Junior class ready to lead Mercer basketball team into season

Leading is nothing new for Stephon Jelks. He said that started the first day he joined the Mercer program.

And the junior is counting on that continuing this year for the Bears, who tip off their season at 8:30 p.m. on Friday at Hawkins Arena against Brewton-Parker.

While Andrew Fishler is the team’s only returning senior, Jelks will have some help leading from his fellow juniors: point guard Jordan Strawberry and forwards Demetre Rivers and Desmond Ringer.

“Freshman year, I thought it was my responsibility, too,” Jelks said. “I’ve always been a person who just leads by example and lead by (being) vocal, because I’m a really loud-talking person, so this year, I feel like it’s a big responsibility for me, especially with a lot of new guys here.

“Jordan and Demetre help me out, too, and Des since we’re the vets of the team, so leadership is really a pivotal part of the team.”

Mercer has eight new faces on the team, making that leadership important for the team’s success.

Jelks averaged 11.7 points and 8.4 rebounds per game last season. Strawberry averaged 8.1 points and 3.7 assists as the backup point guard, and Rivers averaged 9.7 points, becoming a starter late in the season.

Ringer started and played in 23 games last season and averaged 7.8 points and 4.6 rebounds before being suspended for the season’s final 11 games.

“I think definitely, me, Steph and (Demetre) have took on big leadership roles,” said Strawberry, who should step into a starting spot this season. “I think myself, I’ve tried to take on a bigger leadership role, as well. Definitely, I’m in a new role now, so I think that I took on a bigger role to be a leader to this team, so I took a lot on my shoulders, but I think I can handle it.”

Hoffman agrees and expects a lot from his junior class this season.

“If he continues to communicate and continues to look for his teammates like he has been, he’s going to make our team very successful because of that,” Hoffman said of Strawberry. “Now, he can score, and he’s more of a combo guard, but he has worked real hard on being a point guard first. And our assistants and him have spent countless hours working on those little details, and you can see it come out in the scrimmaging that we have done to this point. And I hope that continues. I really think (Jelks is) back where he was, and he might be in the best shape of his life, which usually means great things because his No. 1 thing is just play hard because everything else works out for him.

“Demetre has been fantastic. He had a good step last year, and I think he’ll have another great year. Desmond Ringer, he’s in the same category as Steph. I think he’s in the best shape of his life, which when you have three big men like we do, five-men that change a game, that puts you in a good position. Plus you have 15 fouls, too. That’s a nice thing.”

This story was originally published November 9, 2016 at 8:04 PM with the headline "Junior class ready to lead Mercer basketball team into season."