“Brucy, Brucy, Brucy” the student section chants his nickname as the end of the fourth quarter crept up on Coach Holmes and the Panthers. Bruce Furr patiently waited on the bench as the Panthers continue to extend their lead at home against their hometown rivals, Bloomington High School North.
At 6’ 3’’ and one of only three seniors on the team, Furr has been playing basketball almost his whole life and since freshman year for South, almost not making the team his sophomore year. He mentions the dynamic of the team being very strong.
“I love how we are able to work together in practice and still have fun,” the South Panther said.
At South, Furr is known for bringing character and charisma to the basketball team, at his house, it’s no different. At home, Furr is loved by his pug Otis and his bulldog-beagle mix named Jenny. His sister Anneke Furr who also plays at South makes excellent contributions to the South lady Panthers.
Furr said that, “it’s nice [to] share the sport with my sister because it’s easy for us to see each other… during the school day when we might not [see each other outside of school].”
His Crocs and pajama pants are well known in South’s hallways. According to Furr, he owns more than thirty-five pairs of pajama pants and two pairs of Crocs.
With 14 seconds to go, J.R. Holmes calls him up to the score table, giving him his moment of glory as the student section goes wild, still chanting his nickname. He steps onto the court, beaming with Panther pride, as the clock starts up again. Walking back to the bench, the final buzzer rings throughout the gym as the game comes to a close: Another Panther victory. The Panthers won against their rivals, the Cougars, on South’s home court, for the ninth year in a row.
