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(10/17/17 12:48pm)
The Mercer Bears’ mantra since losing to East Tennessee State University four weeks ago has been “1-0,” meaning win each week without thinking of any other game. The Bears (4-3) have gone 1-0 three times in a row since then, winning three straight after a 30-10 win over Chattanooga last week.
“Coming home from that (ETSU) trip, everybody was disappointed. We were sitting at 1-3 not feeling very good about it, but I really think that next day at practice at our team meeting with our players really the senior leadership kicked in,” said Head Coach Bobby Lamb. “We kind of turned the page.”
Since that meeting, the Bears have won three straight including a win over last year’s conference champion, The Citadel. The offense averaged 34.3 points and 400 yards during the win streak and complimented a defense that has played well all year only allowing 17.6 points per game and leading the conference in turnovers forced.
One of the biggest points of emphasis since the ETSU loss has been on focus. Coaches and players have made it obvious that they are not looking ahead or behind during any game week. The focus is the task at hand.
“The key is, after the game, just forget about it,” linebacker Will Coneway said. “No matter how good or how bad you did in the game you have to forget about it and look to the next opponent, and like coach says, ‘We have to just win each week and go 1-0.’”
“You can never get too high, and you can never get too low,” said quarterback Kaelan Riley. “We were pretty low after the loss to Wofford and the loss to Auburn and the loss to ETSU. That was tough, but we had to come back, we had to bounce back and we have to do the same thing in this situation. We can’t get too high.”
Now Lamb and the Bears turn their sights to Furman University, a team with a four game win streak of their own and a high-powered offense averaging 36 points per game. The Paladins have scored 40 points or more four weeks in a row, a Furman record. Still, Coneway said the defense relishes the chance to step up.
“It’s just a great challenge. It’s always good to have a challenge like that and it’s something we look forward to, it’s something that gives us a little more motivation to come out and play well and put that extra preparation in during the week so we can do well on Saturday,” Coneway said.
Lamb, of course, will be heading into familiar territory at Paladin Stadium where he has history as both a player and a coach. He will be calling plays across from his childhood friend, former teammate, fellow Furman assistant coach and now Furman Head Coach, Clay Hendrix.
Some of the emotion of traveling to Greenville, South Carolina has waned for Lamb, but the newfound opposition in Hendrix gives the SoCon battle for I-75 a new fire.
“Being Furman graduates, Clay [Hendrix] and I and our relationship…growing up [with him] makes him want to beat me and me want to beat him. It’s probably people making a lot to do about nothing,” said Lamb. “We’ll shake hands after the game, and we’ll be friends again. … It’s big for me and big for my family, but at the end of the day, we’re going [to Greenville] for one reason and one reason only: to come back with a win.”
A win on Saturday would be Mercer’s fourth in a row, a feat they haven’t accomplished since their return to football in 2013. It would also put Mercer at 4-2 in conference play, a crucial win before facing FCS ranked opponents in Samford and Western Carolina.
Kick-off for Saturday’s game is 1:30 p.m. and can be seen on ESPN3 and 7 Communications or heard on the Mercer Sports Network.
(10/12/17 10:59am)
Mercer University has closed a matter involving one of its former police officers.
Mark Teems, formerly of Mercer University Atlanta’s police force at the Cecil B. Day campus, no longer works with the university after comments found on his Facebook page called for murder.
Screenshots sent to 11Alive showed comments on a news story related to the death of Georgia Tech student, Scout Schultz, by a Facebook account with Teems’ name and photo.
The comment made from the account said: “I'm sick of the BS. Declare Martial Law and start killing these Asshats!!!"
Another post was found on the same day showing a video posted by an account called Coalition for Trump Superstore showing protesters being hosed down by a water cannon. Teems’ account shared the video and left a status saying “This should be standard for EVERY large cities Police Dept!!!”
Teems has since changed both his profile and cover photos on Facebook and has removed the offensive posts from his timeline. He maintained his innocence telling 11Alive he did not know what the station was talking about. Comments under the cover photo post showed Teems saying it was not him who posted the comments.
“My FB acct was hacked. I did NOT make that remark!!! This hacker has cost me a good job,” Teems said in the comments.
