A-Sun Basketball Champs Are Here!

By Adam Hunt
Senior Reporter / Columnist

You can almost smell the excitement in the air here in Macon as the beginning of the 2010 General Shale Brick Atlantic Sun Basketball Championships draws ever closer.

The official tournament brackets have been released with the No. 6 Mercer men set to face No. 3 Belmont and the No. 2 Mercer women taking on No. 7 UNF.

Don’t forget The Bear Zone is the place to be for the best coverage from the event which runs from March 3-6 at The University Center. We will provide you with more live updates, daily video reports and exclusive pictures than you can imagine.

If you aren’t already, please follow us on Twitter @ thebearzone and become a fan of our page on Facebook.

Also, make sure you tune in to ASun.tv to watch the action from every game with the quarter-finals being offered free for all viewers.

2010 A-Sun Basketball Championships
Quarter-Final Schedule

Noon ET Wednesday, March 3
Women's Quarterfinal
No. 1 ETSU vs No. 8 Stetson

2:30 ET Wednesday, March 3
Men's Quarterfinal
No. 1 Lipscomb vs No. 8 Kennesaw State

6:30 ET Wednesday, March 3
Women's Quarterfinal
No. 2 Mercer vs No. 7 UNF

9:00 ET Wednesday, March 3
Men's Quarterfinal
No. 2 Jacksonville vs No. 7 UNF

Noon ET Thursday, March 4
Women's Quarterfinal
No. 4 Belmont vs No. 5 Kennesaw State

2:30 ET Thursday, March 4
Men's Quarterfinal
No. 4 Campbell vs No. 5 ETSU

6:30 ET Thursday, March 4
Women's Quarterfinal
No. 3 Campbell vs No. 6 Jacksonville

9:00 ET Thursday, March 4
Men's Quarterfinal
No. 3 Belmont vs No. 6 Mercer

Women's Basketball: Home Game Recaps

Adam Hunt
Senior Reporter / Columnist

02/08/2010 USC Upstate, L 78-87

Mercer senior guards Courtney Ford and LaToya Jackson lit up The University Center floor, combining to score 52 points, but their efforts were not enough to stop USC Upstate from securing an 87-78 Atlantic Sun Conference victory.

The Bears were sluggish early on and the physical play of the Spartans kept them in the lead for most of the contest. But with 3:27 left on the clock, Mercer stepped up their game to take a 76-74 lead thanks to the industrious duo of Jackson and Ford. However, a 13-4 run silenced the home side and secured the win for Upstate.

“Tonight came down to a couple defensive stops that we couldn't get,” said Mercer head coach Janell Jones after the game.

The triumph lifted the Spartans to 9-5 in the A-Sun while Mercer dropped its third-straight game to fall to 8-6.

02/18/2010 UNF, W 61-47

Mercer took to the court looking to get back on track and snap a five-game Conference losing streak. In the end, the visitors proved no match for the Bears’ lightning offense.

After Mercer had taken a considerable 10-point lead into half-time, UNF stormed back with a 7-0 run in the opening 4:29 of the second half to close within three points at 30-27. But the Bears held strong, striking back with a 14-6 charge over the next 8:14 to push its lead to 14.

Guards Courtney Ford and Niecey Lewis both notched 11 points on the night. Ford also pulled down five rebounds, dished out three assists and claimed three steals in the win. With her first steal of the game, Ford surpassed Jessica Miller as the program’s single-season steals leader.

“It was a great win to get us back on track,” said Mercer head coach Janell Jones. “I thought we played really good defense. Our bench gave us quality minutes and offensive production.”

The victory pushed Mercer to 8-8 in the A-Sun while UNF’s troubles continued as they fell to 6-11.

02/20/2010 Jacksonville, W 63-46

It was Senior Day at The UC and sure enough Mercer seniors Courtney Ford and LaToya Jackson combined for 32 points and showed exactly why they will be so hard to replace next season.

After surrendering the opening field goal of the game, a 17-point run helped Mercer take a 32-29 lead into half-time. Their dominance continued in scoring the first six points of the second period to build the lead to nine. The lackluster Jacksonville were held to just 7-for-26 shooting as the Bears ran amok before clinching the 17-point victory, much to the delight of the home crowd.

Ford scored a game-high 21 points and grabbed nine rebounds, while Jackson added 11 points. Sophomore forward Lacy Ramon narrowly missed a double-double as she went for 14 points and nine rebounds.

“I thought we had great energy today,” head coach Janell Jones reflected after the game. “We battled hard in a very fierce encounter.”

The win improved Mercer to 10-8 in Conference play while the Dolphins were pegged back further to 7-11. The Bears now know that if they can secure two wins next weekend at Belmont and Lipscomb they will be seeded second for the A-Sun Championships in March.

Women's Basketball: Away Game Recaps

Adam Hunt
Senior Reporter / Columnist

02/11/2010 @ ETSU, L 71-83

Taking on the defending Atlantic Sun champions in their home arena was always going to be a difficult task. And despite 18 points from sophomore forward Lacy Ramon, Mercer were silenced by a powerful ETSU side who shot 50 percent from the field.

After trailing by as many as 22 in the first half, the Bears opened the second frame on a 23-13 run to close within five at 58-53 with 12:37 remaining on the clock.

However, the Buccaneers scored the game’s next eight points to go back on top by 13 with just over ten minutes left and never looked back.

Four Mercer players cracked double-digit scoring in the losing effort. Sophomore guard Neicey Lewis contributed 16 points while LaToya Jackson and Courtney Ford netted 12 and ten points, respectively. Ramon also added six rebounds and a steal to her output. Ford tallied five rebounds, five steals and five assists in the loss.

“We started the game not shooting the ball well,” Mercer head coach Janell Jones said afterwards. “We could have rolled over at any time, but, to our credit, we were real resilient and played hard.”

With the win, ETSU remained unbeaten at the MSHA Athletic Center and improved to 13-2 in Conference play. Mercer, on the other hand, dropped its fourth-straight contest and fell to 8-7.

02/13/2010 @ Campbell, L 60-66

Mercer guard LaToya Jackson continued her stellar senior season with a team-high 14 points, but the Bears could not recover from an early deficit and fell to Campbell 66-60 at the John W Pope Jr Convocation Center.

The Camels, who produced some lights-out offensive play, led by as many as 18 in the first half, but the Bears narrowed the advantage to just two with 7:25 remaining in regulation. Leading by a slim 51-49 margin, the Campbell out-scored Mercer 15-11 over the final minutes to capture the win.

“Campbell shot the ball lights-out in the first half,” said Mercer head coach Janell Jones. “After the ten-minute mark we gave up five key offensive rebounds and turned the ball over on key possessions. That will get you beat in a close game.”

Mercer’s Courtney Ford, Kourtney Carter and Neicey Lewis each netted 10 points in the losing effort. All ten of Carter’s points came in the first half.

