• Potential Students
    • 360° Virtual Campus Tour
    • Interactive Campus Map
    • Student Life
    • Accounting for Students
    • Apply Now
    • Dining Services
    • Directory
    • Financial Assistance
    • Graduate Programs
    • Housing
    • International Programs
    • Majors
    • Scholarships
    • Visit
  • Current Students
    • Student Resources
      • Blackboard
      • Campus Technology
      • CASA
        • Career Center
        • CASA Advising
        • Tutoring Center
        • Writing Center
      • Counseling and Testing
      • Dining Services
      • Disability Services
      • Purchase Textbooks
      • Rogers Library
      • Student Advocate
      • Student Handbook
      • Student Services and Documents
    • Accounting
    • Bookstore
    • Calendar
    • Course Catalogs
    • Directory
    • Financial Assistance
    • Housing
    • Patriot Gear
    • Patriot Marketplace
    • Registrar
    • Scholarships
    • Student Employment
    • Student Life
    • SwampFox Alerts
  • Alumni
    • Alumni Gear
    • Directory
    • Give
    • Homecoming
    • Join
    • News
  • Community
    • Calendar
    • Virtual Campus Tour
    • Directory
    • Evening College
    • Facility Rental
    • Foundation & Development
      • Economic Development
      • Education Foundation
      • Outreach
        • Evening College
    • Freshwater Ecology Complex
    • Gately Gallery
    • Hewn Timber Cabins
    • Kelley Center
    • Performing Arts Center
    • Regional & Community Programs
    • Richardson Center for the Child
    • University Communications
      • FOIA Requests
  • Faculty/Staff
    • African American Faculty & Staff Coalition
    • Blackboard
    • Calendar
    • Campus Technology
    • Career Opportunities
    • Directory
    • Email
    • Facilities Management
      • Space Reservation
    • Faculty Handbook
    • Human Resources
      • Employment Opportunities
      • Policies
    • Library
    • Performing Arts Center
    • Richardson Center for the Child
    • SwampFox Alerts
  • Patriot Portal
    • Password Manager
    • Portal 101
    • Portal Login
    • Proxy Login
  • FM Link
  • Career Opportunities
News Highlights | Francis Marion University
News Highlights | Francis Marion University
  • APPLY Apply to FMU
  • ABOUT History, Facts
    • President
    • Explore Campus
    • Administration
      • Policies
      • Human Resources
      • Finance & Facilities
      • University Communications
      • Registrar
      • General Counsel
      • Foundation & Development
      • Institutional Research
      • Staff Awards
    • FMU Organizational Chart (Current)
    • Governance
      • Board of Trustees
      • Faculty Governance
      • Student Government Association
    • Calendar
  • ACADEMICS Programs, Majors
    • College of Liberal Arts
    • School of Business
    • School of Health Sciences
    • School of Education
    • FMU’s Downtown Evening College
    • Graduate Programs
    • Library
    • Honors
    • International Programs
    • McNair Scholars Program
    • Provost
      • Accreditation
      • Continuity of Instruction
      • Deans & Department Chairs
      • Grants
      • Institutional Review Board
      • Student Success
    • Academic Resources
    • Research
  • ADMISSIONS Apply, Financial Aid
    • Apply Now
    • Dual Enrollment
    • Campus Visit
    • Request Information
    • Requirements
    • Accepted Students
    • Open House
    • Orientation
    • FM Link
    • Graduate Programs
    • Net Price Calculator
    • Financial Assistance
    • Honors
    • School Counselors
  • ATHLETICS Sports, Events
  • STUDENT LIFE Activities, Events
    • Activities & Organizations
    • Homecoming
    • Greek Life
    • Residence Life

News Highlights

Home \ Physics & Engineering \ Physics & Engineering- Programs \ Physics & Engineering – Programs – Industrial Engineering
  • Physics & Engineering
  • Industrial Engineering
    • ABET Accreditation
    • Faculty & Advisory Board
  • Facilities
  • Undergraduate Research

Physics and Engineering Social Hour

Join the Physics and Engineering group on Tuesday, Feb 28th at 11:30am in the IELC for our 2nd monthly Social Hour. This month’s speaker is Dr. Michelle Kuchera of Davidson College and the topic is ‘Machine Learning in Nuclear Physics.” Free food and great conversation. What better way to spend your lunch hour?

