Mercer men’s basketball ready for start of the season with new head coach at the helm
The Mercer men’s basketball team is preparing for a new season with lots of new faces and a new coach at the helm.
Head coach Greg Gary was hired on March 26 to take over a Bears team that finished 11-20 last season and was bounced from the Southern Conference tournament in the opening game against Furman.
Gary is coming off an Elite Eight appearance as an assistant coach for the Purdue Boilermakers. His success there has created a buzz among players and fans.
“It’s kind of a big change going from a team that was 11 and whatever to last year to a guy who coached in the Elite Eight,” forward Ethan Stair said. “We are really excited to have him on board.”
Gary credits the run at Purdue for helping him land the job at Mercer. He hopes that the team can capitalize on that excitement surrounding the program.
“If we didn’t get that far I probably wouldn’t be here,” Gary said. “They are excited here and I am excited to have this opportunity. Now it’s about Mercer and getting us to play at a high level.”
One of the key returners from last season is shoot guard Ross Cummings. Last season, he averaged over 17 points per game and was named to the all-conference second team.
Heading into this season, the expectations surrounding Cummings are high after earning preseason All-Southern Conference honors. Cummings said he is looking to make some adjustments to take his game to a new level.
Gary has a proven track record as recently as last season of elevating high-volume scoring guards.
Carsen Edwards was taken in the NBA draft by the Boston Celtics after averaging over 34 points per game in the NCAA tournament for the Boilermakers. This has given the Mercer players immediate respect for what Gary as done at the college level.
“It instills more confidence in me for (Gary),” Cummings said. “Just knowing that I can trust him and I am wanting to listen to the knowledge that he has for us.”
Gary said he is excited about Ross and some of the other guys like Stair who are ready to make impact in his system.
“(Cummings) is a shot maker and I love that about him. He is confident,” Gary said. “There is a number of pieces that I am excited about and able to put them in situations where they can be successful.”
The Bears will start the season with an exhibition game against St. Andrews at home on Oct. 29.
The season officially starts on Nov. 6 against St. John’s on the road before returning home for a three-game home stand.
Some of the major non-conferences matchups this season include games against Kennesaw State, Georgia State and Georgia Southern before conference play begins on Jan. 1 at UNCG.
“We have a pretty tough non-conference schedule,” Stair said. “We are looking at those games as preparing us for SoCon play.”
Opening night in Hawkins arena and Gary’s coaching debut is quickly approaching, but he hasn’t put much thought into what that will be like. Instead he is honed in on making the Bears better.
“It’s really not on my mind,” Gary said. “What’s on my mind right now is not turning the ball over, transition defense and rebounding.”