Emory Pre-Game Notes

MACON, Ga. – Mercer University’s men’s basketball team will officially take the wraps off of its 2011-12 squad on Saturday afternoon when it plays host to Emory University in a  Homecoming Game match-up. Tip-off is slated for 3 p.m. at the University Center.

The Bears lost more than 67% of its scoring and 60% of its rebound totals off of its 2010-11 roster. The 2011-12 MU squad returns 22.0 p.p.g. and 11.6 r.p.g. from last season’s totals. The Mercer team fields one of its youngest rosters in recent memory, sporting just one senior and a total of 12 players who are either freshmen or sophomores in eligibility status. In all, MU welcomes back 11 letterwinners from 2010-11.

THE SERIES:

Mercer leads the series with Emory, 1-0.

In that lone meeting, Mercer scored an 89-71 victory over EU on November 18, 2006 in Macon. That win was the Bears’ first of the season in 2006-07. After the Eagles jumped out to a 6-0 lead, Mercer used a 10-0 run in the final five minutes of the first half to break a 37-37 tie and take the lead it would not relinquish. The Bears were led by 20 points from James Florence and a double-double of 13 points and 15 rebounds from Sam Dolan.

SCOUTING THE OPPPOSITION:

Emory is coming off of a banner season in 2010-11 in which it went 20-5 and finished second in the tough University Athletic Association race. The Eagles return four starters off of last year’s roster and 13 of 15 letterwinners overall. The visitors from Atlanta are coached by Jason Zimmerman, who has amassed a record of 52-48 in his four years at the EU helm.

GAME NOTES:

*The Bears are a perfect 3-0 in season-opening games during Bob Hoffman’s tenure as head coach and have won four-consecutive lid-lifting games, overall. The last time MU dropped a season opener was the tip-off of the 2006-07 campaign when it was defeated by then No. 9-ranked Wisconsin, 72-48.

*The MU Bears and Emory both started the 2010-11 season with a win over fellow in-state foe Oglethorpe University. Mercer topped Oglethorpe by a 67-44 margin on November 12, while the Eagles dispatched OU, 92-84, in overtime a few days later on Nov. 17.

LAST TIME OUT FOR THE BEARS:

Jakob Gollon buried a three-point basket with 3.5 seconds remaining in the game to erase a two-point deficit and give Mercer University’s men’s basketball team a 58-57 come-from-behind exhibition game victory over Georgia College on Nov. 3 at the University Center.

BEARS ON THE AIR:

Mercer University Athletics has once again renewed its contract with Clear Channel Broadcasting Inc. to serve as the flagship radio network for the University’s men’s basketball games in 2011-12. The broadcaster’s FM station of Peach 96.5 (WPCH) will serve as the flagship station for all broadcasts this season.

All of Mercer’s men's games - home and away - will be broadcast live, including the 2012 A-Sun Basketball Championships (to be played once again this year on the Mercer campus at the University Center).

Rick Cameron, the “Voice of the Bears”, is in his seventh year calling the play-by-play for the Bears. Cameron, who is also Mercer’s senior assistant vice president for marketing communications, returned to the broadcast booth in 2006 after originally doing radio play-by-play in the late 1970’s. Cameron was the longtime public address announcer for both men’s and women’s basketball, as well.

“The Bob Hoffman Report” will also air each week during the season on Tuesday’s at 8:05 a.m. on Fox Sports Radio 1670-AM in middle Georgia (sister station of The Peach) on The Morning Show with Charles Olson and Daniel Shirley.