Other comments by Teems showed he reached out to 11Alive saying he is innocent, but that “retractions are hard to get.” He is seeking legal council.
Mercer Police Chief Gary Collins and Mercer Director of Media Relations Kyle Sears both confirmed that Teems no longer worked for the university but would not comment further.
The official statement from the University is as follows:
“Mark Teems is no longer employed by Mercer University.”
(09/29/17 10:30pm)
Mercer Women’s Volleyball had reason to celebrate Saturday as they defeated The Citadel 3-1 at home in Hawkins Arena. It was the first time the Bears celebrated in a while as they snapped a 6-game losing streak and got their first conference win of the season.
The win was the first in over two weeks dating back to Sept. 7. Before the game, first year Head Coach Derek Schroeder stressed that his team needed a good response after losing in straight sets to Wofford only a night before.
“Wofford came in and balled (Friday), they were incredible so we just want to be sure that we’re the type of team that puts together a good response after a loss like that at home,” Schroeder said.
Mercer came out and won the first two sets including an 8-3 run in the first that forced a timeout from Citadel Head Coach Craig Mosqueda. The Bears would end the second set on a 12-4 run led by Paige Alsten’s five kills.
The Bears dropped the third set after The Citadel responded to the halftime break with a 25-22 victory to extend the match. The Bears won the final set by a score of 25-21, spearheaded by a five-kill set from senior outside hitter Morgan MacGilvary.
MacGilvary led all players with 16 kills. She and fellow senior Emily Krogman would end the match with double-doubles. The Bears extend their all-time series lead over the Bulldogs to 8-0.
Afterward, MacGilvary said she was glad her team could get off the losing slide.
“It’s extremely important for us, because we need to get our momentum going and our energy going in the conference and we also need to figure everything out with our new system. I think today really helped because we figured it out,” MacGilvary said. “It’s been a process to adjust, but when we figure it out, it’s amazing.”
The Bears are back on the road this weekend with matches against UNCG on Friday and Western Carolina on Saturday.
(09/28/17 12:48pm)
Mercer football’s loss last Saturday, as many do, came on the final possession of the game. ETSU’s Austin Herink threw the game winning touchdown 25 yards on the Bucs first possession during overtime. The loss had an eerily familiar feel as it was Mercer’s second time leading by 10 points or more going into the fourth quarter.
“I really felt like our players were ready to play the game,” said Head Coach Bobby Lamb.
The Bears totaled more than 400 yards on offense; but an uncharacteristic 10 penalties, fumble returned 50 yards, and a missed extra point stalled the Bears’ chance at a road victory. In Monday’s press conference Lamb experienced a bit of deja vu explaining what could have been a win.
“We counted it up. There’s three plays on offense, three plays on defense, and one on special teams that if one of those seven plays had been made, we probably would have won the game,” Lamb said. “It’s a head scratcher for our staff. It’s a head scratcher for our football team. Obviously you’ve got to learn, but ultimately you’ve got to step up and do it.”
Lamb pointed out that the Bears came back to win on three occasions last year against Furman University, East Tennessee State University, and Virginia Military Institute, who the Bears play this week.
However, it is hard to ignore the obvious. Since the Bears entered the SoCon in 2014 this is the 13th loss of seven points or less. Mercer is 9-13 in those contests. So far this season, the defense has been plagued with giving up double-digit leads in the fourth quarter despite playing well for much of the game.
Safety Eric Jackson said the defense can not afford to let the slip-ups get in their heads.
“We always have to have the mindset that ‘we’re going to win this game,’” Jackson said. “To be a great football team you can’t have negative thoughts like that because it will just trickle down the team and everybody will start to have that negative energy.”
“We’ve been around the block with this deal where if you talk about it too much you go overboard and who knows what’s going to happen,” Lamb said.
Lamb said he has to get his team back to the basics in order to have them feeling good going into fourth quarters. The Bears play VMI this week. The Bears are 2-1 against the Keydets since 2014.
All three games have been decided by seven points or less.
(09/19/17 12:53pm)
Every Sunday, the Mercer Bears defense goes through a “turnover circuit.” It’s a drill where the defense works on takeaways and what happens afterwards. The drill translated well to the field last Saturday when the Bears forced five turnovers against the #15 ranked Auburn Tigers. The Bears lost 24-10, but the game was still in reach for much of the fourth quarter only down a touchdown.
