that list. …
After he averaged 20.1 points a game for FMU in 2015-16, officially his sophomore season, word got around to Browning. There were schools out there – Division I schools – who were interested. And Browning knew the drill. Friends, foes, even some of his teammates, had gone that route.
“I was hearing from a few people,” Browning says, “and people were in my ear, telling me to go, that this was my big chance. But …”
But?
Browning shakes his head, shrugs his shoulders. The big decision, he says, was really no decision at all.
“Man, after all (FMU) has done for me … I mean, they were there for me when no one else was,” says Browning. “And the people here have always been great. This is where I belong. I wasn’t going anywhere. I guess maybe coach was worried, but I wasn’t leaving. “
Gary Edwards, Browning’s coach at FMU, admits to some nervousness during the spring in question. But those days are long past now and recalling them now brings a smile to Edwards’ face.
“Detrek’s done a lot of neat things here, made a lot of big plays, and he’ll always be one of my favorites,” says Edwards, “but if you ask me what I’ll remember most that’s it. It’s that loyalty that Detrek showed. That’s a rare quality. It’s better than all those points he scored.”
Things happen
Maybe Detrek Browning never should have wound up at FMU in the first place.
He wasn’t exactly a secret coming out of Irmo (S.C.) High School, just north of Columbia. Irmo, led by legendary coach Tim Whipple, is one of the premier high school basketball programs in South Carolina and Detrek Browning did nothing during his time with the Yellowjackets to lessen that.
Browning played three varsity seasons at Irmo and helped the team win two state championships. In his senior year Irmo went 29-0 — Whipple’s only unbeaten squad in 37 years at the helm — and captured Whipple’s fifth state title.
Browning may not have been — may being the key word — the best player on a team that also included University of South Carolina recruit Justin McKie. But he wasn’t a secret. He was receiving significant recruiting attention by his junior year and had a number of Division I programs giving him long looks.
But … things happened. One program that seemed like a sure thing signed another guard and never called Browning again. Another changed coaches. And so on.
Whipple says it was clear to him — then and now — that Browning belonged on a Division I roster.
“Oh, there’s no doubt that the could play at that level,” says Whipple. “But you know, coaches look at things … it’s tough. He (Browning) was a little small maybe, kind of got in that in-between thing position wise. Was he a point guard or a shooting guard? He didn’t play much point for us until his senior year. But maybe he’s a little small for a D-I shooting guard, maybe he’s not that fast … So …”
So, early that year, one Edwards’ assistants at FMU saw Browning play and suggested the Patriots make a run at him. Edwards saw him and quickly agreed — “best point guard I saw all year,” Edwards said.
Edwards found out Browning’s recruiting had taken a funny turn and put on the full court press. When Browning came for his official visit, Edwards offered him a full scholarship on the spot.
Browning held out for a little while, waiting for the “better” offer that never came. Eventually his own good sense — all who know him see him as an extremely well-grounded person — and a little hectoring from his mom made him a Patriot.
“I kept thinking, ‘maybe a bigger school will offer me something,’” Browning says. “Meanwhile, mom is saying, ‘are you crazy? They’re offering you a full scholarship. They really want you. You know what? She was right.”
Red-shirt tears
One more test remained.
Though a polished player for a freshman, Browning arrived on the FMU campus to find Evrik Gary — the number three scorer in school history — already ensconced in the point guard role. Edwards and the Patriot staff persuaded Browning that the thing to do was sit out — redshirt is the term — his freshman season, just as Gary had done.
The move made sense, but it’s easier said than done. Redshirts spend all the practice time that regular players do but don’t get to play in the games, can’t even travel with the team to away contests.
“You’re really on your own a lot of times and have to stay focused to keep working on things, getting better, on your own,” says Browning. “That’s a good thing. There’s a lot to get used to moving from high school to college. It helped with basketball, with school, with everything. I tell everyone now ‘Redshirt. That’s the way to do it. It’s the best thing I’ve ever done.’ But it’s not easy. I’ll have to say there were a few nights where a few tears were shed. “
Conserving energy
One point — not the first point, but a point all the same — that Browning would make about his game, about the way he plays basketball is that he can dunk the ball.