Dr. Cintron-Gonzalez Highlighted in Student Paper

With its first set of students ready to graduate in May, it’s appropriate to reconnect with the early roots of IE at Francis Marion University. Dr. Cintron-Gonzalez was highlighted in a recent edition of The Patriot for her efforts in starting the IE program. While the department has grown since then, her early solo efforts are visible throughout the program.
See the full article: here.

REAL Grant Road Trip – Upstate South Carolina

Dr. Renu has arranged for the Spring 2017 REAL Grant Road Trip to visit Clemson University and a local industry in Upstate South Carolina. FMU IEs will visit with current graduate students at Clemson University and have the opportunity to build their professional contacts through on-site industry tours. Departure is tentatively set for 5:30pm on Sunday 5 Mar with return to FMU on the evening of Tuesday 8 Mar. For more information:
Visit the Website or e-mail Dr. Renu.

UPS and Santee Headline 2017 Capstone Senior Design

The Spring 2017 semester has started in a hurry for IE seniors. Working in teams, they will spend time applying their learned skills to real-world industry problems in ENGR 480 Capstone Senior Design. This year’s collaborative industry partners are UPS (Columbia, SC) and Santee Electric Co-op (Kingstree, SC).

Dr. Renu Closes the Semester with On-sites

The students of ENGR 350 continued their education on manufacturing processes with local visits to Beneteau and Honday. Walk-throughs of both facilities enabled these IE students to gain a stronger knowledge of industry practice in the Pee Dee. Special thanks to Michael Durham of Honda SC and Vincent Peze of Beneteau for your continued support of our IE students and the IE program here at FMU.

IE Bowling – End of Semester Social

Join the Industrial Engineering Program on Monday, December 5th for an end-of-semester celebration at Southgate Bowl. Games and shoes will be provided by the Physics and Astronomy Department (thank you Dr. Jokisch). Relax with your colleagues and de-stress as you ramp up for finals. Bowling starts at 4pm with new games starting up until 6pm. Find Southgate Bowling here.

ENGR 320 Visits IKS in Florence

As part of a class project in Data Analytics, IKS in Florence, SC has provided order data from 2015-2016 in the hopes of identifying new operational knowledge. This visit gave the student team an opportunity to conduct an intermediate project de-brief with COO Mr. Robb Kirkpatrick. Great meeting and many thanks to IKS for their continued support of our IE program! Visit the IKS Website here.

2016 Summer Internship Talks

Gathered in the IELC, students listened to seven interns who spent this past summer working with local/regional industry. Together, students worked on projects representing many different facets of IE, from inventory management and facility layout to forecasting and preventative maintenance. Special thanks to this year’s intern sponsors, which include International Knife and Saw, Otis Elevator, Arauco, Marley (Weil-McLain) and Wyman-Gordon.
Speaking: Senior John Tellis talks about his experiences at Otis.

Faculty Visit Sam Carbis Facilities

The IE Faculty spent Halloween afternoon visiting local manufacturer Carbis Solutions. A national leader in workplace safety, Carbis designs and builds a variety of custom and pre-fab ladders and fall-prevention systems used in the marine, rail, aviation industries. This meeting represents the first step in exploring collaborative possibilities with Carbis. Special thank you to Ron Bennett for organizing and conducting this visit which took faculty to both the Florence and Darlington County facilities.

Visit the Carbis Solutions Website here.