The “Legion of Chaos,” as they’ve come to calling themselves, handed Auburn their highest turnover total since 2012 and most lost fumbles since 2001.
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Head Coach Bobby Lamb called turnover ratio the “most important stat in football” and said his team performed well against their tough SEC opponent. Through three games the team has a plus-three turnover margin, tied for first in the Southern Conference, and led the league with eight total turnovers forced and six forced fumbles.
Leading the charge for the defense is senior linebacker LeMarkus Bailey. He said the defensive effort against Auburn is a statement for teams the Bears will face the rest of the season.
“It definitely gave us confidence. It just showed people all around, naysayers, anybody that doubted us that basically we can compete with the best,” he said.
Bailey said that the Bears defense can’t be taken lightly when they step on the field. He leads the team in total tackles (29), solo tackles (18), and has a forced fumble, recovered fumble, and interception to his credit. Lamb gave him the game ball for his 11 tackle performance against Auburn.
[video credit="Avery Braxton" align="right"][/video]
“"You can see him flying to the ball," Lamb said. "He loves competition and he loves to create chaos as he calls it. He's done a good job of that and he's a great leader on our team as well."
While the Bears offense did not create a lot of points against Auburn, they can look positively at the zeroes in the turnover and sack categories. Starting quarterback Kaelan Riley said the team is not taking any “moral victories” in the loss, but believes that the offense and defense can complement each other moving forward.
“If they keep taking the ball away, and we keep not giving the ball up, I think that’s going to work in our favor,” Riley said.
The Bears face ETSU on Saturday in Johnson City, Tennessee.
(09/06/17 1:20pm)
The Bears open conference play this week against Wofford after a dominant performance in their season opening win against Jacksonville, 48-7.
Bears fans can expect a much stiffer contest on Saturday. Wofford ranks 10th in the nation among mid-major schools and was picked as the SoCon preseason favorite. Mercer has yet to beat Wofford since the Bears have joined the Southern Conference, although the last two contests have been close. Head Coach Bobby Lamb said the game will come down to who can make the most decisive plays.
“When you look at each game, they’ve made the one more play that counts to win the game. So that’s what we’ve got to do. We’ve got to make that one more play or two more plays to give ourselves the advantage,” he said.
The Bears defense got a preview of the offense they will face Saturday in last week’s contest. Jacksonville ran a similar version to Wofford’s vaunted triple option. Senior linebacker Lee Bennett and the defense knows what to expect.
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“Wofford’s going to do what they’re going to do regardless of what team they go against because they feel like they’re good at what they do,” Bennett said. “We’re just going to attack the fundamentals and just beat them at their own game which is toughness.”
Lamb said he thinks the depth his team has, especially on offense, could be a factor in getting a win this week. Nine players caught a pass for Mercer last week and the receiving core will see senior receiver Avery Ward back in the lineup after tweaking his ankle. As many as five tailbacks could see action this week, led by the tandem Tee Mitchell and Alex Lakes.
Mitchell returns to the team after a year away and said he feels good. He was the Bears leading rusher in 2015 with 946 yards on the ground.
“It takes time to get into the flow as a running back. Right now I’m trying to figure out how to get myself prepared to come in and make an immediate impact and not break down that flow of the game,” Mitchell said.
Saturday’s game will be at home in Five Star Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m.
(04/25/17 7:37pm)
2016 and 2017 have so far been the years of black film in cinema. After two years in which the film climate could be summed up in one hashtag — #OscarsSoWhite — the box office has been dominated by the success of predominantly black films and the nation can agree on one fact: It’s about time.
Perpetually, black film and filmmakers have tried to find footing in the context of a mostly whitewashed and black-faced cinema landscape. From appearances in blackface as far back as the racial propaganda flick “The Birth of a Nation” in 1915 and as recently as 2000 in Spike Lee’s satirical “Bamboozled,” black portrayal in film has come full circle.
But recently, the movies have seen a shift in which black films and their actors are shining through, bringing a new meaning to cinema itself and a lucrative splash to the box office.
The 2017 Oscars were what we needed them to be — a celebration of what black films could be.