With the victory, Campbell moved up to 9-7 in Atlantic Sun Conference action while Mercer suffered its fifth-straight loss and dropped to 8-8.

Women's Golf Concludes Miami Event

Adam Hunt
Senior Reporter / Columnist

The Mercer women’s golf team began it spring season with a 17th place finish at the prestigious Hurricane Invitational hosted by Miami University.

Senior Monica Kelsey clinched the highest individual finish for the Bears with a 236 total over three rounds of the notoriously tricky par-72, 6,199-yard Miami Lakes course.

Freshman Aurelie Wiriath fired a team-best 79 on the final day of the event, improving on her first and second round totals of 81 and 82 respectively, to tie for 73rd place.

Wiriath’s fellow freshman Kimmy Graff notched an 87 on day three, bringing her total to 246, good for 74th overall. Sophomore Alicia Poole and freshman Kaitlin Marrin rounded out the Bears scoring as they tied for 79th place with a three-round total of 248 strokes each.

Mercer head coach Gary Guyer was positive afterwards: “This is going to be the most exciting spring season I have been involved with since I started coaching at Mercer.”

Discussing star senior Kelsey, Guyer said: “It will be the last season of competitive golf for Monica and I know she wants to make it special. Monica always works hard, but she has been working extra hard over the break. She is a smart golfer and I can see her winning the Atlantic Sun individual title.”

As a team, the Bears posted a final total of 967 at the Hurricane Invitational. They placed six strokes behind Southern Mississippi. Central Florida won the title with combined score of 867, just one shot ahead of Georgia State.

Mercer have little time to rest on their laurels as they are back in action starting Feb 21 at the Kiawah Island Intercollegiate in South Carolina.

Solid Season Start for Mercer Cycling

Adam Hunt
Senior Reporter / Columnist

Mercer Cycling is certainly going from strength to strength this Spring having recorded an impressive finish in their first ever event as an official team.

Five Bears riders traveled north to Dallas, Ga. for the 8th Annual Lillie Glass Tundra Time Trial last weekend. Originally, the race was due to take place a week earlier but inclement weather forced a delay.

The 12 mile route on the famous Silver Comet Trail serves as an early season warm-up for many cycling teams in the southeast and is known for its brutally tough conditions.

And tough it was as temperatures hovered in the mid 30s as all five Mercer riders set-off in the early morning.

Despite this, Mercer swept the collegiate category podium en-route to a strong finish. Kevin Roberts notched the fastest time on the course in the collegiate category, averaging 22.87 mph while Andrew Lockwood had the second fastest category time, pacing his bike at 22.0 mph.

Newcomer Evan Ayoub clinched third in the collegiate field followed by Gabe Denes and Loren Sumner in the Category 5 field. The 1-2-3 finish for the Bears proved they can be a force over the course of the coming season.

“It was no doubt the coldest race I've ever been a part of,” said Mercer team captain Andrew Lockwood after the race. “It was a great first showing by our team and while we swept the podium, we still know there’s plenty of work to do to get to where we want to be by the end of the season. The times were down a bit from what I expected, but then again we don't often train in these kinds of brutal conditions all the time. It certainly does a number on your lungs when you go all out for half an hour.”

Indeed, if Mercer had been awarded an afternoon start, when temperatures hovered in the 50s, then the times would have undoubtedly have been faster.

“I thought our team did outstanding given the circumstances,” said Kevin Roberts after his first career time trial victory. “Especially with the cold, I'm excited to see us place where we did and I'm excited about our upcoming season.”

Mercer Cycling now hits the road to the southeast as they travel to Georgia Southern for next week’s collegiate race. Don’t forget to pick up the next edition of The Cluster, Mercer's student newspaper, for all the news and views from the event.

KSU Tournament Wrapup; Who is Sarah Santana?

J. Andrew Lockwood
Senior Editor / Columnist

It was another weekend and another tournament for Mercer’s softball team in Atlanta as they traveled up I-75 to participate in the Phyllis Rafter Memorial tournament hosted by Kennesaw State. The Bears posted a 3-2 record in their five games that stretched from Friday to Sunday including big wins against Tennessee Tech 9-1, Ball State 9-1, and Middle Tennessee State 8-4 in the finale.

One largely unanswered question from the past weekend is who exactly is Sarah Santana? Mercer fans quickly learned about the softball team’s other ‘Sarah’…Sarah Stukes who finished last season with a .299 average with 9 HRs and a team high 29 RBI. But it was Santana, a freshman from Valdosta, that impressed fans the most with a pair of homeruns over Ball State and another long ball against MTSU. In only four starts and fifteen at-bats, Santana has moved to the top of Mercer’s batting statistics, leading the team in batting average (.467), homeruns (3), RBI (12), and slugging percentage (1.133). We will undoubtedly be seeing more of the freshman phenom as the season continues.

Western Illinois 4 – Mercer 0

Mercer was shut out for the first time all season as they lost to Leathernecks in a lopsided affair. A first inning homerun courtesy of WIU’s Julie DePolo was the ultimate difference as starting pitcher Jenni Holtz suffered her third loss of the season, giving up nine hits and four earned runs in the process. Surprisingly, the Bears’ offense was silent for the night, mustering only five hits (two from catcher Emi Sherrill) and unable to push any runners across the plate. Leatherneck pitcher Kamren Ferguson (2-2) threw the complete game shutout while striking out six Bears in the process.

Mercer 9 – Tennessee Tech 1

Silence and then a drubbing? The Bears’ eight run win was most likely the result of a lineup change from head coach Mike Raynor as he started sophomores Lilli Luke and Stephanie Canara as well as the freshman Santana. Offensively, Emi Sherrill headlined this contest with two homeruns and four RBI to spearhead the Bears at the plate. With a five run fifth inning, Mercer pitcher Kari Chambers held TTU in check to improve to 2-0 on the year.

Mercer 9 – Ball State 1

Continuing their winning ways from the night before, Mercer’s Sarah Santana had a breakout game with two homeruns and five RBI on the day. Jenni Holtz (3-3) returned back to her usual form and struck out ten en route to another quick victory. Mercer would push across four runs in both the second and sixth inning to run-rule the Cardinals.

After the game, Raynor commented, “Our Jekyll and Hyde offense goes from feast to famine and today was an example of that. We seem to be right on the verge of breaking out and we have the talent to do just that.”

Southern Illinois 3 – Mercer 1

Just as the Mercer faithful thought the Bears were on a winning track, the Missouri Valley Conference school derailed the team’s hopes in a close game. Despite a rough outing for MU starting pitcher Kari Chambers, four hits wouldn’t muster enough offense to hold off the Salukis. Jenni Holtz would come in for 4.1 innings of relief, but a two-run homerun from SIU in the second inning would seal the game.