Congratulations to IE Student Athlete

Junior IE Student, Javier Bustos, was recently celebrated for his efforts as an FMU Patriot athlete. The Peach Belt Conference Education Advisory Board (EAB) awarded Javier, who boasts an impressive FMU GPA, the prestigious Elite 15 Award recognizing academic achievement among the conferences 15 championship sports. Javier is only the second FMU athlete ever to receive this award. See the full-length article here.

Two IE Students Intern with GE Healthcare

The Fall and Spring semesters are a little busier for IEs Dante Ahquin (left) and Taylor Watson (right). Each has recently accepted an internship offer from GE Healthcare in Florence and will work through April 2017. Their responsibilities will include time studies, process flow mapping, analytics and work flow assessment. Special thanks to Dr. Renu and Mr. John Necci of GE for all the efforts in support of this great opportunity.

Visit the GE Healthcare Website here.

Grant Supports HFES Conference Travel

Dr. Cintron-Gonzalez, with support from an FMU REAL Grant, took three IE students to the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES) Annual Conference in Washington DC. The IE group attended conference talks, met other faculty and students working in the field of Human Factors and Ergonomics, and spent some time touring our nation’s capitol.
Pictured (Left to Right): Olivia Wilkes, Dr. Cintron-Gonzalez, John Tellis and Adam Brown (taken at the Library of Congress)
Visit the HFES Conference webpage.

IE Visit to GE Healthcare in Florence, SC

Students and faculty from the Industrial Engineering program and the FMU School of Business toured the GE Healthcare facilities in Florence, SC. With over $50 million in inventory and a state-of-the-art production facility, the Florence site produces MR magnets that are deployed worldwide. Special thanks for Dr. Renu (FMU) and Jonathan Necci (GE) for coordinating the visit.
Visit the GE Healthcare Website here.

German Professor Visits the IE Program

Dr. Burkhard Schmager from the Ernst-Abbe-Hochshule University of Applied Sciences guest lectures in the IELC for ENGR 467 Supply Chain Engineering. As part of the IE Program’s growing relationship with EAH in Jenna, Germany, Dr. Schmager will visit with five IE courses during the course of his stay (13 – 24 Sept). We welcome Dr. Schmager and encourage IE students to find him in MSB 101 or the Industrial Engineering Learning Community to learn more about possible study abroad opportunities in Jena.

IELC Opens to IE Students and Faculty

The Industrial Engineering Learning Community (IELC) officially opened to students and faculty of the IE program for Fall 2016. The IELC is a community space that provides students and faculty an opportunity to learn and collaborate enhanced through supportive technology and flexible infrastructure. As an IE student, you are welcome to use the IELC anytime Monday – Friday 8:30am – 5:00pm. Special thanks to Jane Madden, Mike Ritchey, John Dixon and Rusty Braveboy, among many others, for making the IELC possible.

Faculty Visit Beneteau Plant

Located in Marion, SC, Beneteau US is the main manufacturing facility for Beneteau performance sailboats in North America. From molding to finishing, the Beneteau plant is responsible for all aspects of boat manufacturing and quality inspection. Many thanks to Vincent Peze and Paula Felix for their time during this exciting tour.
Visit the Beneteau Website here.

Dr. Rahul Renu Joins IE Faculty

With an emphasis on the development of methods and tools for maximization of efficiency in industrial settings, Dr. Renu brings expertise in manufacturing processes, analytics and engineering design to his new home at Francis Marion University. Dr. Renu joins from Clemson University, where he completed his PhD in Mechanical Engineering in 2016. We are pleased to welcome Dr. Renu as he joins our growing IE program.
Visit Dr. Renu’s Website.

Summer 2016 – Student Internships

IE Students are spending the summer at companies across the Pee Dee. Thanks to all of our internship sponsors for 2016 and good luck to our students as they continue to build their skills, experiences and resumes!

