Furman University Women's Basketball

Curtis joined Furman's women's basketball program prior to the start of the 2013-14 season. A 2010 graduate of James Madison University where he starred as a player for the Dukes, he coached  womens basketball at Harrisonburg (Va.) High School for two seasons prior to coming to Furman, helping direct his squad to a pair of region playoff appearances. Curtis played professionally in Germany during the 2010-11 season before beginning his coaching career.  He also counts extensive summer camp experience with numerous colleges and work with the prestigious Boo Williams AAU organization. A native of Denver, Colorado, he was a two-year starter at Denver East High School, where he keyed his squad to a state championship and No. 12 national ranking his junior year.  He earned all-state and Denver Player of the Year honors as a senior before enrolling at Charis Prep School in Goldsboro, N.C., where he averaged 22.0  points and 8.0 rebounds while pacing his squad to a No. 14 national ranking. He signed with James Madison and went on to register 1,237 points and complete his career as the Dukes all-time leader in starts, assists, and steals. Holder of a bachelors degree in sports management from JMU, he has a daughter, Sydney.

On June 9, 2023, Pierre Curtis was named Furman's new women’s head basketball coach by Jason Donnelly, Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics. Curtis, a 10-year member of the Paladin women’s basketball program, served as an assistant coach over his first six years before being elevated to associate head coach in 2019. He is the eighth head coach in program history that spans 49 seasons. “We are excited to have Pierre Curtis lead our women’s basketball program,” said Donnelly. “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.” “I want thank Jason Donnelly and President Davis for trusting me with this great opportunity,” Curtis said. “I am also very grateful to Jackie Carson for all she has done for me and Furman University.  To have my first head coaching job be at a place where I have such affinity and connection to is a dream come true.  I can’t wait to begin working with our team and building towards our goals of winning a conference championship and having NCAA tournament success”. In February he was among 21 assistant coaches selected to participate in the inaugural class of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Next Generation Institute, a new high-level education program for experienced assistant coaches who aspire to become head coaches at the NCAA Division I, II and III levels.   During his decade at Furman, Curtis has been involved in all aspects of the program, most notably as recruiting coordinator.  There he has played a key role in signing and helping develop 19 All-Southern Conference performers, including at least one selection every year.  The consistency has also been reflected in the 11 SoCon All-Freshman Team selections earned by Paladins during Curtis’ tenure, as Furman has placed a representative on the squad every year over his span on staff. The most heralded player Curtis recruited and helped develop was consensus SoCon Player of the Year forward Tierra Hodges, who paced the league in scoring and rebounding while keying the Paladins to 20 wins during the 2021-22 campaign. Others signed to Furman and/or developed on the court with Curtis’ help include two-time All-SoCon forward Brittany Hodges, two-time all-league forward Holli Wilkins, three-time all-conference guard and all-time assist leader Whitney Bunn, and career 3-point field goal shooting leader Le’Jzae Davidson. Furman has made five post-season tournament appearances with Curtis on staff, including two trips to the WNIT, and also played in a pair of SoCon Tournament championship games. A 2010 graduate of James Madison University where he starred as a player for the Dukes, Curtis coached women’s basketball at Harrisonburg (Va.) High School for two seasons prior to coming to Furman, helping direct his squad to a pair of region playoff appearances. He played professionally in Germany during the 2010-11 season before beginning his coaching career.  He also racked up extensive summer camp experience with numerous colleges and worked with the prestigious Boo Williams AAU organization. A Chicago, Ill., native who spent many of his teenage years in Denver, Colo., he was a two-year starter at Denver East High School, where he keyed his squad to a state championship and No. 12 national ranking his junior year.  He earned all-state and Denver Player of the Year honors as a senior before enrolling at Charis Prep School in Goldsboro, N.C., where he averaged 22.0  points and 8.0 rebounds while pacing his squad to a No. 14 national ranking. Curtis signed with James Madison and went on to register 1,237 points and complete his career as the Dukes’ all-time leader in starts, assists, and steals. Holder of a bachelor’s degree in sports management from JMU, he has a daughter, Sydney.  

