The Mercer Bears are in their final 2 months of Atlantic Sun membership. I've been a fan since the 2002-2003 season when I was a freshman at the school. The position that Mercer is in today is so different than 2002 that I wanted to share my experiences.

When I first arrived on campus the basketball team played in Porter Gym that seated less than 1000. To its' credit, the atmosphere was incredible when the place was full. The court was almost like a mirage. It was so shiny and in perfect condition, all while being surrounded by high school style wooden bleachers. The Atlantic Sun at this point included teams such as Georgia State, Florida Atlantic, Troy, UCF, Samford, Jacksonville State, Campbell, Belmont, and Gardner Webb. It actually would have been easier to list the current members that played in 2002: Mercer, Jacksonville, and Stetson.

In 2004 the new basketball arena opened, which is today known as Hawkins Arena. This 3,500 seat arena was only part of a multi-functional center that became the hub of the campus. Athletics was still in need of a push. The initial basketball floor was not even allowed to have a center court logo.

In 2006 President Underwood took over at Mercer. Right as I was leaving campus. He was exactly what we needed. Not only from an athletics standpoint, but an overall Mercer standpoint. The school has thrived under his watch. The point of this story, however, is athletics. He immediately put the wheels in motion on every sport. To this day just about every sport has had a coaching change. Baseball being the main exception, which was clearly the right choice as they have 2 NCAA appearances since 2010 and a current ranking of #24 nationally (Baseball America). The best way to describe Mercer since President Underwood took the job is First Class. Every single aspect is First Class... The fan experience, facilities, coaches, players, faculty, radio announcers, ESPN3/Online TV coverage, and on and on. Every detail is in place.

Today is April 29, 2014. It's been almost 12 years since I took my first class at Mercer. I honestly had a dream that one day Mercer would beat a "big" opponent in basketball. That they would make the NCAA Tournament. I knew that was possible, but it still didn't feel likely. I've always loved football, and the closest I got as a student was a created team in the video game "NCAA Football" on Playstation. Now here we are today. Football is not only here, it's a huge success. Crowds of 12,000+ are gathering to watch the games. It would have been more had the stadium been bigger. Basketball knocked off Duke in the NCAA's and many more marquee wins behind that one. Baseball is a consistent national power with 2 NCAA Tournament appearances. Even Golf and Lacrosse are getting in on the action with conference championships. There's no unfinished business in the A-Sun. It was a perfect ending.

The Southern Conference and Mercer benefit mutually from having each other. I can't wait for that first kickoff under a SoCon banner, the first basketball tip or the first pitch. It's simply amazing what has been accomplished in a short period of time. Great leadership with amazing coaches and quality student-athletes is the recipe. That's much easier said than done. As fans, we thank them all for their dedication. Also, thank you to the Atlantic Sun for some awesome memories. I'll enjoy following the A-Sun in the future. There's only one thing left to do before the Atlantic Sun sets... A final conference championship and NCAA appearance in baseball.