Mercer Basketball

Dick Vitale loves to talk about the "BMOC" (Big Man on Campus) during the length of his commentary of a college basketball game.

Daniel Emerson is literally a "Big Man on Campus."

Listed at 6’8", Emerson is a muscular force in the post despite not playing like a true center. He can hit the three-pointers just as easily as he can hit the jumper from mid-range and his tenacity on the glass is unequaled.

As one of the best returning rebounders in the country, Emerson has become a crucial part of the Bears’ game on the court during the past year.

Transferring to Mercer after two years of limited playing time at Western Kentucky, Emerson has been an automatic contributor on offense and defense averaging more than a double-double each game.

The last in a line of a talented basketball family (brothers Scott and Will also played at Mercer and dominated opponents inside), the St. Mary’s, Georgia native hopes to put the Bears over the top this season and push them into the NCAA tournament for the first time in a long while.

The BearZone caught up with the busy big man to talk about his goals for the season and his adjustments to Mercer during the past two years.

BearZone: What are you hoping to accomplish in your final season here at Mercer?

Emerson: This may sound really cliché but just win a conference championship. I don't care at all about individual accomplishments anymore; I had an opportunity to achieve all that last year. I just want to win this year, badly. I can be the first in my family to go to the NCAA tourney!

BearZone: How did injuries slow you down last year and what was the hardest part of rehabbing through those injuries? (Emerson battled through shoulder injuries for a good part of last season.)

Emerson: The injuries were tough for a while and then you adapt to them. After I started getting shots before every game (for the pain) it got much easier as the pain subsided for most of the game.

The toughest part of rehabbing was just not playing basketball for six months and not being able to lift weights. Watching yourself shrink day by day sucks!

BearZone: Why the move to Mercer from Western Kentucky? What do you like more about Mercer?

Emerson: When I first came here it was mainly because I grew up watching both of my brothers play here. I had known Coach Slonaker since I was 11 and decided if I was going to play anywhere else then it was going to be for him at Mercer.

The main thing that I like about Mercer more than Western Kentucky is that Mercer has James Florence. I didn't have a James Florence at Western Kentucky; it was much less fun to watch basketball.
 
BearZone: Have you found your place in Hoffman's run-n-gun offense? What do you expect your role to be this season?

Emerson: I definitely think I have found my role here. Offensively, I am needed to rebound as much as possible and finish when I get the ball around the basket. I try to take charges and help everyone as much as possible defensively.

BearZone: What are your goals going into each game?

Emerson: I think my goals this season will just be to stay aggressive for the entire game and rebound as hard as possibly when I'm in the game.

I want to try to average eight-plus rebounds per game again and cut down on my turnovers big time from last season. A double-double sounds like a very ambitious goal this season, so we'll go with that.

BearZone: Why should the average student come out to the games this year? What about the team makes the games exciting?

Emerson: I think the average student should come check us out for a couple of reasons. First, we have a much more athletically gifted team this season and we are playing even faster than we did a year ago. Secondly, we have studs like EJ Kusnyer, Brian Mills, Jeff Smith, and Ted Price on the team this year.

What more do girls need to entice them to come out than that??

With professional sports all but removed from Macon, the Mercer Bears are starting to fill the void for a city in need of a sports team. Middle Georgia’s hottest ticket has been consistently improving over the past few seasons and this could be the year that the Bears finally make the big dance.

The numbers don’t lie. Seventeen wins last season. Two upset victories over Auburn and Alabama and a close overtime loss to Georgia Tech. A 54 percent increase in attendance last year and nearly 1,000 season ticket packages already sold should indicate that you might be missing something big if you haven’t reserved your seat yet for the next game.

Forget about Florida State homecoming tickets. The general public tickets for that game were gone in less than an hour and with big conference home games against rivals Lipscomb and Belmont in early December, the University Center could be going bonkers come January.

“We’re shooting for the Atlantic Sun Championship and want to compete in the NCAA tournament, not just show up,” said senior guard James Florence. If the team isn’t reason enough to show up at the games, Florence is. The fourth-year starter is the NCAA’s best returning scorer, averaging more than 20 points per contest. Teamed up with big man Daniel Emerson and shifty guards E.J. Kusnyer and Brian Mills, the Bears may see their stock jump through the roof come tournament time.