Mercer 8 – Middle Tennessee State 4

On the final day of the tournament, the Bears climbed over the .500 mark with another impressive outing against the Blue Raiders. Mercer’s Kristin Marko and Sarah Santana launched yellow balls over the fence to give the orange and black a commanding eight run lead in the sixth inning. Mercer would surrender four runs in the bottom half of the inning, but ultimately, the damage was done and the Bears picked up a big victory. Natalie Jones picked up her first win of the season after pitching four innings while reliever Kari Chambers surrendered four runs, but mustered enough to finish off the game.

Mercer now returns home for two doubleheaders against Florida A&M as well as in-state rival Savannah State before traveling to Montgomery, Alabama for a matchup with Alabama State.

2010 General Shale Brick Atlantic Sun Tournament Predictions

J. Andrew Lockwood
Senior Editor / Columnist

Men’s Basketball
The field of eight teams is now set after the latest weekend of conference play, with every seed still yet to be determined. Currently, Campbell and Jacksonville lead the conference with a 13-5 record, but with a head-to-head matchup this coming weekend, one school will certainly gain an advantage over the other. Belmont and Lipscomb are currently tied for the third spot in the conference with a 12-6 record as well and while they play both Kennesaw and Mercer in their final two games, both teams are favored to win against both schools which could result in a potential tie for the spot (Lipscomb holds the head-to-head advantage in the Battle of the Boulevard with two wins this season over the Bruins).

A bit farther down in the standings, ETSU currently occupies the fifth A-Sun spot at 11-7, followed by Mercer’s 10-8 mark. Fresh off a win against USC-Upstate, ETSU should hold their advantage over the Bears as they face North Florida and Jacksonville in their two final games while Mercer takes on the two Nashville based schools. Rounding out the A-Sun, North Florida holds the #7 spot at 8-10 while Kennesaw State sneaks into the tournament with a 7-11 record. USC-Upstate, Florida Gulf Coast, and Stetson are the bottom three schools in the conference standings (USCU and FGCU aren’t eligible for the post-season play anyways due to reclassification rules).

Predicted General Shale Brick 2010 Atlantic Sun Tournament Seeds:

(Records reflect final season standings…current record plus the final two conference game predictions)

1) Campbell (20-9, 15-5)
2) Jacksonville (18-11, 14-6)
3) Belmont (19-11, 14-6)
4) Lipscomb (16-13, 13-7)
5) ETSU (16-15, 12-8)
6) Mercer (15-15, 11-9)
7) North Florida (13-17, 8-12)
8) Kennesaw State (12-19, 7-13)

Women’s Basketball
Unfortunately, sometimes the best miss out. That will certainly be the case this basketball season as Florida Gulf Coast (22-5, 17-2) and USC-Upstate (18-8, 12-5) will miss the postseason tournament due to NCAA reclassification rules. It’s a shame that two of the league’s top three teams aren’t eligible, but there’s still a plethora of teams to watch for during next week’s tournament. ETSU, last year’s A-Sun Champion, has already captured the #1 seed in the tournament with two games left with a 17-8, 15-2 record. With USC-Upstate gone from the #3 spot, Mercer then bumps up to second seed with a 13-14, 10-8 mark. The Bears’ two remaining road games are winnable ones against Belmont (13-13, 8-10) and Lipscomb (4-24, 2-16).

Therefore, if Mercer continues their winning ways, the Campbell Camels would lock in the third seed at 14-13, 9-9. Belmont, Kennesaw State (10-17, 7-11), Jacksonville (8-18, 7-11), North Florida (9-18, 6-12) and Stetson (6-22, 6-12) would likely follow in that order with the bottom four spots still up for grabs.
Predicted General Shale Brick 2010 Atlantic Sun Tournament Seeds:

(Records reflect final season standings…current record plus the final two conference game predictions)

1) ETSU (19-8, 17-2)
2) Mercer (15-14, 12-8)
3) Campbell (15-14, 10-10)
4) Belmont (14-14, 9-11)
5) Kennesaw State (11-18, 8-12)
6) Jacksonville (8-20, 7-13)
7) North Florida (9-20, 6-14)
8) Stetson (6-23, 6-14)

Men's Basketball Tops UNF, loses to pesky JU

J. Andrew Lockwood
Senior Editor / Columnist

North Florida has improved considerably in all sports since entering the Atlantic Sun conference only a few years ago. In fact, the Ospreys are on track to return to Macon for the General Shale Brick Atlantic Sun Conference tournament next week, but when Mercer caught the Jacksonville-based school in the University Center for the final regular season meeting, it was the Bears who prevailed. The 77-67 win was a crucial home win for Mercer, especially considering they were without the services of guard James Florence who sat out with a high ankle sprain.

Florence’s injury snapped his streak of 79 consecutive starts dating back to a 2007 game against Sewanee when he sat out as a sophomore. Florence’s teammates step up in a big fashion though as Daniel Emerson would dominate the game with Dwight Howard like statistics, finishing with 20 points and 18 rebounds. Mercer also received big time minutes from sixth man Brandon Moore who chipped in 18 points and 8 rebounds.

Filling in the shoes of Mercer’s all-time leading scorer, Jeff Smith and E.J. Kusnyer helped make up the scoring difference with a combined 21 points as senior guard Brendan Walker got the start at point guard. Reserve point guard Mark Hall also got to see considerable time on the floor (27 minutes) as he led the Mercer offense.

Tied 32-32 at halftime, Mercer shot an astounding 14-for-22 from the field during the second half in order to outpace UNF by ten points. Another memorable moment occurred in the second half when Kusnyer hit his 88th 3-point basket of the season, passing Mercer’s Reggie Titus (1988-89) for the single-season record in that category. Kusnyer continues to lead the nation in three-pointers made this season.

For UNF, the game wasn’t a lost cause as they got to experience the pressure that come with playing in the University Center, which they hope to use to their advantage come tournament time. Talented guard Eni Cuka would score a game-high 21 points for the Ospreys as they dropped their tenth conference game of the season.

After a day off, the Bears returned to the UC Arena to take on the Jacksonville Dolphins. Arguably one of the best rivalries in the Atlantic Sun, the Jacksonville-Mercer game has always been one of the most physical battles in conference play. Many of the seniors on both teams still remember the ‘Basket-Brawl’ that occurred in 2007 when several players got in a scuffle at the end of the game prompting both benches to clear.

While this version of the game didn’t feature any fights, it certainly had plenty of tough fouls, questionable officiating, and was just downright ugly for most of the game. In short, finesse wasn’t the name of the game as Mercer fell 76-64 to their southern rivals.

James Florence made a go in this final rivalry game of his career, playing 21 minutes, but wasn’t his productive self as he posted just 2 points and 3 assists before fouling out. In contrast, JU guard Ben Smith was undoubtedly the player of the game for the Dolphins as he hit 14 of 17 free throws to finish with a game-high 26 points.
Plagued by poor shooting on both sides in the first half, Jacksonville maintained their halftime lead (31-25) and let it grow a bit more during the second half. Even a late burst of energy from the Bears in an attempt to comeback was soon shot down by Dolphins’ hot shooting. The 5th largest UC crowd would watch the Bears fall to the Dolphins yet again at home by a final margin of 12 points.

