A memorable year for Jacksonville State ended just one win shy of an NCAA tournament appearance.
The No. 2-seeded Gamecocks dropped a 79-67 game to Liberty in the Conference USA men’s basketball tournament championship game, falling just one game short of the program’s third trip to the Big Dance.
The run in the tournament came after the Gamecocks were picked eighth in the preseason poll and lost two starters to season-ending injuries.
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“I’m proud of my guys,” Jax State coach Ray Harper said. “We were picked eighth, ninth, finished one game behind those guys in the regular season and we were in the championship game today with an opportunity.
Sometimes, you’ve got to tip your hat. Ritchie does an incredible job with those guys, and any mistakes you make on the defensive end, if you have a slight mishap, tonight they made you pay. They shared the ball, they made shots, we’ve been a great free throw shooting team all year and we weren’t tonight, we go 13-for-25 and they go 12-for-25 from 3. I mean, some of those stats were just hard to overcome.”
The Gamecocks (21-12) fell victim to an incredible shooting night from Liberty, which saw the Flames go 30-for-50 from the field and a blistering 12-for-20 from beyond the arc, including a 7-for-11 start from 3-point range in the first half.
Conference USA tournament MVP Kaden Metheny knocked down five of those 3-point baskets for Liberty and finished with a game-high 21 points.
“I was really proud of our group, because they just responded on every occasion,” Liberty coach Ritchie McKay said. “As leaders, as men, we get two ways we can choose when something adverse happens to us, you can either react or respond. I love being around this group because they’re constantly responsive. Having a chance to do life with them and watch them in their true identity is special.”
Jax State was led by 19 points from Jaron Pierre Jr., who totaled 19 points to lead the Gamecocks. Marcellus Brigham Jr. scored 12 points and 4 rebounds, while freshman Quel’Ron House scored 11 points and grabbed 5 rebounds for the Gamecocks.
Harper was really impressed with his players coming together this year, especially with projected starter Marcus Fitzgerald Jr. missing the entire year due to an injury and Jamar Franklin suffering a season-ending injury 14 starts into the year.
“We have eight scholarship kids, but we’ve had three walk-ons that have been terrific for us,” Harper said. “We’ve been able to practice every day, and I just think we got better as the year went on. We were 1-2, maybe, to start league play and then we win eight straight. These guys deserve a lot of credit, they should be very proud of what we were able to accomplish this year when no one really believed we could do what we were, had an opportunity.”
Marcellus Brigham Jr. has played in over 100 games for Jax State, playing in his final on Saturday night in the conference title game.
He was a freshman on Jax State’s 2021-22 team that advanced to the NCAA tournament and logged his 69th career start on Saturday in Huntsville.
“I’ve been through the ups and downs, and I think a lot is just based off of trust,” he said. “I trusted coach Harper, he took me to a championship, he took me to March Madness, so I just see what he’s doing and I put my trust in him, I feel like it puts trust in me.”
Harper said that the senior can rest confident in knowing he left a strong legacy during his time at Jacksonville State.
“Tough, competitor, winner,” Harper said, describing the senior. “I think as you leave, you want people to remember you as a guy that when he put that jersey on, he competed. If people say that about you, you did about all you can do.”
Harper added that this year’s group embodied perseverance and a no-quit attitude as it put together a standout year for the state.
“They would never quit,” the Jax State coach said. “This team had us down 21 at their place two or three weeks ago, we got it back, and then they’ll lose by 4. We’ve been down 19, come back and win games, and it says a lot about them. As you go through life, you guys, you’re going to have some tough moments, and how are you going to respond? I think I’ve coached some guys that I think they’re going to be good.
“They’re going to attack life just like they do those games and they’re going to compete until the final horn.”