Mercer Basketball Leaning on Experience in 2013
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – The Mercer Bears men’s basketball team hit the hardwood for its first practice of the season Tuesday.
“We had a great finish last year, but it wasn’t exactly what we wanted,” Bob Hoffman says. Hoffman is entering his sixth season at the school. “Two years ago, we had another great finish but it wasn’t exactly what we wanted. We’ve won 51 games in two years, but there’s still more to be had.”
Last season, the Bears fell to Florida Gulf Coast in the Atlantic Sun Conference Championship Game. You may remember Florida Gulf Coast from its improbable run in the NCAA Tournament. The Eagles made it all the way to the Sweet 16.
“We won the regular season,” Jakob Gollon says. Gollon, a forward from Wisconsin, is a senior this year. “We thought we were a better team than they were, but come tournament time, we didn’t make it happen. It was kind of hard to watch but at the same time it was good for the conference.”
In 2012, Mercer picked up wins over both Alabama and Florida State. The Bears also knocked off Tennessee in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT).
“We play those guys like any other team,” Gollon says. “We prepare hard; we practice hard. We’re a big scout team. We look at everything they’ve got and try to play them the way we should. We try to run our offense the way they play. Sometimes, it’s different. If they have big, athletic guys, we’re gonna run different plays that work against them.”
With seven seniors on the roster this season, the possibilities are endless.
“They’ve had a lot of wars,” Hoffman says “They’ve played a lot of battles in all kinds of arenas, and to this point right now, we’re fourth in the country in road victories in the last two years (out of 340 Division I teams). That says a lot about who they are and what they plan on doing. This year, we’re gonna have to win some of those road games again.”
The Bears start their season on November 8 against the Texas Longhorns in Austin, Texas.
Here’s the full 2013-2014 schedule.
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