Daniel Emerson led the Bears once again with 22 points and 10 rebounds, but it was guard Jeff Smith that really got the offense flowing in the second half as he finished with 8 assists and 11 points.

“We played hard and so did they,” Mercer’s Bob Hoffman said after the game. “We just weren’t as good as them today and we wanted to get inside and go to the free throw line. Unfortunately, they just got there more than we did,” referring to JU’s 44 free throw attempts (comparing to Mercer’s 25).

As the Mercer faithful honored their four seniors (Florence, Emerson, Kusnyer, and Walker) in their final regular season home game, the Bears now head on the road to face Belmont and Lipscomb in their final road trip of the season.

Men's Basketball Monumental Road Win, Key Loss

J. Andrew Lockwood
Senior Editor / Columnist

As the Atlantic Sun conference slate comes to a close, the Mercer men’s basketball team picked up a key win against East Tennessee State but also a tough loss against the Campbell Camels on the road in the Bears’ next to last road trip of the season. The narrow six point loss to Campbell, 69-63, came as a result of 20 turnovers on offense and 13 steals for the Camels on defense, but two nights later the Bears shocked everyone with an unheralded first win in Johnson City as they defeated the Bucs 82-77.

The loss against the Camels was a tough one to swallow for Mercer fans as well as head coach Bob Hoffman. “We needed to finish more plays and we had opportunities late in the game but just couldn’t finish,” the second year head coach said on MercerBears.com. “They were very physical and played a lot of trapping defense everywhere. We just didn’t handle the pressure very well,” he added.

The Campbell-Mercer matchup also featured what could be the final matchup between talented guards Jonathan Rodriguez and James Florence. Both players made A-Sun history as the first 2,000 point players to face one another during the regular season. Both were also major factors in the game as Rodriguez scored 24 points (9-15 FG, 6 assists)for Campbell and Florence tallied 21 points (7-13 FG) on the night for Mercer.

It was certainly a low scoring affair in the first half as the Camels led at the break 24-22. Campbell and Mercer were choosy in their shot selection during the first half, but accurate when they did shoot, hitting 43% from the field for both sides. The second half brought about more Mercer turnovers and offensive miscues on which Campbell capitalized on, but in the end the Bears’ second half effort shooting kept them in the game. A blistering 65% (15-23 FG) from Mercer, led by Florence, Daniel Emerson (12 points, 6 rebounds), and E.J. Kusnyer (10 points) helped pace the Bears. Campbell’s Rodriguez got plenty of help from his teammates though as Miles Taylor (12 points), Junard Hartley (10 points), and Lorne Merthie (10 points) also finished with double-digit scoring totals. The win helped improve Campbell’s standing in the Atlantic Sun by another game, boosting their record to 10-5.

After the tough loss, many basketball fans assumed that another trip to ETSU’s home court in Tennessee would equal another loss for Mercer. For the first time in six years since the ETSU-Mercer series began, the Bears picked up a monumental win against the Bucs on the back of some hot shooting from guard E.J. Kusnyer. The burly-Pittsburgh native hit five 3-Pointers to pace Mercer with a team-high 21 points on the night while forward Daniel Emerson chipped in 17 points and 11 rebounds including his 300th rebound of the season.

ETSU had a hot shooter of their own during the game with Tommy Hubbard hitting 10 of his 20 shots to net 24 points, but ultimately Mercer’s team effort on offense and 33-for-40 from the charity stripe sealed the five point win for the Bears. Notably, starting guard James Florence played only 21 minutes after a high ankle sprain, finishing with 12 points.

The Third Half: Speed Skating or NASCAR?

J. Andrew Lockwood
Senior Editor / Columnist

I reached an interesting conundrum just a few days ago in trying to decide what I really wanted to watch on television. The end of the Fox’s Daytona 500 partially overlapped with NBC’s broadcast of the Vancouver Winter Olympic games, specifically the men’s short-track speed skating event, and I was forced to make a decision. While some of you may have written me off from the mention of the word NASCAR, allow me to appeal to your sports intellectuality.
While I thoroughly enjoy both sports and their collective environment (of which I’ll compare and contrast shortly), I’m not ashamed to say that I enjoy watching a sport that seems so polarized in the world today. At first glance, it seems that you’re either a NASCAR fan or you’re not. I like to think of myself as somewhere in between. I enjoy the Daytona 500 and watching NASCAR at its best at Bristol, Talladega, Atlanta, and the other major tracks. However, my viewing habits are less than habitual and are usually reserved to the first 20 or last 20 laps of a race (often the only ones that matter in a 400-500 mile event). I’m enough of a fan to know about 35 drivers out of a 43 car field, but not enough of one to put a ‘3’ sticker on the back of my pickup.
As for speed-skating, I only really know of the U.S.’s Apolo Anton Ohno. But like NASCAR, I can’t help but sit on the edge of my seat as the field of six or seven skaters tears up the ice in the same fashion that I tried to with my rollerblades in the neighborhood. Those guys absolutely smash it…and are graceful at the same time.
Due to TiVo restrictions and other complications, I was forced to make a decision. In doing so, I took into account the following factors of which I think will be of interest to you.

Sponsorship (Edge – Speed Skating)
Every great athlete needs sponsorship and these two sports have very different backings. Speed skaters proudly wear their country’s logos on their skinsuits. NASCAR drivers proudly display every type of sponsor imaginable on the sides of their cars at the racetrack. Budweiser or Germany? Pennzoil or Korea? Bass Pro Shops….or the U.S.? In the end, I gave a slight edge to the speed skaters only because their post-race speech doesn’t have to include the sponsor’s name 73 times.

Commentary (Edge – NASCAR)
You simply just can’t beat Darryl Waltrip’s “Boogity, Boogity, Boogity!” at the beginning of a race. Yes, the Olympics provide the ahem…more professional commentators, but sometimes Al Michaels just sounds a little stiff in calling a competitive speed skating race. An instant upgrade to the Olympics would be the color commentary of Monday Night Football’s Jon Gruden or even John Madden but it would still be hard to beat the NASCAR feel as you watch the race.

Race Format (Edge – Speed Skating)
500 miles or 1500 km? If time is of the essence, speed skating is the bang for your buck as the races last around three minutes each. Compare that to this year’s Daytona 500 in which the race started at 1pm and ended at nearly 7pm (including a 2 hour delay for track repair). Still, NASCAR just takes longer. The middle of the race can sometimes resemble paint drying. Speed skating is decided quickly and thus receives the edge in format.

