Mercer Men's Basketball Opens on Friday at Home

Pre-Game Notes

MACON, Ga. – Mercer University will officially take the wraps off of its men's basketball team on Friday (Nov. 12) evening when it hosts Oglethorpe University at the University Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.

This will be the first meeting between the Stormy Petrels and the Bears since February 10, 1972 (a 95-62 win by Mercer). It is the 44^th meeting of the series, with MU holding a 30-13 advantage.  It is also the first time that Oglethorpe – an NCAA Division III institution – has met the Bears since Mercer joined NCAA Division I in 1973-74. The teams met frequently when each was a member of the old Dixie Conference.

Thus far in 2010-11, Mercer has played an exhibition versus Georgia College, which it won by an 85-58 margin, and had a closed scrimmage at Liberty University. Friday's opener will begin a very tough 2010-11 slate for MU, which will face no less than seven schools which made it to the post-season last year.

Oglethorpe is led by Alex Richey and Todd Ward, who averaged 13.6 and 13.2 points per game, respectively, last season.   Ward also grabbed 8.7 rebounds per game.  Joe Kennedy is the only other returning player who averaged double-digits at 10.0 p.p.g.

Richey, 4.4 rebounds per game, and Kennedy, 3.4 r.p.g., were also among the Stormy Petrels top board men.

The Bears will counter with two returning starters and the team's top "sixth man" back in the fold. Senior guard Jeff Smith and senior forward Brian Mills were starters for MU head coach Bob Hoffman (third season) in 2009-10. Senior forward Brandon Moore was a force off the bench underneath.

Smith averaged 11.6 points per game as a junior and shot 42 percent from the field. Mills and Moore each averaged 7.8 p.p.g. 

Mills is the Bears top rebounder back this season at 5.3 caroms per contest last year. Moore grabbed 4.2 r.p.g.

Freshman Langston Hall looks to be the heir apparent at point guard to replace graduated all-time scoring leader, James Florence. 6-foot-8 junior transfer Justin Cecil, a three-point sharpshooter, is expected to be at a guard spot, as well.

Fans who can't make the game can still catch all the action though several mediums. WPCH (96.5 FM) and WZCH (102.5 FM) will be the flagship stations for the Mercer radio network and can also be heard via the MU web site (www.MercerBears.com) and the "IHEART Radio" application on iPhone, Blackberry and Droid.  The game can be seen live in middle Georgia on WRWR-TV 38 out of Warner Robins (and on corresponding Cox Cable systems in certain communities), as well as on the Atlantic Sun Conference video streaming (www.asun.tv).