REAL Grant Road Trip – Buffalo, NY and Toronto, Canada

We are very pleased to offer our IE students an exciting opportunity to travel during the Fall 2016 semester as part of a REAL grant supported by FMU. The trip will include visits to the University at Buffalo and the University of Toronto in addition to company visits TBA.
Read the full announcement here .

Faculty Visit to Creek Bridge High School

At the invitation of Computer Science instructor Rachael Abram, the IE program took a drive out to Marion, SC to speak with students at Creek Bridge High School about IE and 3D printing. Students were tasked to design a nametag or household item using TinkerCAD and send it back to Dr. Yates for printing. At least two students had completed their design by the time Dr. Yates returned to Florence. Thank you Creek Bridge HS for your warmth and enthusiasm in learning more about IE!

Florence County Library Makerspace Spotlight

Paula Childers and the Children’s Library in downtown Florence have spent the past semester developing and introducing a hands-on, interactive space for children (and parents) and engage, learn and grow. This makerspace concept is one of the first in South Carolina and the IE Program is proud to support the library’s efforts through the loan of a desktop Invent3D printer. Recently, More…, The Newsletter for South Carolina Libraries ran a spotlight article discussing the efforts of Paula and her colleagues. Congratulations to the Florence County Library for a nice reward to their hard work and efforts. To read the article, click here.

First Annual IE Banquet – 2016

April 15, 2016 at the FMU Performing Arts Center marked a major milestone for the IE Program as we celebrated the 2015-2016 academic year with our FMU colleagues, industry partners and educational collaborators. Dr. Luther F. Carter welcomed the crowd and Rob Ardis (Chair, IE Advisory Board) delivered the first annual ‘Keynote’ address. The IE Program also awarded it’s three annual awards for the first time.
RookIE: Caleb McDowell
Outstanding Student: Javier Bustos Jaimes
Service/Leadership: Adam Brown
Pictured (Left to Right): Caleb McDowell, Dr. Justin Yates, Adam Brown, Javier Bustos Jaimes, Dr. Cintron-Gonzalez, Dr. Renu (joining Aug 2016)

Francis Marion University Career Fair

The Annual Career Fair at Francis Marion University brought 60+ companies from North and South Carolina to Florence for a day of engagement and recruitment. Companies arrived looking for students from all majors, including Geography, Engineering, Education, Journalism, Marketing and more. IE student Casey Murakami (pictured) talks with Nan Ya Plastics based out of Lake City, SC at the event.

FMU Students Celebrate with Scholarship Donors

The FMU Foundation Scholarship Reception on 29 Mar brought together our IE students and Advisory Board member Larry Waring (Duke Energy). Four of our IE students received Duke Energy Foundation scholarships this past year. Congratulations IEs for this well-earned recognition!
Pictured (Left to Right): Olivia Wilkes, John Tellis, Larry Waring, Adam Brown and Bryce Saunders

Bite of Science in the Pee Dee

Dr. Yates delivered one of two talks at the Teacher Enrichment Program’s Bite of Science event held at the Pee Dee Education Center in Florence, SC this past March. Discussing IE and 3D Printing, teachers from around the Pee Dee were present to listen, interact and dine together with speakers and event organizers. Gregory Carr of Kaydon bearings joined Dr. Yates as the other presenter. Bite of Science is part of the Center for Excellent in Education out of McLean, VA. Special thanks to Natashia Schuh-Nuhfer, Rick Reames and Kim Poston for organizing and hosting the event. You may watch Dr. Yates’ full talk here.

IISE Student Chapter Sponsored Seminar

Robb Kirkpatrick, Chief Operating Officer for International Knife and Saw, Inc. (Florence, SC) visited the IE program as part of the IISE Student Chapter’s Seminar Series. Mr. Kirkpatrick is an expert in operations, learn and six-sigma, having spent 30+ years training and implementing process improvements for a variety of industries (including manufacturing, health care and supply chain). Attendees saw first-hand how these methods (originally adapted from the Toyota Production System) are applied in real-world cases.

