June 19, 2013
A-Sun Tournament Returns to Mercer
Rick Devens
The Mercer Bears Men's Basketball team won an impressive 21 games this season and locked up second place in the Atlantic Sun Conference.
Wednesday night the Bears set their sites on a conference championship as the A-Sun Tournament returns to Macon.
"This is a one and done kind of tournament. If you don't win your game you go home. So everybody is up playing at their highest level and there is no room for mistakes," says Thom Mead, Mercer's Public Address Announcer.
The Atlantic Sun Tournament returns to Mercer and the entire university is excited for the chance to root on Coach Bob Hoffman's Bears.
"I think that anytime you can have the energy that we have in our building when it's full it helps you go a little harder. When you're struggling a little bit you can get back on track quicker. It's just fun to feel that atmosphere, the energy that can be in this building," says Bob Hoffman, Head Coach of the Mercer Men's Basketball Team.
"Everybody is ready. We have a huge tailgate going on tonight. All the students are wearing all their Mercer stuff, you know, all their crazy outfits that they wear to games. So, everybody is ready," says Kristin Tullis, a student and cheerleader at Mercer University.
Wednesday night the two seed Mercer Bears tipped off their tournament against the seven seed Bison of Lipscomb and the home crowd was rocking.
Not only does the tournament create a great atmosphere for current students and athletes, it also gets the attention of prospective students and athletes.
"All the games this week are on national TV right here in Macon, Georgia. We're not only having the opportunity to be in front of them for our program but all of Middle Georgia getting to showcase what we have right here for them to see," says Bob Hoffman, Head Coach of the Mercer Men's Basketball Team.
"It really spreads the word for Mercer. Athletics gets the name out more so than anything else. So when they hear that Mercer's doing well it helps," says Kristin Tullis, a student and cheerleader at Mercer University.
"This is the perfect site to host it. It's geographically convenient to the whole conference which stretches from Nashville to Fort Myers, Florida. It's a great facility, plenty of room, lots of great seating. There's not a bad seat in the house. Everything works out great to hold the entire tournament right here," says Thom Mead, Mercer's Public Address Announcer.
The Mercer Bears beat the Lipscomb Bison in Wednesday night in their tournament opener, 61 - 53.
Mercer will play again Friday at 8:30pm in the University Center.