Building on last year’s success, head coach Bob Hoffman lured a few big-time junior college transfers to Macon, including Jeff Smith, who dropped 22 points in his first game as a Bear in an exhibition win over Georgia College and State. With a high octane offense, the Bears will look to repeat the success against their opponents this year as they match up with the likes of Vanderbilt, Alabama, and Providence on the road this season.

And let’s not forget about the women. Their monumental 17-14 record last year after a dismal 4-26 mark the season before was one of the best turnarounds in the college game in 2008-09. LaToya Jackson and Courtney Ford, the lone two seniors of the squad, will look to guide their young team back to the Atlantic Sun Tournament, where they fell in the Semifinals to East Tennessee State last March.

How could it not be the start of something great when college basketball icon Dick Vitale visited Mercer in October to kick off the season? As Vitale would say, “It’s time for college basketball, baby!”

Call it the wake-up from hibernation or whatever you want, but the men’s basketball team’s exhibition win over Georgia College and State wasn’t that impressive.

Nevertheless, the 69-66 win was better than last year’s result: a 75-72 loss to the Division II school. With the proceeds of the game going to the American Cancer Society, junior guard Jeff Smith looked fantastic in his first game as a Bear, posting 22 points and 10 rebounds in 33 minutes. The rest of the team played well in spurts but still seemed to be in ‘preseason’ form.

“In the first half, we were stagnant and standing around,” said second year head coach Bob Hoffman after the game on MercerBears.com. “That led to a lot of turnovers. GCSU played their tails off, and Coach Sellers is a great coach. We have to keep working on the little things. We only have eight or nine days left to prepare for our regular season opener.”

To be fair, it was a tough situation for Mercer. Georgia College and State University, a 22-7 team out of the Peach Belt Conference, consistently gives the Bears fits in preseason action. Gunning for the larger Division I school, the ‘Battle of Middle Georgia’ often comes down to the wire.

Last night, it was Marietta product Graham Martin that was trying his best to upset Mercer with 15 points on the night. The Bobcats also saw big production from Jake Rios and Ryan Aquino with 11 and 10 points on the night, respectively.

Trailing by nine at the half 35-26, the Bears shot 40.7% from the field for a big second half to burn past the Bobcats. A late rally by GSCU pulled the game within three, but they wouldn’t get any closer as time ran out on the school from Milledgeville.

Analyzing Mercer’s effort, Jeff Smith may have stolen the headlines, but James Florence quietly put together a solid second half effort en route to 17 points on the night. Big man Daniel Emerson struggled a bit inside committing six turnovers but managed to fall just short of a double-double with 8 points and 11 rebounds.

Hoffman used the exhibition matchup to get a feel for the team’s depth, playing a total of nine bench players including transfers Brandon Moore, Michael Jenkins, and Ridas Pulkauninkas for lengthy amounts of time.

While Mercer aimed to develop continuity on the floor, GCSU put their best players on the floor but failed to win the battle on the glass. The Bears would outrebound the Bobcats 49-34 for the night.

With their only exhibition of the season complete, Mercer opens up regular season play against Fisk University before Hoffman’s squad travels to Rhode Island to play Bucknell, Bryant, and Providence in three consecutive days. Then Mercer plays in arguably their most important home game of the season against Florida State for homecoming.

Building off of Mercer’s best finish in several years last season, expectations in Macon are sky-high for this year’s team. Led by a formidable core of seniors, this could be the year that the team from middle Georgia makes it to the NCAA tournament. “We’re shooting for the Atlantic Sun championship and want to compete in the NCAA tournament, not just show up,” said senior guard James Florence.

Ranked third in the conference by many of the different basketball media outlets, the Bears will need to get by perennial conference powers Jacksonville, Lipscomb, Belmont, and ETSU for the opportunity to represent the A-Sun come March. Finishing 17-15 last season, head coach Bob Hoffman impressed many in the college basketball world with wins over Auburn and Alabama, while nearly missing an upset over Georgia Tech during homecoming.

Adapting to Hoffman’s new up-tempo offense last season, Mercer piled plenty of points on the scoreboard, but seemed to give up just as many on the other end. With opponents averaging 76 points against the Bears, defense and ball control were the focal points of the offseason. “We just couldn’t handle the pressure,” said Hoffman on ESPN’s Insider team preview. “They started trapping us and the guards did a good job, but we didn’t take care of the ball as well as we needed to,” he added.