“Moonlight,” a black-written, directed and lead-acted film, won Academy Awards for best motion picture of the year, best actor in a supporting role (Mahershala Ali) and best adapted screenplay.
We also saw a win for Viola Davis, finally, for best actress in a supporting role in “Fences.” The Denzel Washington-directed film received four Oscar nominations, while “Hidden Figures,” a chronicle of pioneer African-American NASA mathematicians, received three.
All three movies have done tremendously well at the box office, but none have had quite the popularity, traction, or record-breaking momentum of Jordan Peele’s “Get Out.” The satirical horror film detailing the trip of a black man to his white girlfriend’s parents’ estate is the highest-grossing debut film based on an original screenplay in history. Not only that, but Jordan Peele is also the first black writer-director with a $100 million dollar film debut.
That’s right – not Spike Lee, not Tyler Perry.
While the importance of both of these writer-directors cannot be understated, to see a filmmaker of color do this well in his film debut is unprecedented and it puts a huge dent (as do all these films) in the fallacy that black-directed and acted movies can not do well at the box office.
“Hidden Figures” has made over $223 million globally, “Get Out” is at over $168 million, “Moonlight” grossed $55 million (with a budget of only $1.5 million) and “Fences” has nearly tripled its own box office budget. All of these movies are tremendous stories of not only the black experience, but also powerful stories in their entirety. I mean come on. Who would not want to see a film about a black man meeting his white girlfriend’s parents? That is any man’s nightmare and comedy gold wrapped all into one.
The presence of so many phenomenal black-oriented films in theaters have caused black people to flock to the movies in the past year. According to a research by the Motion Picture Association of America, the number of black moviegoers rose to 5.6 million people last year, an increase of nearly double.
Wow, you place black people in roles that do not involve gang violence, baby mommas, or a large black man dressed as a woman and we actually go to the movies. Representation, what a concept.
Whether this influx of black movies is here to stay or only a blip on the proverbial radar of film is still too soon to tell. Regardless, Black America is enjoying its time in the cinema sun and will continue to do what we do. That is, culturally, make our mark on everything.
In other words — “we here for it.”
(04/25/17 7:12pm)
If you play Intramural sports long enough you begin to recognize the familiar faces. From the gridiron to the court to the pitch, none of those faces are as recurring as Mercer senior Justis Ward.
The biochemistry-molecular biology major, who may be known just as much for his singing voice as he is for his jump shot, entered his final semester of intramural play this spring and is looking to go out with a bang.
Ward has played intramurals all four years and played just about every sport that Mercer has to offer. As of this spring, he will have participated in either the co-rec or men’s divisions (and many times both) of 3 vs. 3 and 5 vs. 5 basketball, football, kickball, sand volleyball, volleyball, 7 vs. 7 and 11 vs. 11 soccer, dodgeball and ultimate frisbee.
Ward said the pressures of such a demanding major call for much of his time to be spent studying, but when he can hang out with his friends, much of it is done in the intramural arena.
“I study a lot . . . when it comes to intramurals – A, it’s just exercise. I enjoy getting out and getting some cardio in, and then B, it’s also a time to hang out. All of my teams have been friends,” Ward said. “It’s a blessing to have athletic friends so we are able to win stuff.”
Winning is something that Ward and his teams have done a lot. According to Ward, his teams have eight championship shirts “in their trophy case.” Many of those belong to co-rec divisions, but Ward admits that he looks forward to the men’s games a little more due to his competitive spirit.
“Men’s you have that very competitive, you know, these dudes are trying to cut your throat out [mentality],” Ward said. “I look forward to them realizing ‘we may not win this game.’”
Intramurals is also a chance for Ward to turn back the clock, especially on the basketball court, where Ward said he spent of much of his time in high school. Basketball is his favorite sport and part of the reason he takes seriously when playing at Mercer. It is not uncommon to see him running 5-on-5 pick-up on the UC courts during the week.
Ward admits that the passion for the sport can cause his and other teams to get a little fired up when it comes to playing, especially during playoff season. Intramurals allowed Ward a chance to relive his high school days, but also gave him a love for another sport.