Personality (Edge – NASCAR)
Everyone is stock car racing has a nickname. There’s Smoke (Tony Stewart), Lil’ E (Dale Earnhardt Jr.), Shrub (Kyle Busch)….and on and on. Speed skating could use some of this as the eastern European competitors look a little stiff and unfriendly out there. From a marketing perspective, I’d rather have NASCAR’s bad boy than Bulgaria’s speed skater. Sorry. Edge goes to NASCAR in a decisive defeat.

The Decision (Speed Skating…but NASCAR during commercials)
Ultimately, this was an issue of timing. Both sports have their own compelling reasons to watch, but it boiled down to which sport I couldn’t see year round. Speed skating is a once every four year event (as the Winter Olympics will occur in 2014 in Sochi, Russia) whereas the boys in NASCAR will beat and bang on each other until late November. I can always catch up on the race online anyways. So for now, I’m glued to the television watching Ohno take on the best in the world in speed skating.

Mercer Softball Starts the Season with a Bang!

J. Andrew Lockwood
Senior Editor / Columnist

Mercer softball’s quest for an Atlantic Sun Championship and NCAA tournament berth began last week with the team’s season opening tournament in Tallahassee. Playing as a visitor in the host Florida State’s tournament, the Bears picked up an early 8-0 victory over Iona before falling victim to Conference USA’s Southern Miss twice 9-1 and 2-1. Florida State then proceeded to eke out a win over Mercer 2-1 in the tournament finale.
Head coach Mike Raynor’s team then traveled back home to the friendly confines of Sikes Field to take on South Dakota State in a doubleheader home opener. Winning both games 2-1 and 7-1 pulled Mercer back up to the .500 for the season and continued their winning ways at home. Last year, the Bears sported a 21-6 record at home and look to do the same if not better this season with nineteen home games on the schedule.

Mercer 8 – Iona 0
Waiting an extra day to play their first game of the season due to inclement weather in north Florida, Mercer looked impressive in the five inning affair against the Gaels. Junior Jenni Holtz was once again dominate from the circle, giving up only three hits in the complete game shutout while striking out nine batters and throwing an unheralded 64 pitches.
The Bears broke the game open in the 2nd inning when Sara Stukes doubled to left center field, eventually scoring on a passed ball. Pinch runner Stephanie Canara then proceeded to score off of another passed before Megan Rutherford tallied Mercer’s first RBI of the year in sending Amanda Santa Maria home off of a single. Mercer would score one more in the fourth inning and four runs in the fifth to quickly end the contest.
Sara Stukes proved to be the team’s most legitimate threat at the plate during the game, batting 2-for-2 with a pair of RBI and a walk.

Southern Miss 4 – Mercer 3
Playing the Golden Eagles, a team that had just defeated #19 Florida State the night before, Mercer would come up on the short end of a hard fought game. Call it bad luck or fate, but a crucial hit from shortstop Sara Stukes that ripped down the right field line got stuck underneath a tarp, halting baserunner Allison Jones at third base. Jones would most likely have scored on the play in the seventh inning, at least putting the Bears up 4-3 at that point in the game.
However, Southern Miss was able to put a big run across the plate in the bottom of the seventh to win the game and hand the Bears there first loss of the year. Kari Chambers, the starting pitcher for Mercer, only surrendered one run and three hits in 2.1 innings while Jenni Holtz netted the loss after allowing three runs in four innings.

Southern Miss 9 – Mercer 1
After a close game on Saturday night, Sunday’s game was anything but close as the Eagles handed the Bears their second loss of the season in five innings. Mercer would put the first run on the board in the second inning off of a Stacey Condra single, but Southern Miss would quickly end the Bears hopes of an upset as they would score three runs off of a RBI double from Logan James and a left field home run from Alexis Hurley in the bottom of the fourth inning. The fifth inning was even worse for Mercer as the Eagles would run rule the bears as the plated six runs in the bottom half of the inning.
For the game, Mercer would only muster three hits as Natalie Jones would record the loss in her first appearance in 2010. Southern Miss’s Courtney Ramos earned her third win as the Golden Eagles improved to 4-0.

Florida State 2 – Mercer 1
Another bid for a major upset fell apart in the seventh inning as Florida State sneaked across a late run for the final tournament victory. The Bears again took an early game lead off of a Sara Stukes single to the left side of the infield in the fifth inning, but the Seminoles would soon respond with an inside-the-park homerun in the bottom half to tie the game. The game remained knotted at 1-1 until the bottom of the seventh inning when a pair of hits scored the winning run for the ACC school.
Mercer starting pitcher Jenni Holtz pitched another solid game, surrendering seven hits and one earned run in six innings of work, but would tally the loss to fall to 1-2. While FSU’s Sarah Hamilton pitched all but one out of the game, closer Terese Gober secured the game and collected the win.

Mercer 2 – South Dakota State 1
After a tough opening season tournament in Tallahassee, pitcher Jenni Holtz looked dominate again at home, striking out 13 batters and giving up only two hits and a run in her second win of the season. Anna Johnson would score the first run for the Bears from the leadoff position in the third inning however, the Jackrabbits didn’t go away easily as Marlee Peterson homered to left center field to tie the game at 1-1 in the sixth.
Emi Sherrill would score the winning run after reaching base on error in the bottom half of the inning to give Mercer the final advantage in their home opener.

Mercer 7 – South Dakota State 1
The nightcap of the doubleheader saw much more offensive output from the Bears as starting pitcher Kari Chambers earned her first win of the season after the complete game in which she struck out 10 batters and gave up 9 hits.
Holly Oglesbee and Sara Stukes launched a pair of homeruns in the second inning to put the game out of reach quickly. Oglesbee would finish the game 1-for-2 with 3 RBIs and a run.

New Macon Cycling Event for 2010

Adam Hunt
Sports Reporter / Columnist

The wheels just don’t stop rolling for the Mercer Cycling Team at the moment as plans are being made to host an invitational race in Macon this year.

The First Annual Macon Cycling Classic is set to be staged in May and is being jointly hosted by the local Walthall Oil Cycling Team and Mercer’s own racers.

The event represents a significant step forward for Mercer Cycling who are currently in their inaugural season.

The Macon Classic is set to get pulses racing in the local community and will consist of a timed city block sprint around Tatnall Square with categories for different age groups and levels.

The Georgia Bicycle Racing Association has already leant its support and the event’s organizers are looking to partner up with the Lance Armstrong Junior Road Series, a prestigious tour of races specifically for under 18s.

Current board of directors Bill Causey, Jeff Clayton and Andrew Lockwood have come a long way since the idea of hosting a cycling race in Macon was conceived last year. The event is likely to have a similar feel to the famous Athens Twilight, a professional cycling race celebrating its 30th anniversary in April.

As ever, the Macon Classic is in need of considerable support from a variety of sources. In terms of financial backing, the organizers are counting on attracting local business, particularly those in Mercer Village such as Ingleside Pizza and Francar’s Buffalo Wings.

But the race itself is not the only attraction planned as the preceding week will be packed with special events leading up to the Saturday finale.