The Bears added several key players during the off-season that should boost their depth inside, and outside for the upcoming season. With conference shot-blocking threat Calvin Henry gone due to graduation, Hoffman and his coaching staff added nine new faces to the roster to give Mercer big-time threats up, and down the roster. Add in starters Florence, Daniel Emerson, E.J. Kusnyer, and Brian Mills, and you’ve got the makings of a tough basketball team.

“The big difference this year is that we’re a lot more athletic at the wing and at the post,” said forward Daniel Emerson. “Building off of last year, we’re a lot deeper, a lot better, and a lot more talented than we’ve been in the past. We’ve got more play-makers, more shooters, and I really feel good about our chemistry,” he added.

Of the returning starters, Florence (20.8 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 3.7 apg), and Emerson (13.8 ppg, 10.7 rpg) will see plenty of scoring opportunities, as will three-point threat E.J. Kusnyer (10.5 ppg, 2.6 rpg). Florence heads an offense that returns 82 percent of the scoring from a year ago, and comes into 2009 as the most prolific scorer in the NCAA. According to ESPN.com, his 20.8 points per game is a point higher than Notre Dame’s Luke Harangody’s 19.7 point per game career average.

Known for their thunderous dunks, BeJay Corley and Brian Mills will see time down low this year, and be expected to contribute every night. Other returners expected to contribute include wings Brendan Walker, Mark Hall, and Jake Gollon.

Perhaps the biggest unknown at Mercer is how effective, and how quick, the nine new faces will be able to contribute on the floor. Tevin Swann (15.0 ppg, 8.0 apg) comes to Mercer with high acclaim, while Jeff Smith (13.2 ppg, 5.8 apg, 3.0 spg), and Brandon Moore (10.4 ppg, 8.3 rpg) tore up the junior college ranks last season at Wallace State (Ala.) Community College. Michael Jenkins, and Ridas Pulkanuninkas also come from the junior college ranks from Texas where their height and physicality has given opponents plenty of matchup problems.

This year’s schedule isn’t nearly as imposing as it was a year ago due to the big non-conference wins last season. Facing Bucknell, Bryant, and Providence in the World Vision Invitational to kick off the season, Mercer will play their first two home games in mid-November against Fisk, and Florida State (Homecoming).

Big matchups before Christmas follow against Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt, Alabama, and UNC-Charlotte, as well as two tough conference tests against Lipscomb, and Belmont. Mercer will finish out the rest of the year with conference tests highlighted by matchups at home against Campbell, ETSU, Stetson, and Jacksonville.

With the Florida State game already sold out, tickets for the Bears’ home games are at a premium. For season tickets and updates on the team, visit MercerBears.com for more info.

In one of the biggest turnarounds in women’s college basketball, Mercer head coach Janell Jones took a 4-26 team in 2007-'08 to a 17-14 finish a season later.

The unbelievable change in pace saw a tough team post a 9-2 record at home last year while eventually falling to ETSU in the A-Sun semifinal game, 82-60.

Led by senior guards LaToya Jackson and Courtney Ford, the Bears will have their work cut out for them as the "surprise factor" is no longer present.

With a total of three upperclassmen (Jackson, Ford, and junior Kourtney Carter), Jones may have her work cut out for her as she’ll need the team to gel quickly before conference play starts in December.

Graduates Dominique Chism, Natasha Doh, Cristin Seymour, Megan Lewis, and Nicole Leonard will be sorely missed on the floor this year as they provided key leadership in crucial games last season. After graduating in May, Chism decided to continue her basketball career by signing with club Baloncesto Conquero in Spain.

Picked fifth in the A-Sun media poll, Mercer will look to Jackson (13.2 ppg) and Ford (11.7 ppg) to shoulder most of the load offensively with a large percentage of its scoring from a year ago gone.

Jackson, known for her innate ability to score off the dribble, was named to the preseason all-conference team after two solid seasons at Mercer.

Also returning to the court this season will be guards Neicey Lewis, Kara Powell, and Lorin Hammer as well as interior players Lacy Ramon and Kourtney Carter.

Lewis, Ramon, and Carter saw plenty of time last season on the floor for Mercer, gathering experience that will be crucial with nine new faces on the roster this season.

Jones’ most recent recruiting class features a trio of 6' freshmen in Sharmesia Smith (6', Jonesboro, Ga.), Amber Coleman (6'2", Travelers Rest, S.C.), and Alex Phillips (6'3", Duluth, Ga.).

