Pierre Curtis brings continuity, energy to Furman Women’s basketball head coaching job ahead of 2023 campaign
“Being a head coach, it’s one of those things where you get to figure out if what you really wanted to do works,” Curtis said. “It’s really up to you, it’s all on you to make it work, and I love that challenge.”
On June 9th, 2023, the Furman athletic department announced that Furman women’s basketball assistant coach Pierre Curtis would replace former longtime coach Jackie Carson as the programs 8th head coach in its 49 year history.
Carson, a Furman Hall of Famer for her feats as a Paladin player in the late 1990s, left to accept a job as the Atlantic Coast Conference’s senior associate commissioner after 12 years at the helm for Furman.
“We are excited to have Pierre Curtis lead our women’s basketball program,” Paladin AD Jason Donnelly said in June. “Over the past decade, coach Curtis has played a critical role in the growth of our program and in the successes of our student-athletes, on the court and off. He has earned the respect of our team, our coaches, and our administration through his leadership, commitment to athletic and academic excellence, his ability to recruit and then develop players, and his shared values with Furman Athletics. We look forward to supporting coach Curtis as we build upon the strong foundation that has been established and elevate our women’s basketball program to even greater heights.”
Curtis, a native of Chicago, IL who spent his highschool years in Denver, CO, played college basketball at nearby James Madison University where he was a 4 year starter. Curtis left JMU as the program’s leader in starts, assists, and steals.
After playing professionally in Germany for the year following his graduation in 2010, Curtis began his coaching career. Not long after, Curtis joined the Paladins as an assistant coach under Carson’s regime. In 2019, Curtis was promoted to associate head coach, and now takes over for Carson as he enters his 11th year with the Furman program.
“When you accomplish something that you’ve wanted for so long and to do it at a place that you really, really love being at, it’s special,” Curtis said at a press conference following the announcement of his hiring.
In an interview with Furman Joust in late October, Curtis expressed his excitement about the opportunity and challenge ahead of him.
“Being a head coach, it’s one of those things where you get to figure out if what you really wanted to do works,” Curtis said. “It’s really up to you, it’s all on you to make it work, and I love that challenge.”
It’s all on you to make it work, and I love that challenge.
-HC Pierre Curtis
When asked what inspires him as a coach in the modern game, Curtis cited his love for the game of basketball, and a desire to give back to his players as his coaches did for him in his playing days.
“Just a love of the game man,” Curtis told Furman Joust. “When I played there was always someone that gave back to me, so my job is to give back to these kids and make sure they get everything they want out of their college experience.”
When I played there was always someone that gave back to me, so my job is to give back to these kids
-HC Pierre Curtis
While Furman was picked to finish 5th in the Southern Conference in Curtis’s inaugural season, the new coach of the Paladins isn’t ruling anything out for his team.
“I think if we stay healthy and we do what we are supposed to do we’ll have a chance,” Curtis said. “And that’s all I ask for, is a chance.”
Curtis’s team will kick off the season tonight in Greenville against UNC-Asheville with tipoff scheduled for 6 pm ET in Timmons Arena. For more coverage of Furman Athletics, be sure to follow The Furman Joust podcast on Twitter/X or check out our website at furmanjoust.com.
