Photo by: Judy Stapleton
Ethan Stair Set to Compete as Live Basketball Returns to ESPN Networks
7/2/2020 8:45:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Men of Mackey’s first game is set for July 5 at 7 p.m.
MACON, Ga. – Live basketball is back on the ESPN family of networks, and Mercer fans have a chance to watch a familiar face compete. After concluding a stellar career in the orange & black, Ethan Stair will now suit up for the Men of Mackey in The Basketball Tournament, with the squad's first round game slated for Sunday at 7 p.m. on ESPN2.
The Basketball Tournament, commonly referred to as TBT, features 24 teams full of former NBA or NCAA Division I basketball players. The winning team takes home $1 million with each player receiving a portion of the prize money.
Stair received an invite to play with Men of Mackey, a team comprised of many Purdue alumni, thanks to his one year under Greg Gary, the former Purdue assistant and current Mercer head coach.
"I'm excited for the experience," said Stair. "It's not very often you get to play with and against the level of talent coming to The Basketball Tournament. I'm going to continually work to develop chemistry with the guys and find my role on the team while always playing as hard as I can."
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Stair, who became the 42nd player in program history to reach 1,000 points in a road win at Samford, will bring a grit and toughness to the squad. Stair's 1,141 career points put him tied with former Bear turned NFL tight end Wesley Duke for 22nd all-time. The 6-foot-5, 205-lb guard pulled down an impressive 296 rebounds as a senior, the fifth-most in Mercer single-season history.
The toughness paid off as Stair was recognized by the Southern Conference's coaches and media alike with Second Team All-SoCon honors.
"Ethan is someone who will do whatever it takes to help his team win," stated Gary. "He displayed tremendous grit and toughness time and time again last season. There's no doubt that he'll fit in with the Men of Mackey and make a difference on the court."
The Hazel Green, Ala., native pulled down an average of 7.3 defensive rebounds per game, placing him just outside the top-25 (26th overall) among all NCAA Division I men's basketball players. Stair had 12 double-double performances to rank 40th in the country, while his 296 rebounds placed him 41st nationally.
In the SoCon, Stair finished the year third in rebounds per game (9.3) ninth in scoring (14.6 ppg), 15th in field goal percentage (.479) and tied for 12th in steals per game (1.2).
He left his mark in the Mercer record book and currently sits fourth in career steals (120), fifth in rebounds in a single season (296), sixth in single-season free throw percentage (.859) and ninth in three-point field goal percentage for a single season (.415).
Stair has fond memories of watching TBT and realized that he wanted to play in the event after watching Jimmer Fredette. Fredette, who had multiple stints in the NBA with five different teams, became The Basketball Tournament's all-time leader in points per game during the 2018 event.
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Stair and the Men of Mackey will begin their quest for the $1 million prize on Sunday against Heartfire at 7 p.m. on ESPN2. A win for the 19th-seeded Men of Mackey would pit them the squad against No. 3 Boeheim's Army, a team of Syracuse alumni, on Tuesday, July 7 at 4 p.m. on ESPN.
How to Follow the Bears:Â
For complete coverage of Mercer Basketball, please follow the Bears on social media at @MercerMBB (Twitter), /MercerBasketball (Facebook) and @Mercer_MBB (Instagram) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com.
The Basketball Tournament, commonly referred to as TBT, features 24 teams full of former NBA or NCAA Division I basketball players. The winning team takes home $1 million with each player receiving a portion of the prize money.
Stair received an invite to play with Men of Mackey, a team comprised of many Purdue alumni, thanks to his one year under Greg Gary, the former Purdue assistant and current Mercer head coach.
"I'm excited for the experience," said Stair. "It's not very often you get to play with and against the level of talent coming to The Basketball Tournament. I'm going to continually work to develop chemistry with the guys and find my role on the team while always playing as hard as I can."
Â
Stair, who became the 42nd player in program history to reach 1,000 points in a road win at Samford, will bring a grit and toughness to the squad. Stair's 1,141 career points put him tied with former Bear turned NFL tight end Wesley Duke for 22nd all-time. The 6-foot-5, 205-lb guard pulled down an impressive 296 rebounds as a senior, the fifth-most in Mercer single-season history.
The toughness paid off as Stair was recognized by the Southern Conference's coaches and media alike with Second Team All-SoCon honors.
"Ethan is someone who will do whatever it takes to help his team win," stated Gary. "He displayed tremendous grit and toughness time and time again last season. There's no doubt that he'll fit in with the Men of Mackey and make a difference on the court."
The Hazel Green, Ala., native pulled down an average of 7.3 defensive rebounds per game, placing him just outside the top-25 (26th overall) among all NCAA Division I men's basketball players. Stair had 12 double-double performances to rank 40th in the country, while his 296 rebounds placed him 41st nationally.
In the SoCon, Stair finished the year third in rebounds per game (9.3) ninth in scoring (14.6 ppg), 15th in field goal percentage (.479) and tied for 12th in steals per game (1.2).
He left his mark in the Mercer record book and currently sits fourth in career steals (120), fifth in rebounds in a single season (296), sixth in single-season free throw percentage (.859) and ninth in three-point field goal percentage for a single season (.415).
Stair has fond memories of watching TBT and realized that he wanted to play in the event after watching Jimmer Fredette. Fredette, who had multiple stints in the NBA with five different teams, became The Basketball Tournament's all-time leader in points per game during the 2018 event.
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🚨Your full TBT 2020 schedule 🚨
— TBT (@thetournament) June 30, 2020
Basketball is BACK July 4 at 3 pm live on ESPN! pic.twitter.com/SDaz89jfuN
Stair and the Men of Mackey will begin their quest for the $1 million prize on Sunday against Heartfire at 7 p.m. on ESPN2. A win for the 19th-seeded Men of Mackey would pit them the squad against No. 3 Boeheim's Army, a team of Syracuse alumni, on Tuesday, July 7 at 4 p.m. on ESPN.
How to Follow the Bears:Â
For complete coverage of Mercer Basketball, please follow the Bears on social media at @MercerMBB (Twitter), /MercerBasketball (Facebook) and @Mercer_MBB (Instagram) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com.
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