Director and member of Mercer’s Cycling Team Lockwood enthused: “I'm extremely excited to be involved in bringing such a wonderful event to Mercer. Although most people have never witnessed a live bike race, I think this particular one will really be exciting to participate in or watch from the park. Macon and middle Georgia is really a cycling gem in the state of Georgia and we hope that this race can reflect the talent and organization of the Macon/Mercer community. You don't want to miss this!”

Don’t forget to pick up The Cluster for all the latest news from Mercer Cycling and anyone wishing to volunteer or get involved with the Macon Classic should visit www.mercercycling.blogspot.com or e-mail james.andrew.lockwood@student.mercer.edu

Baseball Season Preview

Adam Hunt
Sports Reporter / Columnist

Onwards and upwards is certainly the catchphrase for Mercer’s baseball team as the new season draws ever closer and they look to clinch their fifth-straight Atlantic Sun Championship appearance.

Having finished with a 23-23 overall record last year, the Bears will be looking to post a positive winning percentage, particularly in the all-important Conference games which begin against Campbell in March.

In terms of the 2010 roster, head coach Craig Gibson returns no less than 20 letter-winners including all-star senior pitcher Lath Guyer whose venomous throwing arm could prove to be a crucial part of Mercer’s armory.

Six freshmen also join the squad to provide cover and will become more and more useful as the notoriously grueling season wears on.

The Bears were picked to finish in a two-way tie for sixth place in the annual Atlantic Sun Preseason Coaches’ Poll.

Traditional heavyweights Florida Gulf Coast were picked as the preseason and tournament champions with 10 of a possible 11 first-place votes. Intriguingly, it was Mercer who clinched the only other first-place vote.

FGCU also roundly swept the individual preseason honors with junior Zach Maxfield being awarded Player of the Year and talented junior Chris Sale being the unanimous selection for Pitcher of the Year.

Defending A-Sun champions Jacksonville, who knocked-off Belmont in last year’s Championship final, were picked to finish second in the poll. The Bears tied for sixth place with Lipscomb.

Mercer kicks off its season on February 19, as it hosts Morehead State at Claude Smith Field.

The Eagles, who hail from Kentucky, finished third in the Ohio Valley Conference in 2009 with a 12-10 record. This is the first time the two teams have met in recent memory.

“We are all very excited to come out here and start playing,” coach Gibson said. “Our guys worked very hard over the winter in both the weight room and the cages and we look forward to getting after it over these next few weeks.”

Make sure you pick up the next edition of The Cluster for all the news and views from the opening games of the season.

Mercer Sports Now on the Web at MercerU.com

J. Andrew Lockwood
Senior Editor
james.andrew.lockwood@gmail.com

With the large shift of sports reporting moving to the internet, you can now keep up with the Bears as well as the Mercer sports reporters online at a number of sites. Moving to an online sporting news format, the BearZone is the official source for sporting information from the Cluster’s beat reporters featuring stories that range from men’s and women’s basketball to club sports like wrestling, lacrosse, and cycling. Using Google’s blogspots gives authors the ability to post their stories in a variety of formats that include the traditional text, video, pictures, or audio.

While MercerBears.com remains the university’s official outlet for their Division I athletic programs, the BearZone hopes to bridge the news gap for students and die-hard Mercer supporters alike with in-depth stories, interview, and features unavailable anywhere else online. Operating under the domain MercerBears.blogspot.com for more than a year new, the BearZone recently transitioned to a much higher traffic site, MercerU.com.

Partnering with Our College Town, a site that sales officially licensed Mercer products (stemming from clothing to doormats to collectables), many of the stories you read in the Cluster will also be available via MercerU.com or MercerBears.blogspot.com. Additionally, select stories will also appear on BleacherReport.com, an open source sports blog that generates more than a million hits per month and covers every major sport in the world. These select stories include game recaps of Mercer’s major Division I sporting events as well as columns written by Cluster sportswriters.

If you’d like to join the award-wining Cluster’s sports writing staff (Georgia College Press Association Best Sports Page in the State) or are interested in additional information regarding the online news sites, contact us at ClusterBears@gmail.com or with one of our writers on the BearZone.

Men's/Women's Tennis Off to a Hot Start

J. Andrew Lockwood
Senior Editor / Columnist
james.andrew.lockwood@gmail.com

The Mercer men’s and women’s tennis team have started the 2010 season on a roll with lopsided defeats of Alabama State and nearby Fort Valley State. In a 7-0 blanking for the men and the women over the Hornets, both teams picked up their first victory of the year at the South Fulton Tennis Center in Atlanta.

Only one singles match and two doubles matches were even remotely competitive as the men’s starting six overmatched Alabama State’s starting lineup. Victor Dias, Mercer’s #1 seed, had the toughest singles match of the day as he lost the first set 5-7 before battling back to win the final two sets 6-3, 10-5. Peter Tauchner (#2, def. Lex Pierre 6-1, 6-1), Dave Barton (#3, def. Josh Donaldson 6-0, 6-2), Matt Poleon (#4, def. Roddrick Ivory 6-1, 6-1), and Jaron Bergeron (#6, def. Clifford Frazier 6-0, 6-2) all handled their opponents in two sets while Adam Hunt (#5) defeated Lance Delesion Jr. in a perfect 6-0, 6-0 rout.

"It was a good match and a nice way to start the season with a win,” said junior Fernando Armendaris. “Even if the scoreline was convincing you still have to go out there and take care of business and that will help us later on when we play bigger and better schools," he added.

In doubles action, all three of the matches were won by large margins with the best score being posted in the second doubles competition with Adam Hunt and Matt Poleon defeating Roddrick Ivory and Josh Donaldson 8-2.

The women looked equally impressive if not moreso with routes at all six seeds. #1 Jennifer Lada topped Alabama State’s Brittany Turner 6-0, 6-1 as teammates Anna Wieslander (#2, def. Sheniece Rawlins 6-0, 6-2), and Amalia Bugge (#3, def. Safiya Taylor 6-2, 6-0) also picked up big victories. Priscilla Dias, Sarah Hanna, and Stephanie Cohen also won their matches with 6-0, 6-0 shutouts respectively. All three of the women’s doubles matches were also blowouts as Weislander and Dias won the first match followed by victories for the Lada/Bugge and Hanna/Cohen pairings.

After a quick start on the final day in January, the men’s team returned home to the LeRoy Peddy Tennis Center for a match against Fort Valley State. A 7-0 dusting of the neighboring college improved the men’s mark to 2-0 this season.
Opening the match, Peter Tauchner and Victor Dias earned an 8-2 win over FVSU’s Drew Belk and Tomy Williams to spark the Bears in the doubles competition. The next two pairings of Adam Hunt and Evandro Rosindo and Matt Poleon and Fernando Armendaris would also record 8-0 routs over their opponents.

