Oct. 31, 2011
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -
For the last 10 years, there has been at least one Merritt brother listed on Samford's men's basketball roster. The Samford-Merritt tradition began in 2001 as J. Robert Merritt joined the Bulldogs as a true freshman. Then, in 2003, Joe Ross Merritt came to Samford and played in a school-record 121 games for the Bulldogs until graduating in 2008.
The final Merritt brother to compete at Samford is current senior and 6-foot-6 guard, Jeffrey Merritt. Jeffrey joined the team in 2007 and has been a staple in the Bulldogs' starting lineup since his sophomore season in 2008. Last year as a junior, he led the team in both scoring and rebounding, and registered Samford's best rebounding average in over a decade since former Bulldog great Marc Salyers pulled down 7.2 rebounds per contest in the 1999-2000 season.
Merritt finished the 2010-11 campaign averaging team-highs with 10.3 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. Samford's senior leader has played a vital role offensively, but it has been his physical presence on the boards that has already set him apart from his older brothers.
"I would say that J. Robert is definitely the best shooter in the family and Joe Ross was just all-around good in everything," said Merritt. "I feel like my athletic ability is better than both of them. I can jump a lot higher and I'm more aggressive, so I've always kept defense and rebounding in mind. Those have always been my natural strengths."
J. Robert concluded his Samford career ranked seventh on the all-time scoring list with 1,584 career points. He was also the school's first All-American and is still the Bulldogs' leader in 3-pointers made in a career with 311. Joe Ross also proved to be one of the top players in school history and finished his career as Samford's all-time leader in games played.
Jeffrey has continued in his brothers' footsteps and even knew as a youngster that he would most likely end up as a Samford Bulldog.
"I've been coming to campus since I was eight years old to watch my brothers play, so I was able to get very familiar with the surroundings and with the coaches and I always thought that it was like a family here," Merritt said. "The players always got along and became good friends, so I thought I should go to Samford, not only to play basketball, but to get a great education and make some friends that I could have a long lasting relationship with."
Coming out of Bishop McGuinness High School in 2007, Merritt was a highly-touted collegiate recruit after leading BMHS to three consecutive 4A Oklahoma State Championships and guiding his team to a 24-5 overall record as a junior. He also earned Honorable Mention All-Oklahoma City accolades from the Daily Oklahoman in 2007 and was named first-team All-Tournament in the Bishop McGuinness Classic and the Ardmore Classic.
Merritt was recruited by several schools coming out of high school, including College of Charleston, Denver, Stephen F. Austin and Army, but in the back of his mind, he always knew that Samford would end up being his college home.
"Samford started recruiting me my junior year," said Merritt. "I was also being recruited by other schools, but not very heavily. Coach (Paul) Kelly would come and watch my AAU games and would come to visit me in Oklahoma City. My brothers knew it was a perfect fit for them, so I figured that Samford would be a perfect fit for me as well. It's been a great four years and I'm glad I made the right decision."
Merritt has indeed fit right in with the Samford basketball team and has already garnered a number of team awards throughout his career. In 2010, he earned the Rebound and Most Outstanding Defense awards, while also being named to the All-Tournament Team of the Global Sports Hoops Showcase.
At the 2010 Global Sports Hoops Showcase, Merritt helped lead the Bulldogs to the championship title of the four-team, three-day competition hosted by Auburn University. He averaged 7.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game as Samford registered victories against Auburn and Campbell. Merritt solidified a spot on the all-tournament team as he scored a team-high 12 points in the Bulldogs' thrilling come-from-behind victory over Campbell in the tournament finale.
Last season, Merritt was once again honored with Samford's Rebound and Most Outstanding Defense awards. He also picked up the team's Charge Award and finished the season tied for eighth in the Southern Conference in rebounding with 6.3 per game. He was also ranked third in the SoCon in defensive rebounds (4.7), tied for 12th in the league in steals (1.2), 13th in the conference in field-goal percentage (.470) and 27th in the SoCon in scoring (10.3).
"I thought last year's talent level was the best that the SoCon has been since I've been playing," Merritt said. "This year, I think the conference race is wide open on our side. There's not that one single player in the league that you can point out that can take over a game like Andrew Goudelock did or that Stephen Curry did. I have high expectations for our team this year. I think that we have the ability to win our side and that's my expectation for this season."
As he heads into his senior campaign, Merritt strives to achieve something his brothers were not able to accomplish. Neither J. Robert nor Joe Ross was able to win a conference championship and Jeffrey wants to put an end to that streak this season.
"I feel like I have to prove myself a bit," said Merritt. "I have to leave my legacy behind. I really want to win a conference title, especially because my brothers weren't able to win one, so I feel like I have to get that done. When I was coming here as an 8-year-old, I never thought that the time would come when I was a senior and I was about to graduate, but I just want to leave the Merritt legacy at Samford on a good note. I want my mark on the program to be that I helped my team to win a SoCon title and went on to play in the NCAA Tournament."