“I actually discovered, through intramurals, a love for soccer. I never once in my entire life thought, ‘hey, I should play soccer,’” Ward said. “It is a very, very, very fun game and I appreciate intramurals for allowing me the opportunity to find that love.”
Ward applauded Mercer’s intramural program and described how integrated it is in Mercer students’ day-to-day operations. He said that for his friends at other schools, intramurals doesn’t come up in conversation. At Mercer, it’s a part of the culture.
Mercer ranks fifth on the Princeton Review’s “Everybody Plays Intramurals” list. The university has continually climbed the list, ranking 13th in 2011. The Princeton Review is a yearly study of the best colleges and universities by Princeton University and any school that agrees to be a part of the research is reviewed across a number of different categories.
“Mercer’s intramurals has created an atmosphere that it just makes sense to be apart of it,” Ward said. “I highly doubt you get that scale of passion of something at other schools and if you they do, that’s great, but I know Mercer is at the top of that list for sure.”
(04/05/17 9:51pm)
Nate Hahn knew he did not want high school to be the end of his golf playing days. The junior mechanical engineering major grew up with the game and wanted to continue after attending Mercer University. After some research about potential avenues he decided to establish the Mercer University Club Golf team.
“I wanted to be on a team again so I started looking up on the internet leagues to play in, and once I found some, I emailed Todd Thomas who’s the director of club sports,” Hahn said.
After filling out initial paperwork there was only one thing left for Hahn to do: find teammates.
“I began looking for other players. If I saw someone wearing a hat, like a golf hat, I’d ask if they played,” Hahn said. “(TJ Long) and I found a few players and got to practicing.”
The Mercer club golf team played in their first tournament during the weekend prior to spring break. They saw competition from big schools like Alabama all the way down to Georgia College and State University in Milledgeville at Château Élan Winery and Resort in Braselton, Georgia.
“Alabama, Clemson Auburn, and then there were smaller schools like Georgia College and State, Tulane, Tennessee, ETSU…,” Hahn said.
Hahn admits that the first tournament was a bit nerve wracking for the group, but he believes that a few more tournaments can build his team’s confidence and have them looking good for the future.
“We definitely need to practice a lot more and probably work on our confidence going into it. It was a new experience for a lot of us,” Hahn said. “Just more time going and playing in tournaments can make us compete really well in the future.”
The team did not do great in their first tournament, coming in last of 11 teams. They realized getting some experience under their belt was the important thing. Hahn said he’s looking forward to tournaments next year to make Mercer Club Golf more competitive.
“It was a good experience, but we didn’t play as well as we would have wanted,” Hahn said. “You know midterms were right before then, so we didn’t practice as much, but we still enjoyed it.”
The tournament was the only one that the club golf team will play in this semester, but moving forward Hahn said the team will typically play two per semester. He encourages anyone looking to participate to contact the team’s Mercer University Club Golf Team Facebook page or contact mercerclubgolf@gmail.com
“We’re always looking for more players. The more the better,” Hahn said.
(04/04/17 10:57pm)
With the arrival of spring comes the beginning of intramural softball season. The sport has become a mainstay of the spring semester when it comes to intramural play alongside 5v5 basketball, which had its championship game March 14.
Softball will have another base-running sport alongside it this year, kickball — and concerns are that the playground sport could detract from softball’s established popularity. Kickball is being offered for the second year in a row, but Michael Castaneda, assistant director of recreational sports and wellness at Mercer, said there is nothing to worry about.
“We have 27 teams. We have 10 in the co-rec division, 15 men’s and two women’s.” Castaneda said. “It’s actually an increase by I think about 3 teams from last year.”
Castaneda believes that the two sports can work hand-in-hand with each other and so far he is right. Kickball fielded 20 teams and 266 participants this year; that’s three more teams than they had in their inaugural season. Softball saw an increase as well.
Castaneda and the recreational sports and wellness department, which oversees intramurals, have designed the system to accommodate both sports. They created a tier system that allows for what they call “major sports” to take precedence, while other sports are classified mid-major or minor and operate on a different schedule system.
“Our major sports which are usually our more popular sports are [7 vs. 7] soccer, flag football, [5 vs. 5] basketball, volleyball and soccer and kickball,” Castaneda said.