Expect all three to see the court over the course of the season as the Bears will look to fill the void left by Chism and Doh from last season.

Macon product Kendra Grant from nearby Rutland High School will also help Mercer from the guard position joined by fellow freshman guards Eryka Menzies, Lindsey Lowrie, Keema Blakney, and Amber Chatmon.

Samoana Ingram will look to get on the floor as a 5'1"1 forward from Stafford, Va.
 
Following the trend of years past, Jones will put her team to the test against top tier Division I schools such as Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, College of Charleston, and Furman during non-conference action.

Unfortunately, few of the non-conference games will be in the friendly confines of the University Center with only one of their nine matchups in Macon.

The usual rugged Atlantic Sun schedule follows in January after the first two conference games in December against Lipscomb and Belmont at home. Big home games against Campbell, ETSU, Kennesaw State, North Florida, and Jacksonville are on tap for 2010.

For more information about the team, schedules, and statistics, visit MercerBears.com.

It took Bob Hoffman only a season to turn the program around, and for his efforts, comes national recognition.

The men’s basketball team had struggled the past few seasons, but Hoffman managed to guide the Bears to a 17-15 (11-9 A-Sun) record in his first season at the helm, en route to being named Atlantic Sun Conference Coach of the Year by CollegeInsider.com.

It started with a perfect 3-0 start to the season, the first for the program since 1984. Then came the upset wins over Alabama and Auburn. Mercer almost knocked off their third big conference opponent in the same week when they narrowly lost to Georgia Tech at home during homecoming.

In fact, Mercer was featured in the CollegeInsider.com mid-major poll for two straight weeks after the victories, climbing to as high as 10th, the highest basketball ranking in school history.

Hoffman gave the program a much needed jumpstart, encouraging support from the Middle-Georgia surrounding communities and students. In turn, he was rewarded for his effort, coaching his team in front of record-setting crowds in the University Center for much of the year.

The day before big games, Hoffman could be spotted around campus in a golf cart handing out free pizzas to students and encouraging them to come to the next home game.

“I’m a firm believer that individual awards really reflect team accomplishments,” said the head coach. “We didn’t finish exactly how we wanted to at the end of the year, but we had a great start to the season,” Hoffman added.

Despite Mercer’s shortcomings near the end of the season, Hoffman was able to guide his squad to a 89-83 victory over A-Sun foe Belmont in late February, the team’s first in the last 10 games with the Bruins.

Who could forget the team’s nail-biter win against Jacksonville on Feb. 7? For the first time in several years, Mercer was actually winning the close games at the end of regulation.

“It’s an honor to be mentioned as the coach of the year, especially with the great coaches that are in this league,” said the Oklahoma City native. He later added, “This award really just reflects the accomplishments and hard work of this team on the floor this season.”

Mercer director of athletics, Bobby Pope, was especially pleased with his first year coach, commenting on the school’s athletics Web site, “Bob is most deserving of this recognition. In just one year on the job, he has brought our men’s basketball program to a level of competitiveness, and I think even better days are ahead. He has energized the basketball team as well as the campus and community.”

The proof is in the statistics. A 58 percent increase in attendance, six more wins than the year before, and top 100 rankings in the NCAA in scoring offense, free throw percentage, and three-point field goals per game show just a small picture of the turnaround at Mercer.

For those who know Hoffman, the accolade isn’t really anything new. Hoffman was named NAIA Coach of the Year in 1989, and after coaching at Texas-Pan America for several years and now at Mercer, Hoffman ranks in the top 20 for active coaches in winning percentage.

After last season, expectations will be just a bit higher come basketball season in Macon. Following the regular season, the university will host the 2010 and 2011 General Shale Brick Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships in the UC for the first time in Mercer’s history.

Few basketball players from smaller schools entertain the idea of playing professional basketball after their four years of college eligibility. For many, it’s a means to pay for school. But for Mercer defensive star Calvin Henry, his goal has always been to play professional basketball. 

Coming out of Cypress Creek High School in Orlando, FL, Henry earned all-city and all-state accolades after averaging 17 points, eight rebounds, and four assists in his final season for the Bears. 

Henry then signed with Florida A&M and redshirted his first year before transferring to Miami-Dade College for a season. It was former Mercer coach Mark Slonaker that got Henry to transfer to the Macon school to play with the Bears for the rest of his college eligibility. 

