Derrick "Blaze" Mercer '09No Eagle will deny that Derrick Mercer was a fantastic player. A real dynamo of a guard, despite standing only 5'7" tall he could drive to the basket through a veritable forest of defenders like no other. Derrick was a key component of our two runs to the NCAA Tournament, and certainly this season with the lack of a strong point guard the 2009 Patriot League Player of the Year was sorely missed.
It's been previously reported on this blog that Mercer played a brief stint in Finland, leading some unpronounceable team to their first win in a year only to be let go for being "too short." Then he hit an even luckier stroke and was drafted by the Eerie Bayhawks of the NBA D-League before being cut days before the season began in the final slimming of the Bayhawks' roster. Finally Mercer found a team willing to use his raw talent, the Maryland Greenhawks of the Premier Basketball League. Yet after playing 8 games not too far from where he dominated the Patriot League, averaging 6.6 points per game and 4.4 assists, Mercer was cut yet again. The Greenhawks have retained former teammate Travis Lay, however.
This is certainly disappointing, as I was really looking forward to an opportunity to catch a Greenhawks game and see Mercer play again. Poor guy just can't catch a break. Fingers crossed that he finds a team that will really utilize him, but I'm starting to think that another career may be in Mercer's future.
Your thoughts? Was this fair? Is Mercer cursed?
If you're reading this, Derrick, THIS basketball team (and its fanbase) misses you like crazy. Wish you were still wearing the Red, White, and Blue.
Pro Deo Et Patria,
Josh
I loved Derrick for what he contributed to the growth of this program. The only problem was, he did it in a lot of other ways. He played great defense, he hustled, and he was a hell of a leader. It was for THAT I loved him.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, from an offensive standpoint, he did a lot of things that made you cringe at times. He had his moments, but overall, he was inconsistent, had shooting woes, and was kind of sporadic. Derrick was a defensive player who maxed himself out on offense by the time he graduated. Couple that in with how small he was, it wasn't going to work out for him from a professional standpoint. Yeah, he had a lot of heart, but that can only take you so far when you go to professional leagues.
I'm not trying to sound mean, but that's how it is. Best of luck Derrick.
Mercer had a really terrific junior year at AU and he managed to top that his senior year. His growth as a player and his hard work were the best I've ever seen at AU, and probably rival that of any player I've seen elsewhere too. The only things holding back the team his senior year were the departure of Guibunda, the recurring injury to Bryce Simon, and that Garrison Carr struggled with his shot for much of the season.
ReplyDeleteMercer was GREAT his senior year.