A breakdown of the 2016-2017 year shows flag football garnering the most participation at 49 teams (618 participants) followed closely by 5 vs. 5 basketball (46 teams, 443 participants), 7 vs. 7 soccer (33 teams, 423 participants), softball (27 teams, 317 participants) and volleyball (33 teams, 413 participants).
Castaneda said other sports like Spikeball, KanJam and Battleship act more as “fan favorites” and are only played at the beginning of the year. While it is popular, kickball is considered a “mid-major” sport and is in the same category as Spikeball, ultimate frisbee, and a few others in order to work alongside softball for scheduling.
Recreational sports and wellness recognizes the obvious issues when it comes to spring semester sports: time and space.
Castaneda and crew have gotten creative when it comes to making participation possible for everybody. It was easier prior to the construction of the new corridor on Mercer University Drive before Lofts Phase V.
Softball is played on Orange Field, past the soccer team’s Bear Field, while Black Field is split in two to occupy Kickball. Softball, being in the major sports category, is split up by divisions which are split up into specific time slots. Kickball, however, is scheduled according to when team captains say their teams are most readily available.
“We try to make it work where all our students can participate in both,” Castaneda said. “What (students will) do is sign up their softball teams first and see what day they’re gonna play, and then when they sign up for kickball they know they don’t want to play at that same time so they’ll block those times off.”
The IMLeagues system that Mercer uses recognizes where the potential conflicts will arise and automatically adjusts to allow teams to play both sports. The marriage between major, mid-major and minor sports can sometimes create some tight time windows, but has worked well so far.
“I think it’s been great. I think the students have enjoyed the sport of kickball; it kind of brings that recess environment back from when they played in elementary, middle or maybe even high school,” Castaneda said. “Those are the type of events we try to make or create, because it’s something that makes it more fun. That’s what intramurals is all about.”
(02/23/17 4:27am)
National Signing Day came and went Feb. 1. Teams across the country were flooded with national letters of intent from prospective athletes who represent the future of programs. Mercer made a splash this year turning in the top-rated recruiting class in the Southern Conference.
The number one-rated recruiting class is also sixth best in the FCS. Mercer’s 19 new signees include six offensive linemen, four defensive backs, three receivers and running backs apiece, one quarterback, a linebacker and a kicker.
“Our coaches did a great job going out and identifying our needs,” said Mercer football head coach Bobby Lamb. “We did a great job of meeting our needs and we’re excited about getting these boys in here.”
The high ranked class is indicative of the quality of both the coaches’ recruiting and Mercer’s marketing campaigning the past two seasons. Mercer’s signing classes have seen themselves on billboards in Atlanta and as far north as New York City’s Time Square. The high FCS ranking is telltale of the reach that Mercer is creating nationally.
“You can’t put a value on stuff like that,” Lamb said. “All the things we’re doing off the field . . . it’s huge because it shows you that Mercer thinks outside the box, Mercer likes to put their name out on a big scale and it’s really helped bring in athletes to this university who wouldn’t have known who Mercer was otherwise.”
The big name marketing has paid off as Mercer is beginning to compete with bigger schools on the recruiting trail. A recruiting gold nugget this year was the acquisition of Tennessee native Robert Riddle who was a 3-star recruit. The high school senior threw for 3,000+ yards and 25 touchdowns this season en route to a regional player of the year title.
Lamb and his crew were able to wrestle Riddle away from bigger schools like Ball State, Miami (Ohio) and Eastern Michigan. The snatch is significant because all three schools compete on the FBS level, which have a chance to compete for the College Football Playoff.
“It’s just one letter difference, but they come here and they see what we got and they go to some of those places and they see we have more excitement here, more support here and certainly [football] is a big deal in the South,” Lamb said.
Bigger and stronger recruiting classes could be just what Mercer needs to get over the hump in the Southern Conference. In the last 3 years, the Bears have lost 11 games by seven points or less. That could be the difference in a middle of the pack finish and a chance to compete for Southern Conference supremacy.
The new Bears can also help out in Mercer’s amped up out of conference schedule as well. Mercer announced their 2017 schedule and it includes high profile opponents in Auburn and Alabama. The Bears already tested their chops against Georgia Tech in 2016.
