Better Together: Furman's Championship Quest

Richmond Weaver charts a tale of testosterone, tears, triumph and tribulation in this five-episode mini-series. It follows the Furman men’s basketball team (the Paladins) across their 2023 season in the Southern Conference Tournament, known as SoCon, including the climactic championship. There’s very little scene setting for this show – which is available to stream on Amazon Prime – but for the uninitiated, Furman University is in Greenville, South Carolina, and the Southern Conference is one of the oldest college leagues.

The docuseries begins at the end of the 2022 season when Furman, who hadn’t won the championship since 1984, snatched defeat from the jaws of victory by losing seconds before the end of the final game to Chattanooga. From here on in, Weaver gives us a courtside seat to some training sessions and several pivotal games in the following season, with talking heads input from the players and backroom staff, a smattering of journalists and, most notably, their impassioned head coach Bob Richey.

Richey is a man who mixes pep talk and prayer, whether he’s advocating the Serenity Prayer or suggesting that the team “can be hungry, but you can never let anyone know you’re starving”. He also has quite the temper on the sidelines, something that, mid-season, he says he is aiming to address.

The players are a dedicated and open bunch, happy to talk about what they see as their successes and failures and their appreciation of one another is evident. Weaver highlights key players as the series rolls on – each getting a black and white still photo moment in the spotlight – while the rest of the team wax lyrical about why they are the best.

Maximum positivity is the name of the game and Weaver’s pacy approach means the series never drags. However, the format of game and chat becomes somewhat repetitive over the course of the series. The beats are the staple of many a sports film, including the usual smattering of highs and lows during games, while belief and self-doubt are part of the mental tussle off the court.

Inevitably Better Together will appeal more to those with a prior knowledge of basketball, and particularly Paladins fans, although those with a passing interest in the psychology of sports teams may also find a fair amount of interest.

Reviewed on: 23 Jul 2026