Senior Langston Hall is the point guard for the Mercer Bears men’s basketball team. The Stone Mountain native began playing basketball at the age of four. Seventeen years later, he finds himself at Mercer University still playing the game he fell in love with at such a young age.
Throughout his life, his parents have always pushed him to work hard in order to succeed. “They made me do well in school in order to play basketball which at the time I wasn’t too happy about, but it paid off,” says Hall.
His parents have always been, and still are, Hall’s role models. “They have always practiced what they preached. They also always work hard and never give up on anything no matter the task,” said Hall. His parents’ examples have inspired him to be the student-athlete he is today.
As finance major, Hall chose Mercer for its great academic reputation. In addition, Hall saw potential in the basketball program.
“I thought we had a good recruiting class, so we had a chance to be good in the future.” Hall debuted at Mercer in the Fall of 2010 and still plays beside four of the same teammates from his recruiting class.
After four years of competition for the Bears, Hall has finally gotten his pregame ritual down to a science. “I try and take a nap early in the afternoon.”
After the much needed rest, Hall says he “gets to the gym two hours before the game to get in some extra shots.” This extra practice allows him to stay focused as he and his team prepare to win each game.
Hall’s goal for the team this year is “to win the regular season conference championship and to win the conference tournament championship.”
During his sophomore year, Hall and his class led the team to The College Insider Tournament (CIT) championship: his best basketball memory. Hall confessed, “I still get goose bumps when I watch the recap video.”
CIT is a post-season tournament. In order to become champions, the Bears had to win five games.
“Our first 2 games were at home against Tennessee State and Georgia State. Then, we went on the road and beat a very good Old Dominion team. From there we went to play at Fairfield and beat them in a tight game” explained Hall.
The most intense and final game was against Utah State. “It was the loudest gym we had ever played in, and beating them on their home court, where they rarely lose, was something special” said Hall.
When asked why he has continued his basketball career, Hall replies simply for “the love of the game” and states that he has “always enjoyed playing it [basketball].”
There is nothing more exciting than the thrill of competition and the camaraderie of a team. Hall has helped the Bears win their last four conference games, securing big wins against Kennesaw State University and Northern Kentucky University. The Bears will take on the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles at home in Hawkins arena at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 23.
