Mercer returns to court for first time since Jibri Bryan's death
The past few days have been difficult for everyone associated with the Mercer men's team after the death of senior Jibri Bryan on Tuesday.
The Bears return to the court for the first time Saturday when they host The Citadel, and the players said they will take the memories of Bryan with them as they resume their season.
"Jibri was really our spirit on defense. He was always that defensive presence, always got us going on defense," sophomore Stephon Jelks said. "Without him out there yelling and encouraging us, it's going to be tough. I feel like Jibri would want me and (Jestin Lewis) and (Phillip Leonard) and the upperclassmen, I'm not an upperclassman, but I'm more of a vocal leader on the team, to just step up and guide the younger people and underclassmen.
"We have to just keep them going because we've got to win this championship for him."
The Bears are right in the hunt in the conference race. Chattanooga is 9-1 in conference play, while Furman is 8-3, and then Mercer is tied with East Tennessee State at 7-3. The Bears are 17-6 overall and have won three straight games. The Citadel is 10-13 overall and 3-7 in conference play.
The Bears beat the Bulldogs 91-80 in January, and they certainly have had Bryan on their minds as they returned to practice. That will continue going into the game.
"We've got to have the mindset that he did, encourage others because that seemed to help," freshman Cory Kilby said. "When we were down, he was always there to help us out, so that really helped a lot throughout the season so far. So we just have to encourage each other and have a positive outlook. That's what he would want us to do."
Sophomore Jordan Strawberry said the things he would remember most about Bryan were how he continued to work and remain positive through multiple injuries and how he encouraged his teammates and was a leader for the team.
"He just had that grit to him. He was that senior who had been here a long time. He's been here and done this and done that, gone to the (NCAA Tournament) and been in those tough situations. So that's something that we'll definitely miss from him going forward," Strawberry said. "Last year after we had lost to Furman in the SoCon tournament, he told me to keep working hard, that I'll be a great player. Those words of encouragement for me being a freshman and him having been here five years at that time, him telling me that to keep working hard, and I can be a great player, those words of encouragement really is a moment that I cherish with him forever."
FORMER PLAYERS RETURN
Several former Mercer players will return to campus to honor Bryan for the game Saturday.
Jake Gollon, Chris Smith, Bud Thomas, Langston Hall, Anthony White Jr., Monty Brown, Kevin Canevari, T.J. Hallice and Darious Moten are scheduled to be in attendance at the game.
Another former player, Daniel Coursey, is scheduled to arrive Sunday and attend the team's game Monday against Chattanooga.
This story was originally published February 5, 2016 at 6:00 PM with the headline "Mercer returns to court for first time since Jibri Bryan's death ."