In hindsight, it was a move that helped catapult the Bears to upset wins over Southern Cal, Alabama, and Auburn over the course of Henry’s career.

Henry averaged 10.4 points per game and 6.6 rebounds per game in his final season at Mercer, but it was his jaw dropping ability to block shots that earned him the Atlantic Sun Defensive Player of the Year award in 2007-08. 

Unfortunately, a knee injury in a road game against Belmont cut his senior year short.  Tearing his MCL, Henry fought through rehab to make brief appearances in a handful of games near the season’s end, but he wasn’t the same player.

“Right now, I’m back to full speed and my knee is feeling pretty good,” said Henry. He added, “My goal has always been to become a professional basketball player and now I’m in the process of picking an agent to sign with.”

The process of selecting an agent can be difficult. “Coach Hoffman gave me the advice to pick someone that’s always truthful to me and that doesn’t give me the runaround.  Pick someone that will put me in a good situation,” said Henry. 

Henry’s sights are currently set overseas, preferably in England or South America.  If Henry signs with a pro team overseas, he’ll follow in the footsteps of former Mercer stars Scott Emerson, Andrew Brown, and Hrvoje Pervan. 

Each year, only a handful of college players get drafted into the NBA while others try to work their way up through the league’s minor league system, the NBDL.  Coincidentally, Mercer head coach Bob Hoffman’s last coaching stint was for the NBDL’s Rio Grande Valley’s Vipers.

“I’ve followed Josh Childress [Olympiacos – Greece] and Brandon Jennings [Lottomatica – Italy] in their careers overseas. The money’s better over there and I’d love to travel for a few years,” said Henry. His goals after playing? He’s got a plan for that too adding, “I’d love to get into coaching...after I play as long as I can.” 

Imagine next spring in Macon, with temperatures oscillating from near freezing to surprisingly warm and cherry blossoms abound.  Then imagine Mercer’s campus flooded with thousands of basketball fans, all watching in anticipation to see if their respective teams can capture the Atlantic Sun basketball title.  For the next two years, this dream will finally become a reality.

Fourteen games in four days, spanning March 3-6, 2010, will certainly put Macon back on the map as far as sports are concerned.  Seven women’s games and seven men’s games will help determine the 2010 Atlantic Sun champions.  ESPN will televise the men’s championship game held here in the University Center, bringing the Worldwide Leader in Sports to Mercer’s campus for the first time in school history. 

Thousands…yes thousands, of fans will flood the campus, staying in the nearby Hilton Garden Inn and surrounding area hotels, eating at local establishments.  Parking will most likely be a nightmare and the university may want to consider opening another concession stand or two at the games, but at this point, who really cares?

Macon is once again a sports town…at least for a week next March.  The revenue generated will boost the local economy and the tournament games will give local sportswriters more than they can handle.  National media outlets will be ever-present on campus and it won’t be uncommon to see more than a few hooligans painted up for the games. 

How did it happen all of a sudden?  How did Mercer suddenly become the host of the A-Sun tournament when a year ago the Macon Music (Macon’s last professional sports team) skipped town?  How did the university pull the tournament away from Nashville, the host city for the tournament the last four years?

In hindsight, the decision was really quite simple for Atlantic Sun commissioner Ted Gumbart.  Macon is geographically in the center of the conference.  In fact, the conference’s office buildings are located right off Vineville Avenue.  Geography wasn’t enough though. 

Area support was a crucial factor and area support was something Athletic Director Bobby Pope and new men’s basketball coach Bob Hoffman found this season.  Home game attendance was at an all-time high this season, just shy of 1800 spectators per game. 

In fact, this year alone had one sellout (Georgia Tech) and a handful of "close-to-capacity" contests (most notably against Lipscomb).  Attribute it to Pope’s new hire or to the fact that Hoffman set up signs all over Macon advertising for the home games, or the fact the team won seventeen games this season, but the city finally came around to the realization that Mercer is the only game in town.  A good one at that.

Headlines are already in the works for next season.  James Florence could very well become the school’s all-time leading scorer by midseason next year and with a plethora of talent on the floor and only one graduating senior, Mercer could be primed for a title run next season. 

Undoubtedly, there will be Mercer crazies in the stands for the Bear’s tournament games in the UC next spring.  Win or lose, the city of Macon stills wins this contest.  In a year of financial troubles and economic instability, in a year of layoffs and cloudy skies, it seems that Macon and Mercer University have pulled off a big upset win.