A full list of Mercer’s 2017 recruiting class is included below:
Name
Pos.
Ht.
Wt.
Yr.
Exp.
Hometown (Previous School)
Eric Allen
OL
6-5
290
Fr.
HS
Powder Springs, Ga. (Harrison HS)
BJ Bohler
DB
5-8
180
Fr.
HS
Ocoee, Fla. (Ocoee HS)
Terence Brigham
OL
6-4
285
Jr.
JC
Fresno, Texas (Trinity Valley CC/Grambling State)
Tyray Devezin
RB
5-8
210
Fr.
HS
Woodstock, Ga. (Etowah HS)
David Durden
WR
6-2
200
Fr.
HS
Midville, Ga. (Emanuel County Institute)
Michael Freeman
LB
6-2
215
Fr.
HS
Hogansville, Ga. (Callaway HS)
Danijah Gammage
DB
6-2
190
Fr.
HS
Brunswick, Ga. (Brunswick HS)
Grant Goupil
K/P
6-2
175
Fr.
HS
Lake Mary, Fla. (Lake Mary HS)
Edmond Graham
WR
5-10
170
Fr.
HS
Buford, Ga. (Mill Creek HS)
Jamar Hall
DB
6-2
190
Fr.
HS
Dacula, Ga. (Mill Creek HS)
Rashad Haynes
RB
5-10
180
Fr.
HS
Memphis, Tenn. (Memphis Central HS)
Trey Iorillo
OL
6-4
310
Fr.
HS
Kennesaw, Ga. (Harrison HS)
Rob Lake
WR
5-11
173
Fr.
HS
Ocala, Fla. (Vanguard HS)
CJ Leggett
RB
5-10
205
R-Jr.
JC
Suwanee, Ga. (Mesa CC/Georgia Tech)
David May
OL
6-3
300
Sr.
TR
Orange Park, Fla. (Valdosta State)
Thomas McBride
OL
6-3
285
Fr.
HS
Forsyth, Ga. (First Presbyterian Day HS)
Robert Riddle
QB
6-3
190
Fr.
HS
Lookout Mountain, Tenn. (The McCallie School)
Andrew Robinson
OL
6-3
295
Fr.
HS
Birmingham, Ala. (Ramsay HS)
Luke Ward
DB
6-1
190
Fr.
HS
Atmore, Ala (Northview (Fla.) HS)
(02/14/17 5:24pm)
February is here and accompanying the month is some unseasonably warm weather, the anticipation of Spring Break and, of course, Valentine’s Day. This Cupid’s holiday, the Mercer University family can welcome its very own version of Love and Basketball.
It’s no secret that Mercer Basketball centers Rachel Selph and Andrew Fishler are dating and if it was a secret, well, secret's out.
The defenders of the paint have been dating for a year and four months and will be celebrating their second Valentine’s Day this year. The couple is introverted, so it took a little nudging from friends and teammates to make the relationship happen.
“The first time Andrew talked to me we were in study hall and one of my teammates made him introduce himself to me. He walked up to me in front of everybody and he told me his name and I said mine, and then he walked away,” said Selph. “Both of our faces were bright red and to this day we still laugh about how nervous we both were.”
Fishler admits that he was nervous at first, but is grateful for Selph’s teammates giving the couple the nudge they needed.
“At first I didn’t really pursue her like I should have, but I had always admired her from the first time I saw her,” said Fishler. “Her teammates kind of put us together.”
After some prodding and a prompt by Selph to hang out, the two finally spent some time alone.
“We hung out and from there on there hasn’t been a day we haven’t talked to each other,” Fishler said.
One teammate that certainly wasn’t shy about playing matchmaker was sophomore guard Callie Hackett. She said with Rachel being shy, she helped send the first text message and from there the rest is history.
“Rachel and I were roommates, and I'll never forget the night she came running up to the room to tell me that they just started dating. It was the cutest thing ever,” Hackett said.
Hackett admits that with both Fishler and Selph being athletes and playing the same sport that she was worried they might never see each other, but, thankfully, was wrong.
Quality time together is something that the couple says is all about communication. They understand that schedules are going to conflict and that not everything is about basketball.
