After a two-year hiatus, Mercer Vikings Women’s Basketball is set to return for the 2024-2025 season with new head coach, Bob Fusik.
The Vikings, which started in 1975-1976 as a club team, are now nationally recognized, competing in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II. Under their previous coach, Mike Tenaglia, who was with the Vikings from 1990-2020, the program had 14 consecutive winning seasons and won seven Region 19 titles.
Despite the Vikings success over the years, Eric Grundman, Athletic Director of MCCC, states that the pandemic made it difficult to keep the team going. During the height of COVID-19, all MCCC sports for the remainder of the 2019-2020 season were canceled.
Grundman says, “[After sports resumed] we had some issues in terms of not having enough interest and enough players in the program.”
As a result, the women’s team dissolved after the 2021-2022 season.
Now, Grundman says, the athletic committee decided to restart the program. The first step was hiring Bob Fusik, who will be head coach.
Grundman says Fusik’s record of success at Trenton Catholic stood out to the search committee which felt “he could not only build the program, but bring it back to a high level of success of national prominence which is what it has been and what we would hope for it to be going forward.”
With the head coach position in place, the focus shifted to rebuilding a team. Coach Fusik says he is actively recruiting and wants to have at least 14 girls on the team.
After hearing about the Viking’s return, Jhava Wilson, a second-year Business Administration Sports Management major, who played for Mercer during their 2016-2017 season, expressed interest in rejoining the team.
Wilson says she continued to practice after she left Mercer and is ready to bring her skills back to the court.
She says, “I’m still working out. Of course, you know, staying active, staying productive, staying focused. I’m staying goal oriented and you know, never giving up.”
According to Coach Fusik, Wilson’s return comes at an opportune time as her experience playing for the Vikings will help the team grow.
“We’re very fortunate to have somebody that’s played here several years ago and was a star back then. So I’m looking for her leadership and everything else to help the other young ladies out as they become acclimated with college basketball.” Fusik says.
Another student eager to join the team is Hattie Lewis, a first year Nursing major, who played basketball at her high school in Oklahoma.
Lewis says, “With a new team it’s going to be a learning curve for sure. I think we are all in a position to grow. Essentially, we are starting from the ground up and it’s going to take a lot of time.”
Coach Fusik is aware of the challenges saying, “Unfortunately I got the job a little late so most division 3 kids were already signed, so we know this year might be tough.”
Grundman has faith in another aspect of Fusik’s coaching, saying he is confident Fusik can teach the players about “being good citizens, being good students, being good stewards of the program and of the college.”
Coach Fusik’s abilities to lead the Vikings to success is also recognized by the new players.
Gabrille Loftin, first-year Cybersecurity major will also be playing for the 2024-2025 season. When asked about playing for Coach Fusik, Loftin says “He seems well rounded, like he actually knows what he is doing because there are a lot of coaches that are not rational and like emotional, but he doesn’t seem like that kind of coach.” Loftin says she cannot wait to start playing and compete against the other teams.
As far as building the rest of the team, Coach Fusik will hold tryouts. He says more than likely whoever is interested and wants to try out will make the team.
The first official practice will happen in September after they get together in August for preseason.
When asked what were his coaching goals Fusik says, “Being national champs, we do know it’s going to take a lot of time here, but that will be our long-term goal. Also to get a bunch of girls to come in here to play and to also push them on to division 1, division 2, and scholarships afterward.”
Fusik continues, “I am always trying to learn. I don’t think I know everything, I know I don’t know everything. I go and support kids…I’m a student of the game. I just absolutely love the game.”
