Feb. 12, 2008

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford University basketball team will be playing its final regular-season home game of the 2007-08 campaign Saturday at 7 p.m., against Eastern Kentucky. The following is a feature story on senior guard Joe Ross Merritt. Fellow-senior Travis Peterson will be highlighted later this week.

SENIOR FEATURE: Joe Ross Merritt: "Full Speed Ahead"

As the Samford basketball team warms up before a recent Ohio Valley Conference contest, it's easy to spot him. Not only is he the only player on the court with his warm-ups tucked into his shorts, but he's also the only player on the court attacking the rim as if the national championship game was on the line with two seconds to go.

It might only be practice, but unlike the Denver Nuggets' Allen Iverson, Samford's Joe Ross Merritt gives 100 percent all the time.

Joe Ross Merritt is leading the team with 12.3 points per game this season.

Is that a good thing to have from your senior leader? You betcha - the Bulldogs' 6-foot-4 guard from Oklahoma City, Okla., takes pride in his hard work and all of the young players on the team try to emulate his dedication and hustle. Merritt is one of only two active seniors on this season's team and his leadership has been vitally important to Samford's inexperienced squad.

"It's been a lot different this season as a senior," said Merritt. "I remember when I was younger, especially in our offense, it seemed like I didn't know anything. Now, as a fifth-year senior, it's really the only way that I know how to play. I try to play hard all the time and I know that if I do that, the young guys will step up as well."

Samford's 2007-08 roster is comprised of only three seniors and 10 underclassmen.

Merritt, along with fellow-seniors Travis Peterson and Curtis West, entered the season as the only upperclassmen on the team, and when West went down with a shoulder injury earlier this season, it put even more of a burden on Merritt and Peterson.

So far this year, the Bulldogs' seniors have responded. Merritt currently leads the team with an average of 12.3 points per game, while Peterson follows at 12.1 points per contest.

Merritt also leads Samford with an average of 34 minutes played per game and is second on the team with a 40.3 shooting percentage from 3-point range. Heading into the 2007-08 campaign, Merritt, Peterson and West combined for a total of 157 career starts, while no one else on the team had started a regular-season game.

Joe Ross Merritt has always provided leadership by example during his time at Samford.

"Leadership-wise, especially with all of the young guys that we have, I've just tried to stay positive and help them learn," explained Merritt. "We knew how hard it was going to be for us this season, but we have a very good chance to end on a positive note. I feel like the younger guys have played well and we need to keep it up for the rest of the year."

As of Feb. 12, the Bulldogs have five regular-season games remaining, four in conference play and only two more at home in the brand-new Pete Hanna Center. Merritt, who is currently only 83 points shy of reaching the prestigious 1,000-point plateau, would like to play many more games, but not for selfish reasons.

"I'd love to play at least eight more games this season, because that means that we would have at least reached the championship of the OVC Tournament," said Merritt. "Obviously, I'd like to reach 1,000 points in my career, but that's not what I'm worried about. We're just worried about winning some more games and making a run."

With Merritt focused on taking Samford to the OVC Tournament for a fifth-consecutive season, the Bulldogs' senior finds himself in a leadership role once again. He has thrived at being a leader by example, and throughout his childhood, he has always had an example to follow in his own family.

As the middle child of five sons, Merritt learned at a young age that he would have to fight hard and play at full speed in order to get noticed.

His older brother J. Robert, who played at Samford from 2002-06, was named the OVC's Male Athlete of the Year in 2006. J. Robert finished his illustrious four-year career with 1,584 points, which ranks seventh on the school's all-time scoring list. The Bulldogs' left-handed sharpshooter is still ranked first on the OVC's single-season 3-point field goal list with 120 made during the 2005-06 campaign.

"In high school, I always said that I didn't want to go to Samford, because I didn't really want to follow J. Robert," said Merritt. "But then, as it got later and later in the process, I saw the way that J. Robert was having a successful career and I really liked how Samford played. When I came to campus on a visit, I really liked all of the guys and they made me feel at home."

Merritt hit the ground running as a redshirt freshman and made 10 starts during the 2004-05 season. Since then, he has been a staple in the Bulldogs' starting lineup and has started in 93 of the 115 games of his career, including 83 of the team's previous 87 contests.

Despite Merritt's impending graduation this spring, the family name will continue to live on at Samford once his youngest brother Jeffrey arrives in the fall. The Bulldogs' coaching staff signed the fifth-and-final Merritt brother to a scholarship in November.

Jeffrey, a 6-foot-6 guard, averaged 10 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game as a junior at Bishop McGuinness High School. He also turned in an impressive 39.0 shooting percentage from 3-point range. The youngest of five Merritt brothers, Jeffrey is also a left-handed shooter like J. Robert and Joe Ross.

Even once he's graduated from Samford, Merritt will continue to take a leadership role - -this time it will be as an older brother as he tells Jeffrey what to expect during his freshman season.

"I'm just going to tell him to stay positive and to work hard every day," said Merritt. "He's going to be taught everything that he needs to know and as long as he keeps an open mind, he's going to do well here."

As Samford heads into the home stretch of the 2007-08 campaign, Merritt will continue to play hard and give his all on every possession. His strength has never wavered throughout the season and as the twilight of his senior year comes to an end, he will continue to go full speed ahead.