“We understand each other’s schedules so we can definitely keep it separated. It’s not like basketball is overrunning one of our lives more than the other,” Fishler said. “When we spend time together we know we’ve been with basketball all day. We don’t want to discuss that all the time.”
“Even though we met through basketball, that's just one of the many things we have in common and love to do. We always enjoy spending time with each other no matter where we go or what we do.” Selph said.
The couple says it’s all about the little things. Selph loves how Fishler can make her laugh no matter what and Fishler, in turn, loves his girlfriend’s laugh and smile.
Support on and off the court is paramount to the couple’s relationship and a thumbs up from family, friends, teammates, and coaching staff makes this a match made in basketball heaven.
(02/07/17 8:35pm)
The Mercer University Debate Team opened 2017 with more success after an impressive showing at a national competition in Utah. The team competed in the Utah Mile High Swing Tournament at the University of Utah, the largest debate tournament in the nation, during the first week of the new year.
The tournament consisted of two smaller, back-to-back parliamentary tournaments. The first tournament saw junior co-captains Jaz Buckley and Kyle Bligen collect spots in the octa-finals.
Out of 144 competitors and more than 30 schools, Buckley received nods as the 20th best debater while Bligen ended with a 14th place finish.
Mercer capitalized with even better performances in the second tournament. Duo Daniel Alvarez, a junior, and sophomore Keanu Lowo both advanced to the quarterfinals. After an intense debate, Lowo finished in third place, and Alvarez left the tournament in second.
Collectively, it is the best ever showing in the debate team’s history, according to a press release issued by the university.
Mercer University professor and debate coach, Vasile Stanescu, said that the victories are indicative of Mercer’s continued ability to compete on the national stage, academically.
Even more impressive, the tournament was Lowo and Alvarez’s first competition on the national stage together. Lowo said he was honored to receive third place amongst such strong debaters.
“I wasn’t sure what to expect from the national circuit, but I think I was well prepared by the team,” Lowo said. “I knew we had a strong case coming in, but certainly didn’t expect to break to quarterfinals against such stiff competition.”
Bligen said watching the duo argue their case was one of his favorite parts of the tournament.
“They put in hours of careful thought and communication training; this produced a case that remains one of the most creative and effective that I’ve ever seen,” Bligen said.
The debate team is capitalizing on already strong showings, after being the only institution to advance to the final rounds of the Georgia, British and International Parliamentary Debates at the University of North Georgia in September.
The team seems to be peaking at an appropriate time.
Individual partners have performed well in the past few tournaments, but Bligen said he feels that this is the year the team breaks out as a collective unit before state championships next month.
“This season is quickly proving to be one in which all team members are coming into their own and producing groundbreaking results,” Bligen said. “Our team is already nationally ranked, but I believe that as we continually improve, we can be the most successful team in the nation.”
Success will depend on solid team chemistry, which the group has been working to develop more of this season. They intentionally spent more time together outside of debate events to build team camaraderie.
The team is centered on success as a group, although individual awards are certainly warranted. Stanescu likes to see his team support each other.
"What I love most about this team is how much they support another,” Vanescu said. “I have never seen this level of team unity and friendship on any other debate team. It is--without question--part of why Mercer just keeps winning."
Evidence of the team building can be seen in the trust between partners. Lowo and Alvarez work tirelessly to develop a bond that produces results in tournaments. Lowo sets the argument up and delivers the final speech, but Alvarez handles rebuttals. Without one, you cannot have the other.
“Our partner dynamic is very unique,” Alvarez said. “Keanu tends to be more cool-headed in his approach to arguments while I tend to be more aggressive . . . We help offset each other’s weaknesses very well.”
The tournament acted as a strong learning experience for the debate team and will be used to strengthen arguments for their next set of debates at the Georgia Parliamentary Debate Association State Championship at Valdosta State University next month.
Afterwards, they will be traveling to Kansas City, Missouri and Denver to compete for a national championship.
In the meantime, Mercer will host the Georgia Independent School Association State Debate Championship on Jan. 21. The debate team will mentor the incoming high school debaters and help facilitate the tournament.
(09/23/16 8:45pm)
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YoMS3-Fb3o4[/embed]
Avery Braxton and Emanuela Rendini take a look at the new additions to campus and the update on parking availability for students.