Article Highlights IE Program

Morning News Online visited the FMU campus to talk about Eastern South Carolina’s only IE program. The article includes discussion from Dr. Cintron-Gonzalez and Dr. Yates and helps gives perspective to the motivators and drivers of this developing program. You may find the full-length article here.

NSF Faculty Workshops – Dr. Yvette Weatherton

Over 55 faculty and administrators from 8 educational entities (Francis Marion, Coker College, College of Charleston, Claflin University, USC Sumter, USC, Florence Darlington Technical College, and ScienceSouth) attended the “Proposal Writing Strategies” workshops delivered by Dr. Yvette Weatherton, Program Director with the Division for Undergraduate Eduaction at the National Science Foundation. Participants represented a myriad of academic disciplines including psychology, biology, engineering, math, computer science, sociology and education. Special thanks to the 20 individuals joining us from off-campus and thanks to Dr. Weatherton for her time and enthusiasm during these exciting workshops.

GearUp South Carolina

Students from surrounding districts congregated at Wilson High School for a Saturday morning series of STEM classes as part of the state’s GearUp program. IE brought the 3D printers and Dr. McDonnell (FMU Physics and Astronomy) brought some hands-on experiments for the attending high schoolers to engage in. This is the second GearUp event that FMU has participated in this year, and special thanks go out to Jomia Mack for continuing to include us in this exceptional STEM event.

Teen Tech Day at Florence County Library

Over 200 people from around Florence joined exhibitors in robotics and technology at the Florence County Library. The IE program, along with Andrew Fox from SiMT, brought out the 3D printers and engaged attendees with sample prints and live demos. Special thanks to Paula Childers, director of the Children’s Library, for her organizational efforts and for our invitation to participate in this great event.

Science Night in Mullins

Early March was a time for Palmetto Middle School students to show off their science knowledge and hypothesis testing as the entire student body exhibited their science experiments. FMU IE, Physics, and Astronomy were all present to support this event and show off how science is pursued in Florence. Dr. Bryngelson and Dr. Fulmer joined Dr. Yates in Mullins, SC. Thank you to Paul Cowan for organizing this great event and inviting us to participate.

Study Abroad in Jena, Germany

Drs. Kathrin Reger-Wagner and Burkhard Schmager visited Florence recently as part of an initiative to establish an Industrial Engineering international exchange program between FMU and the Ernst-Abbe-Hochschule University of Applied Sciences in Jena, Germany. As part of their trip, Dr. Reger-Wagner and Dr. Schmager visited local industry, toured the FMU campus and downtown Florence, and were keynotes at the weekly FMU Science Symposium. Study abroad opportunities begin with the 2016-2017 academic year.

IE Faculty visit Sonoco

The Innovative Packaging Solutions (IPS) Studio on Sonoco’s Hartsville, SC campus is an open-concept space meant to foster creative, collaboration and cross-team communication in the development of product solutions for Sonoco’s vast array of customers. Dr. Cintron-Gonzalez and Dr. Yates were able to get a first-hand look at these facilities during a visit to Sonoco on 26 Feb. In addition to touring the studio, talks were held with various members of the Sonoco management team to identify collaborative paths moving forward. Special thanks to Jacob Branyon and Deirdre Hughes for their efforts in coordinating this visit.
Read about the IPS.

APPLY

Ready to start your FMU journey? Apply now

CONTACT

Get in touch with a friendly FMU representative.

VISIT

Schedule an in-person tour or virtual visit here.

DONATE

Give the gift of opportunity to a Francis Marion Patriot here.

