Furman alumnus Jordan Lyons ‘20 has officially begun his professional basketball career. His dream from a young age has always been to play professional basketball, and now, he is well on his way. Lyons signed with BK Ogre of the Estonian-Latvian Basketball League in July.  

During his time at Furman, Lyons made a lasting impression on the Paladin community and the Southern Conference. He finished his college career with 96 wins and 288 career three-pointers, both of which are school records.  

In July, when Lyons signed his first professional contract with BK Ogre, he moved out to Latvia to begin training. BK Ogre is in the Estonian-Latvian Basketball league, which is made up of the best basketball talent in the two countries, and some of the best talent outside of the US. Lyons said of the league, “It’s the best teams from both countries combined into one so it’s a really good league, and there’s a lot of high-level competition and a lot of high-level players.”  

Furman and BK Ogre share a number of similar characteristics – team chemistry and play style are important to both organizations. When asked about how he will fit in, Lyons said “I really like their play style, and I could see myself fitting into the culture and fitting into the organization and being a crucial part of their success.” He certainly has the talent and the drive to do so. Lyons also emphasized the importance of team chemistry – “It’s good that I’m coming from a program that preaches [playing connected] on the daily and coming into another program at the professional level that does the same.”  

Over the last couple of weeks that he’s been in Latvia, Lyons has been able to meet the players and coaching staff, and he is very excited about the new environment he is in. One challenge that he has faced is the language barrier. Luckily for Lyons, all the players and coaching staff speak at least some English along with Latvian. He has been picking up bits and pieces of Latvian when he can, but he says the language is a “whole new animal” for him.  

Jordan Lyons was such an integral part of not only the basketball program but also of the entire Paladin community. Furman was a special place for him, and he said, “Keep believing and keep supporting the program like you guys always do.” He knows that Furman’s potential is incredible and shared his thoughts on the current program. He said, “This year’s team is very talented. They’re going to surprise a lot of people.” From Greenville to Latvia, Jordan Lyons is making a name for himself and chasing his dreams. BK Ogre’s season starts on Oct. 3.