Love and Basketball: Mercer Edition

February is here and accompanying the month is some unseasonably warm weather, the anticipation of Spring Break and, of course, Valentine’s Day. This Cupid’s holiday, the Mercer University family can welcome its very own version of Love and Basketball.

It’s no secret that Mercer Basketball centers Rachel Selph and Andrew Fishler are dating and if it was a secret, well, secret's out.

The defenders of the paint have been dating for a year and four months and will be celebrating their second Valentine’s Day this year. The couple is introverted, so it took a little nudging from friends and teammates to make the relationship happen.

“The first time Andrew talked to me we were in study hall and one of my teammates made him introduce himself to me. He walked up to me in front of everybody and he told me his name and I said mine, and then he walked away,” said Selph. “Both of our faces were bright red and to this day we still laugh about how nervous we both were.”

Fishler admits that he was nervous at first, but is grateful for Selph’s teammates giving the couple the nudge they needed.

“At first I didn’t really pursue her like I should have, but I had always admired her from the first time I saw her,” said Fishler. “Her teammates kind of put us together.”

After some prodding and a prompt by Selph to hang out, the two finally spent some time alone.

“We hung out and from there on there hasn’t been a day we haven’t talked to each other,” Fishler said.

One teammate that certainly wasn’t shy about playing matchmaker was sophomore guard Callie Hackett. She said with Rachel being shy, she helped send the first text message and from there the rest is history.

“Rachel and I were roommates, and I'll never forget the night she came running up to the room to tell me that they just started dating. It was the cutest thing ever,” Hackett said.

Hackett admits that with both Fishler and Selph being athletes and playing the same sport that she was worried they might never see each other, but, thankfully, was wrong.

Quality time together is something that the couple says is all about communication. They understand that schedules are going to conflict and that not everything is about basketball.

“We understand each other’s schedules so we can definitely keep it separated. It’s not like basketball is overrunning one of our lives more than the other,” Fishler said. “When we spend time together we know we’ve been with basketball all day. We don’t want to discuss that all the time.”

“Even though we met through basketball, that's just one of the many things we have in common and love to do. We always enjoy spending time with each other no matter where we go or what we do.” Selph said.

The couple says it’s all about the little things. Selph loves how Fishler can make her laugh no matter what and Fishler, in turn, loves his girlfriend’s laugh and smile.

Support on and off the court is paramount to the couple’s relationship and a thumbs up from family, friends, teammates, and coaching staff makes this a match made in basketball heaven.