IMPORTANT LINKS

FMU Safe Campus
Tucker Hipps Report
Title IX & Discrimination Policies
Clery Report
Transparency Reports
Student Achievement & Success
Website Privacy
GDPR Policy
Campus Map
Accreditation

UNIVERSITY HONORS

  • U.S. News & World Report Best Social Mobility
  • U.S. News & World Report Best Regional University South
  • U.S. News & World Report Top Public University
  • U.S. News & World Report Top Performer Economic Diversity
  • U.S. News & World Report Top Business & Engineering Schools
TOP
© 2021 Francis Marion University | 4822 E. Palmetto St., Florence, S.C. 29506 | PO Box 100547, Florence, S.C. 29502
  • APPLY
  • ABOUT
    • President
    • Explore Campus
    • Administration
      • Policies
      • Human Resources
      • Finance & Facilities
      • University Communications
      • Registrar
      • General Counsel
      • Foundation & Development
      • Institutional Research
      • Staff Awards
    • FMU Organizational Chart (Current)
    • Governance
      • Board of Trustees
      • Faculty Governance
      • Student Government Association
    • Calendar
  • ACADEMICS
    • College of Liberal Arts
    • School of Business
    • School of Health Sciences
    • School of Education
    • FMU’s Downtown Evening College
    • Graduate Programs
    • Library
    • Honors
    • International Programs
    • McNair Scholars Program
    • Provost
      • Accreditation
      • Continuity of Instruction
      • Deans & Department Chairs
      • Grants
      • Institutional Review Board
      • Student Success
    • Academic Resources
    • Research
  • ADMISSIONS
    • Apply Now
    • Dual Enrollment
    • Campus Visit
    • Request Information
    • Requirements
    • Accepted Students
    • Open House
    • Orientation
    • FM Link
    • Graduate Programs
    • Net Price Calculator
    • Financial Assistance
    • Honors
    • School Counselors
  • ATHLETICS
  • STUDENT LIFE
    • Activities & Organizations
    • Homecoming
    • Greek Life
    • Residence Life
  • Potential Students
    • 360° Virtual Campus Tour
    • Interactive Campus Map
    • Student Life
    • Accounting for Students
    • Apply Now
    • Dining Services
    • Directory
    • Financial Assistance
    • Graduate Programs
    • Housing
    • International Programs
    • Majors
    • Scholarships
    • Visit
  • Current Students
    • Student Resources
      • Blackboard
      • Campus Technology
      • CASA
        • Career Center
        • CASA Advising
        • Tutoring Center
        • Writing Center
      • Counseling and Testing
      • Dining Services
      • Disability Services
      • Purchase Textbooks
      • Rogers Library
      • Student Advocate
      • Student Handbook
      • Student Services and Documents
    • Accounting
    • Bookstore
    • Calendar
    • Course Catalogs
    • Directory
    • Financial Assistance
    • Housing
    • Patriot Gear
    • Patriot Marketplace
    • Registrar
    • Scholarships
    • Student Employment
    • Student Life
    • SwampFox Alerts
  • Alumni
    • Alumni Gear
    • Directory
    • Give
    • Homecoming
    • Join
    • News
  • Community
    • Calendar
    • Virtual Campus Tour
    • Directory
    • Evening College
    • Facility Rental
    • Foundation & Development
      • Economic Development
      • Education Foundation
      • Outreach
        • Evening College
    • Freshwater Ecology Complex
    • Gately Gallery
    • Hewn Timber Cabins
    • Kelley Center
    • Performing Arts Center
    • Regional & Community Programs
    • Richardson Center for the Child
    • University Communications
      • FOIA Requests
  • Faculty/Staff
    • African American Faculty & Staff Coalition
    • Blackboard
    • Calendar
    • Campus Technology
    • Career Opportunities
    • Directory
    • Email
    • Facilities Management
      • Space Reservation
    • Faculty Handbook
    • Human Resources
      • Employment Opportunities
      • Policies
    • Library
    • Performing Arts Center
    • Richardson Center for the Child
    • SwampFox Alerts
  • Patriot Portal
    • Password Manager
    • Portal 101
    • Portal Login
    • Proxy Login
  • FM Link
  • Career Opportunities

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

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.