Monday, November 16, 2009

MACON, Ga. - Mercer’s James Florence led the Bears to a 2-1 record to open the season and earned the first Atlantic Sun Men’s Basketball Player of the Week honor for the 2009-10 season, the conference announced Monday. 

Florence led the Bears to a 2-1 record at the World Vision Invitational this past weekend in Providence, R.I. The Marietta, Ga. native made the all-tournament team averaging 23.3 points per game and poured in a Mercer tournament high of 33 against Bucknell in the Bears’ 89-80 opening round win. Florence’s 70 points puts him only 179 points shy from becoming Mercer’s all-time scoring leader. Only one player in the nation, Washington’s Isaiah Thomas, (74 points, 24.7 PPG) racked up more points this opening week than Florence.

The communication studies major opened the season and the tournament with a 33-point effort against Bucknell. In addition, he passed out four assists and pulled down five rebounds. Florence closed the tournament with a 23-point effort against the hosting Providence, out of the Big East. In addition to his scoring the senior dished out five assists as the Bears rallied from a 19-point first-half deficit falling to the Friars in the tournament title game 79-77.

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The Atlantic Sun Conference is an 11-member league committed to Building Winners for Life. The A-Sun stands for achievement with integrity in both the academic and athletic arenas, with a focus on the balance between the two for our student-athletes. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun boasts six of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun includes a blend of the most prestigious and dynamic private and public institutions in the region: Belmont University, Campbell University, East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, Mercer University, University of North Florida, University of South Carolina Upstate and Stetson University.

Other Top Performers
Ian Clark, Belmont (Fr. - Guard - Memphis, Tenn. - Undeclared) – Clark averaged a team-high 14.0 points per game as Belmont defeated Portland State, and lost to No. 13 Washington and Wright State this past weekend in the Athletes in Action Classic in Seattle. Clark scored a game-high 21 points on 9-for-15 shooting as Belmont defeated the two-time defending Big Sky champion Vikings, 74-67, Friday. Clark scored 14 points in his first 14 minutes of collegiate play. He added 14 points and two assists against the host Huskies and scored seven points against Wright State.

Josh Slater, Lipscomb (Jr. - Guard - Nashville, Tenn. - Corporate Management) – In the season opener for the Bisons, Slater delivered an all-round solid performance. He posted his sixth career double-double with 17 points and a career-high 13 rebounds, which led the Bisons. Slater connected on 3-of-5 three-pointers, all in the second half as the Bisons fought to try to take back the lead. Slater dished out seven assists to lead Lipscomb. Slater also had a strong defensive performance forcing three steals in his 31 minutes of action.

Jon-Michael Nickerson, Kennesaw State (Sr. - Forward - Millbrook, Ala. - Sports Management) – A tremendous start to the season for the Owls senior as he put up back-to-back double digit scoring games to lead Kennesaw State to a pair of wins on opening weekend. Nickerson scored 14 points in the opener against North Greenville and then added an 18 point night against North Georgia to give KSU two straight wins to start the season for the first time since 2004-05. The Millbrook, Ala. native shot 76.5 percent from the florr and was a perfect 2-for-2 in three pointers, hitting one in each game.