For Mercer basketball players, summer break is anything but a breather

Mercer University’s Hawkins Arena, located in the same University Center that several student eateries and the mail room reside in, is nearly empty, or at least appears so.

Save for the odd admissions or orientation group treading through, led by a tour guide inevitably walking backwards through the school’s awards display next to the arena, the place is in its standard summer state — devoid of students, oddly quiet.

Mostly quiet. The few sounds you can hear include the squeak of basketball shoes and the dribbling of the ball. It’s more audible than it might be if Mercer’s typical student body was around. It’s because the basketball players are still here, though their real season won’t begin for months.

In the dog days of summer, some of Mercer’s best athletes go to work.

Ready to play

For Mercer basketball guard Jah Quinones, there is no summer break.

That’s the case for plenty of college athletes. The rest of campus sits nearly empty, their fellow students who aren’t part of the basketball or football teams away at home, or working at summer camps, or fulfilling internships.

Quinones, an Orlando native, is used to the summer heat. He’s less accustomed to the sparsely populated Mercer campus.

“I’m not going to lie, it’s weird. It’s like, empty empty,” Quinones said one morning in mid-July, just after he’d finished lifting weights. “But it’s a good type of different. It’s good for us as a team.”

The former Southern Conference All-Freshman award winner sat in the second row of seats next to the court, shoeless, just outside the locker room as some of his teammates started a shooting session on the court post-weightroom.

“It’s a lot different than when classes are in, but it kind of gives you a chance to focus in,” Quinones said. “You do a lot of personal growth. During the season, it’s all about the team. Right now, over the summer, you do a lot of individual work, and it changes how you look at things.”

There is a certain solace to a summer college campus. Quinones and his teammates are still taking classes, yes, but only a few. They spend eight hours each day over the summer committed to basketball in one form or another, head coach Ryan Ridder said.

“That’s what their schedule looks like in general, and I think Jah nailed it. There’s a lot of individual time to grow in this period. It’s my first time, really, coaching these guys. So I get to interact with them and really create a relationship with them,” he said.

Learning under a new coach

Ridder is beginning his first season as the Bears’ head coach. His career has been one of success at every stop — he guided programs like Bethune-Cookman and Daytona State, the latter a junior college, to consecutive winning records and conference titles. He hopes to bring that same winning trend to Mercer. A big part of that is working through the summer.

“You know, that’s just how it is for these guys, most college athletes are going to stay on campus over the summer, and they understand that,” Ridder said. “So far, it’s been a great summer. We have a really tough, competitive group of guys.”

While Quinones is closer to home than some other players, Orlando is no short distance. He doesn’t mind.

“My family understands. I talked to my mom and my dad, they get it, you know,” he said. “They know I’m here to work.”

Quinones, now a junior, has been one of the Bears’ most electric players for the past two seasons, though he considered last year to be a step back. As a team, Mercer played well at times, but did not rise to the expectations many had for the program under coach Greg Gary, the man who recruited Quinones to come to the school.

“Last year wasn’t me. I didn’t shoot too well last year. And I’m being scouted now. So putting the work in is important to me. There’s just not as much time for hanging out, chilling with family, and they get that,” Quinones said.

There were rumors the star guard wouldn’t even be at Mercer, as some anticipated a transfer because of his relationship with Gary and obvious talent.

“Our previous coach, coach Gary, I need to give him his flowers. He drew me to Mercer… but I knew I could never transfer. Everything I wanted was right here,” Quinones said. “Coach Ridder solidified that… It’s probably going to sound crazy because we haven’t been playing yet, but he might be my favorite coach I’ve ever played for already.”

The high praise checks out. At the tailend of a morning practice, Quinones and his teammates played hard during a team scrimmage. Ridder shouted orders as the players drilled each other but clapped his hands often, commending their efforts.

“It’s a little too early to get nitty gritty on basketball stuff, but I love what I see so far,” the head coach said later over the phone. “The summer work is showing me how we can mesh, how good we are on a raw, physical level. The scheming and the basketball work will come.”

With all the extra time, the teammates form a stronger bond as well.

“We play video games, we just hang out, and that helps me a lot,” Quinones said. “It’s like I do have a family here. We have a lot of guys that came in the portal, but we’re getting closer already.”

For Quinones, the upcoming season is also an important one on an individual level. The guard has been a team leader and definite standout, but some fans think there’s potential for an explosive year.

“I don’t think about that,” Quinones said with easy confidence. “We’re a team. Our goal here is simple, it’s really that we’re here to win a conference championship. If I win something, some individual thing, if I win it then I win it. But I’m focused on a championship.”

That’s another thing about these empty summer days, the hooper said — the players think a lot about the coming season, the expectations surrounding it. This year is one of optimism, given the new head coach and revamped roster.

Quinones said the goal is a conference title. Ridder knows the expectations, as he spoke about meeting that bar at his introductory press conference back in May. The way to reach the bar, though, to hear them tell it, is to grind.

Things usually start with a morning practice, then  weights. A significant part of the daily summer schedule comes, crucially, in the form of three square meals. That conditioning and taking care of your body properly is just as important as working on the court, Quinones said.

After all the work during the day, the teammates relax together, getting to know each other. Then it’s rinse and repeat.

“We’re ready,” Quinones said simply when asked about the coming season. “I know most people aren’t thinking about basketball season yet, but that’s what they should know after reading this, if anything, is that we’re ready to go. I know I’m ready, and I think the guys are too.”