With a slightly different lineup in this match, Rosindo looked dominant in singles play as well, defeating Dwayne White 6-1, 6-1 while Tauchner (#2, def. Tomy Williams 6-0, 6-0), Poleon (#4, def. Kenny Thorton 6-0, 6-0), Dias (#5, def. Drew Belk 6-1, 6-1), and Hunt (#6, def. Kevin Oliver 6-1, 6-0) also turned in easy victories.

The singles match of the day came at the #3 seeding where Fernando Armendaris had a bit more work to do in battling away with FVSU’s Brandon Pringle. Armendaris would eventually sink the Wildcat’s hopes with a final score of 6-3, 6-2.

With the victories, new coach Warren Woolfolk has to be pleased with his team’s effort especially with tougher matches on the horizon against Coastal Carolina, UT-Chattanooga, Tennessee Tech, Jacksonville State, and Florida A&M on the slate for February. Conference play begins at USC-Upstate on February 27th.

Photo courtesy of Mercer Athletics

Mercer Softball Preseason Preview

J. Andrew Lockwood
Senior Editor / Columnist
james.andrew.lockwood@gmail.com

Mercer’s softball program has returned to prominence as it was picked to finish 3rd in the conference according to a preseason polls. Senior outfielder Holly Oglesbee and junior pitcher Jenni Holtz also made headlines as they were picked as representative on the 2010 preseason All-Conference team.

The team’s 40-19 record last spring was a big indicator of the change that head coach Mike Raynor has brought to the Bears in his three years at the helm. It was Raynor that helped transition Oglesbee from a ‘slapper’ to a true power-hitter with a .309 batting average, 26 RBI, and 59 hits in 2009. Known for her speed in the outfield, Oglesbee is predicted to be a catalyst for the Bears this season as she started 58 games last year.

Holtz continues to build a legend at Mercer as she has quietly amassed 38 wins in two seasons. Her 23-10 mark last year as a starting pitcher was almost as eye catching as her 1.45 ERA and 234 strikeouts with only 53 walks. Starting the season as the Bear’s #1 pitcher in the rotation gives her an ample opportunity to continue to rewrite the record books.

Raynor was quite pleased with the recognition Oglesbee and Holtz received for their hard work, commenting on MercerBears.com, “Jenni and Holly have certainly earned this recognition. They are me of the hardest working competitors I have coached and we expect a lot from them this season.”

The preseason rating was the highest the program has ever received in its short history. After two 30-wins seasons, the head coach feels optimistic about the season ahead. “Our conference was the fourth toughest in the country a season ago, it is very competitive and getting better every year,” Raynor said. “We are happy to be a part of this conference and the level of play and if we perform like we can, stay healthy and get lucky the sky is the limit.”

Despite 20 letter-winners returning, only three players are seniors. Outfielder Stacey Condra and catcher Brandy Keeter join Oglesbee in helping turn around the 14-46 team their freshman year to the perennial A-Sun power in 2010. This year will prove to be a bit of bigger challenge as they replace three starters (Page Raynor, Cassy Neilson, and Jena Ellis) and their #2 pitcher (Lacey Richardson).

“I’m really pumped for this season and excited to see how far we can go,” Condra said. “We are just as talented as any of our competition and this year we’ll see if we have the determination to be the best in the Atlantic Sun,” she added.

Currently, the starting lineup looks to feature Oglesbee, Condra (.226, 3 HRs, 14 RBI), and sophomore Jenny Goodman (.226, 15 RBI) in the outfield with returning middle infielders Sara Stukes (.299, 9 HRs, 29 RBI) and Amanda Santa Maria (.230, 1 HR, 13 RBI). Losing both their first basemen and third basemen, Raynor will have his pick in replacing those two key positions from a large group of freshman and sophomores. Allison Jones, Ashlei Alig, Lorin Hammer, Lilli Luke, and Stephanie Canara seem to have an advantage in claiming one of those two positions but freshmen Heather Strange and Sarah Santana could also battle for those spots.

At catcher, Emi Sherrill caught a majority of the games by starting 41 of the team’s 59 games while boasting big numbers at the plate with a .304 batting average, 4 HRs, and 23 RBI and is expected to be the starter come opening day. Brandy Keeter also saw plenty of time from behind the plate while Kristin Marko was used sparingly.

The pitching staff, a strong point for Mercer in recent memory will once again rely on Holtz for strikeouts and wins while relievers Kerri Nidiffer, Jessie Holmes (1-0, 1.45 ERA, 8 appearances), Kari Chambers (1-1, 3.50 ERA, 8 appearances), Natalie Jones and incoming freshmen Molly Anderson will all battle for a spot in the starting rotation.

The Bears are scheduled to play 56 games this season with only 19 home games in 2010. Starting off the schedule is a early February trip to Florida State where Mercer will take on Bowling Green, Southern Miss, Iona, and Florida State before the team’s first double-header at home against South Dakota. Afterwards, another tournament in Atlanta pits them against other mid-major schools before returning home for games against Florida A&M and Savannah State.

Mercer’s ‘Play Anyone and Everyone’ scheduling mentality will pit them against some of the best softball programs in the country and big schools in Georgia Tech, Auburn, Ole Miss, and Florida State, but with the A-Sun conference slate beginning in late March, it’s apparent that Raynor wants to test his girls early in the season. Will there be another 30+ win season? If so, the Bears have plenty of work to do on the road.

Bears Falter in Heated Rivalry Game

J. Andrew Lockwood
Senior Editor / Reporter
james.andrew.lockwood@gmail.com

Like the old saying goes, “Trick me once, shame on you. But trick me twice, shame on me.” Twice in the same week the Mercer men couldn’t seem to figure out their pesky in-state A-Sun rivals, the Kennesaw State Owls. After falling to the hottest team in the conference 71-69 on a last second shot that clanked off the rim, all bets were on the Bears to return the favor when they traveled 100 miles up I-75 to the Convocation Center.

Ultimately, Mercer would fall just short, 66-63, in a well-fought game by both teams. In front of a nearly sold out arena of 2,378 fans, the crowd was relentless and boisterous all night long in an almost neutral fashion. Nearly a third of the crowd sported Mercer orange and black, but just as the crowd outnumbered the Bear’s fanbase, a quick start by Mercer was overcome by a long, lanky, and athletic KSU bunch.

For the opening eight minutes of the game, Mercer jumped out to a 17-6 lead that largely silenced the crowd stemming from baskets near the goal and a pair of three pointers from E.J. Kusnyer and Jeff Smith. Then, Kennesaw clawed its way back into the game by controlling the boards on both ends of the court. The Owls would outrebound the Bears by a final margin of 44 to 35 with 25 of the 44 rebounds coming on offense. Simply put, one shot possessions weren’t enough for Mercer on offensive.
“We can’t win games when we give up 25 offensive rebounds,” said Mercer head coach Bob Hoffman after Thursday night’s game. “And we couldn’t get to the free throw line, but we still had opportunities to win the game,” he added.