“Most definitely,” says Browning. “I actually have two dunks in games (at FMU). I guess there could have been more — fans would like it — but it’s not something I was ever that excited about. A bucket is a bucket. I’d rather conserve my energy.”
Good at energy conservation. Now there’s a line that doesn’t show up on many scouting reports. But that aspect of Detrek Browning, basketball player, says about as much about his game as any. He glides around the court, under control, moving from place to place — moving from the right place to the right place — with a studied nonchalance that lulls opponents, fans and even his own coach into a state of disinterest.
“He’s one of those guys,” says FMU’s Edwards, “where you pick up the stat sheet afterwards and you say, ’Twenty-five points? How’d he do that? I didn’t see that.’ He’s very, very smooth.”
Browning’s chief skill is an absolute intangible. He has innate understanding of the game that allows him to see plays before they develop.
“It doesn’t just happen,” explains Browning. “I’ve had some very good coaches. And I do think about all the plays. I just think about them five or 10 seconds before they happen.”
Which is five or 10 (or more) seconds ahead of most.
Speed, shooting kill
The awards and honors are piling up fast in Browning’s final season. He’s been the Peach Belt Conference Player of the Week four times (through January), set the FMU single game scoring mark (41 points) in early January and is clearly poised to post-season accolades as well.
It’s all well-deserved, but still surprising all the same for Browning seldom looks like the best athlete on the floor. The 6-0, 180-pounder is a little stocky as basketball players go, and doesn’t have the chiseled musculature of some. His two dunks aside, he is not a great leaper, and he’s probably not the fastest guy around either, although as dozens of oft-burned Peach Belt Conference foes would attest, he is plenty fast enough.
Browning comes from a very athletic family. His mom (Carlissa), various uncles and aunts and cousins all played college sports. His brother is a good bit heavier than Detrek, “but can still beat me in a race. He can fly.
“My uncle (Milton Kershaw) who played football in college and is just crazy fast, taught me early on that speed kills,” says Browning. “It’s the most important part of most sports. But it’s not necessarily who is fastest. It’s who can be fast when they need to be.”
Browning is a fine defender (he will finish his career among FMU’s all-time leader in steals, too), but what sets him apart are his offensive skills. In Browning’s mind — a good place to start for analyzing basketball — the key skill is shooting. He has simple mechanics and feel for the shot that came to him almost from the moment he took up the game — he hit a long buzzer beater to win the championship game in his first year of organized basketball at age 12.
“If you can shoot the basketball, I mean really shoot it, you are basically unguardable,” Browning says. “Try to stop the shot and it’s a fake and I’m by you for a pull up (jumper) or a layup. Try to stop that and …. “
His voice trails off. Another basketball thought has popped into a mind that processes such information at an astonishing rate.
“It’s always amazing to me the number of basketball players — Division I players — really can’t shoot,” says Browning. “That’s kind of the point of the game isn’t it?”
The Gary plan
Browning plans to follow in the footsteps of his former teammate Gary and play basketball professionally for as long as he can. Gary has been on an oddball world tour since he left FMU — Luxembourg, Bulgaria, Dubuque, Iowa and now, Cyprus — but he’s got a suitcase full of memorable experiences and … he’s still playing. The dream is still alive.
Browning understands. He knows he can play at a very high level and is eager to prove it, even if that means traveling some strange roads and learning even greater patience.
Whenever that is done, Browning suspects his long-term future lies … in coaching. He’s a Dean’s List student who’ll graduate in May with a degree in Psychology, and reservoir of knowledge that he thinks will translate nicely in that field.
“I seem to have a pretty good understanding of basketball,” says Browning. “I think that (coaching) could work out.”
Indeed.