Dr. Ashley Johnson is in her fourth year as an assistant coach with the Furman women's basketball program, having joined the Paladins in May 2021. Since her arrival, Johnson has been instrumental in player development, coaching standout athletes such as Southern Conference (SoCon) Player of the Year Tierra Hodges and second-team All-Conference honorees Grace van Rij, Jada Session, and Kate Johnson. Before joining Furman, Johnson spent three years as the director of player development at LSU, where she helped organize and execute recruiting strategies that brought in top-tier talent, including the nation's No. 1 junior college player, Sarah Shematsi, along with Ajae Petty, Sharna Ayres, and Treasure Thompson. She also contributed to the development of standout players such as second-team All-Southeastern Conference honorees Ayana Mitchell and Khayla Pointer, All-SEC defender Faustine Aifuwa, and Louisiana Sportswriter Newcomer of the Year Awa Trasi. Her extensive responsibilities at LSU included generating post-game analytics, creating in-depth scouting reports, scheduling non-conference games, and collaborating with compliance, academic advising, and sports communications teams. Additionally, she played a key role in the planning and execution of summer camps and clinics.   Johnson's coaching journey began in 2013, and she has since held various roles, including assistant coach at Winthrop (2016-17) and director of program development at UCF (2014-16). She also served as an assistant coach with the Fairfax Stars Girls 16U Nike EYBL squad, helping young athletes succeed on a national stage.   A former collegiate star at LSU, Johnson was a team co-captain during her junior and senior seasons. She helped lead the Tigers to a 125-21 record, three SEC regular season championships, and four consecutive Final Four appearances. She earned her bachelor’s degree in marketing with a minor in sports studies and later completed her Master of Business Administration, both from LSU.   In 2024, Johnson earned her doctorate in Global Sport Leadership from East Tennessee State University (ETSU).   Before returning full-time to basketball, Johnson gained valuable experience in the corporate sector, working in information systems with Northrop Grumman from 2010-13. She also held a role as manager of educational programs at Points of Light, where she focused on leadership and community impact initiatives.   In addition to her professional achievements, Johnson is a dedicated mother to her daughter, Ava.”  

 Furman women's basketball head coach Pierre Curtis announced on July 18 the hiring of Jauwan Scaife as assistant coach. "Jauwan is someone I've watched closely in the business for the last 10 years," said Curtis.  "He has a knack for helping players reach their potential on the court and his basketball IQ is top notch, so it was a no-brainer for me to have him and his family join our Furman family." "I'm excited and grateful to be able to join the Furman family," added Scaife. "I have a lot of respect for the culture Pierre has established and created. I am ready to get started!" Scaife comes to Furman following one season at Virginia Tech, where he played a part in the Hokies' 25-8 campaign that featured an Atlantic Coast Conference regular season championship (14-4 ACC) and NCAA Tournament second round appearance. A native of Muncie, Indiana, he spent the 2022-23 season at Ball State, his alma mater. The Cardinals went 26-9 (14-4 MAC) and competed in the second round of the WNIT.    Scaife returned to his alma mater after spending two seasons as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Utah State. During the 2021-22 season, the Aggies finished the season ranked third in offensive rebounds per game (12.43) and fourth in assists per game (14.20).    Prior to Utah State, he worked at Murray State from 2018 to 2020, where he enjoyed roles in player development, recruiting, offensive schemes and game plans while also assisting with in-game adjustments. During the 2018-19 campaign, he helped the Racers to nine conference victories, the most by Murray State since the 2008-09 season. Scaife also played a part in Evelyn Adebayo and Macey Turley earn All-Ohio Valley Conference honors.    He spent the 2017-18 season as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Evansville, where he worked primarily with perimeter players.   Scaife was also an assistant coach at Southeast Missouri State for two years, during which time the Redhawks advanced to the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament for the first time in seven seasons.  An outstanding collegiate player, Scaife lettered all four years (2010-13) at Ball State, where he landed MAC All-Freshman Team and second team All-MAC laurels as a senior.  He finished his career 14th in program history with 1,326 career points, becoming the 26th 1,000-point scorer in Ball State history. He also connected on 203 3-pointers, breaking the school record in the final game of his career, and completed his tenure ranked seventh in program history in career minutes played (3,368), seventh in games played (120), and ninth in games started (93). He completed his master's degree in physical education from Ball State in 2013 while also holding the role of graduate assistant for two years with the Cardinals.   Scaife, who starred at Muncie Central High School, is the cousin of former Ball State and NBA standout Bonzi Wells.  He and his wife Rebecca have two daughters, Jewell & Jersey.

Head coach Pierre Curtis' first hire in his new role was Lauren Johnson, who joined the program in August of 2023. Johnson joined Furman following two years at Hampton University, where she served as an assistant coach and as director of basketball operations for the Pirates' women's basketball program.  While there, she performed a wide range of duties, including travel and budget management.  She also served as the team's academic coordinator and liaison. On the floor she headed up all guard development, assisted in the development of Hampton's post players, and also performed scouts of opponents and in overall game preparation. She was elevated to associate head coach at Hampton in the spring of 2023. Prior to Hampton, Johnson worked two seasons as an assistant coach at Charleston Southern, and prior to that two years at Augusta (Ga.) University, also as assistant coach. She began her coaching career at her alma mater, Southern Wesleyan University in Central, S.C., prior to her graduation in 2014 and was named the school's first junior varsity head coach in 2015 while also assisting as varsity assistant coach. She moved to Augusta University in August of 2017. A native of Chesapeake, Va., Johnson began college at South Carolina State University in 2009 before moving on to Southern Wesleyan in 2012. Johnson is the first coaching hire for Curtis, who was named Furman's new head mentor in June after serving as an assistant on the Paladins' staff for 10 years.