Despite boasting the nation’s #2 rebounder in Daniel Emerson, the big man could only do so much in grabbing 14 of his team’s 35 rebounds on the night. Emerson would finish with another double-double with 16 points including a perfect 8-for-8 night from the free throw line.

The game also saw Mercer guard James Florence break out of a scoring slump as he finished the game with a team-high 19 points. Florence’s 42 game streak of double-digit point totals was snapped the weekend before and his offensive troubles had started nearly two weeks prior to his 9 point game against Florida Gulf Coast. Additional bright spots on offense were Jeff Smith’s 10 points and E.J. Kusnyer’s three 3-point field goals throughout the night.

For the Owls, only one player, Spencer Dixon, would finish in double-digits as he turned in a 16 point effort. Kennesaw’s team effort was aided by Zadrian Gibson, Kurtis Woods, Jon-Michael Nickerson, and LaDaris McConnell as they accounted for 34 points. Despite the low score, the Owl’s win was a testament to their bench as they outscored the Bears 24-6.

With the loss, Mercer falls below the .500 mark but maintains a 7-6 record in the Atlantic Sun standings. Future home dates against North Florida and Jacksonville will prove to be important games for Mercer as their road schedule includes Campbell, ETSU, Belmont, and Lipscomb in the month of February.

The Third Half Column: Popular Sports…Just Not in the U.S.

J. Andrew Lockwood
Senior Editor / Columnist

With the onset on the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, I find myself increasingly glued to the most obscure sports at the latest hours on the most low-budget sports television channels. Mogul trick-skiing on Versus at 11:30pm? Something must be wrong with me.

Or maybe it could be the disease of ‘Unpopularsporteristis’, commonly known in the medical field as a person affected by sports popular in foreign nations yet seemingly unpopular or unimportant in one’s home country. Common symptoms include watching Manchester United games early in the morning against opponents you’ve never heard of, knowing more than one person or one team in a sport that doesn’t really matter in your home country, and trying to get your computer to translate the foreign language in the latest recap of cricket from Bangladesh.

Take the Europeans for example. They have a variety of sports to keep up with. Cycling, equestrian, rugby, and football (not the NFL kind) rule across the pond while we go crazy about our big three: baseball, basketball, and American football. Canada? They have hockey...and curling because it’s too cold for anything else of course. Take a look to our south in Mexico were bullfighting is big.
Sports can be a funny thing in that they depend on location. And if for some reason your location isn’t befitting for a sport, you can risk your public reputation by still participating in the sport or you can just let your passion go and blend in.

It seems to be an increasing trend within the last few years for unfashionable sports to be ‘accepted.’ Take MMA fighting for example. The violent sport that mixes martial arts with boxing and wrestling has all but gone mainstream as prime matches can be viewed on CBS and a plethora of other smaller networks. NASCAR has certainly done very well in marketing their product to average American citizens and their 36 race schedule includes dates that stretch from New York to California. Soccer has even started to catch on in the U.S. with big time players moving to Major League Soccer clubs.

While the current sports market in America doesn’t seem to be moving away from the big-three sports, others are finding their niche. Others however, remain almost exclusively foreign. Cricket can draw bigger crowds than NFL games do in countries like India, yet the game remains only in countries that were traditional English colonies (of course, other than the U.S.). Rugby and Gaelic football are popular in Western Europe and Australia. Formula One racing is popular all over the world except in America where it is greatly overshadowed by other motorsports.

That takes us back to the topic of hard-core fans that watch every YouTube video of their favorite foreign sport because there isn’t television coverage. Trust me, I know. I used to make fun of an English Premier League fan for waking up at 4am to catch matches being streamed live over the internet yet I found myself trying to watch the Tour Down Under (a professional cycling race to kick off the season in Austrailia) on obscure, foreign cycling websites.

It seems that what goes around comes around eventually. Therefore, my warning is don’t hate on your brother for watching snowmobile racing or a Scottish rugby match because there will be a day when something sparks your interest in something peculiar. With that said, I’m missing a Canadian Football League game on Fox Sports Net Ontario. Laugh at me if you wish.

Mercer Signs Big Class in Men's Basketball for 2010-11

J. Andrew Lockwood
Senior Editor / Beat Report
james.andrew.lockwood@gmail.com

With the departure of Mercer’s senior class after this basketball season, some big shoes will be left to fill in head coach Bob Hoffman’s third year. However, until next season, Hoffman will continue to rely on a senior class that includes the Bears’ all-time scoring champion in James Florence, a powerful big-man in Daniel Emerson, and a three-point threat in E.J. Kusnyer.

So why look ahead to next season and the recruiting class in February? The answer is simple. It’s because they’re that good and could have an immediate impact next season.

Headlining next year’s class is power forward Paul Larsen (6-6, 220) from Lake Norman (N.C.). Ranked as the #109 power forward in this year’s high school class and an 85 overall by ESPN.com, Larsen might have a legitimate chance to battle for a starting position inside with his size and energy. During his high school career, Larsen has shot over 66% from the field averaging 14.8 points per game and 9.8 rebounds per game.

“Paul is an active rebounder, relentless in pursuing the ball and has tremendous energy,” commented Hoffman during the recruiting release on MercerBears.com. He added, “He’s a tough kid and brings a much needed presence after we lose some senior post players this season.”

Joining Larsen are four in-state players, two hailing from the Atlanta area and the other two teammates at a Savannah-area school. Centennial High product Jeremy Burgess played much of his high school ball at Athens Academy before transferring, but boast plenty of athleticism on his 6-5, 185 lb frame as a guard. Burgess’s shooting is what caught Hoffman’s eye as he averaged 18 points per game as a junior.

The other Atlanta-area player joining the Bears for the 2010-11 season is Chamblee High’s Langston Hall. Recruited as a point guard, Hall was highly praised by his high school coach Caesar Burgess as he told MercerBears.com, “Mercer is a great fit for Langston and Mercer really wanted him. He’s a great kid with great character and I wouldn’t trade him for any other player in the state. He’s one of the most valuable kids I’ve ever coached.” Hall certainly has the offensive statistics to back up the praise, averaging 14 points per game, 7 assists, and 5 rebounds last season.

The last two signees hail from Savannah’s Benedictine Military School as the marked the fourth and fifth recruits of the class. Guard Jibri Bryan was the offensive spark on his high school’s team, averaging 19.4 points per game and 9.9 rebounds last season while 6-3, 170 lb Daniel Coursey is known for his shot-altering skills in the post position. Coursey’s sister Anna currently plays for Mercer’s volleyball team while his other brother Stephen is also attending as a sophomore. Benedictine’s head coach Jason Helton had plenty of praise for both players, offering, “They both have a great work ethic that you don’t see to often in high school. They’re great guys who have a tremendous amount of desire to succeed.”

With these five recruits, Hoffman addresses needs at all positions on the floor as several key players graduate at the end of the season.