WEST WINDSOR – Twenty former Mercer County Community College (MCCC) men’s basketball players from the past decade came together to share personal and career milestones – and play a little basketball.

The annual alumni game was recently held on MCCC’s West Windsor campus, which offered former players the opportunity to relive the past, and catch up on the present.

“The accomplishments of our players on the court at Mercer are only the beginning,” said Head Coach Howard Levy. “We are proud of our guys, who have taken what they learned here, and carried the Mercer name forward. It’s great to get them back together, as this is a family that continues to grow.”

Now in its seventh year, the alumni game was organized by Levy as a way to bring his former players together.

“Coach Carril used to hold an alumni game at Princeton and it was a great way to connect with old friends and keep in touch with the program, and I knew it was a tradition that I wanted to continue when I started at Mercer,” Levy said.

Current MCCC Assistant Coaches Rich Brennan and Stan Tuchez – who took the court for the Vikings from 2011-2013 – attended the event, along with former Assistant Coaches Jordan Ingram, Miles Smith and Tom DeStefano.

This year was a big one for former Vikings players, with three helping in playoff runs for their current four-year schools. Tyliek Kimbrough and Barry Brockington both played at Delaware Valley University, which won the Middle Atlantic Freedom Conference Tournament and advanced to the NCAA Division III National Tournament, while David Johnson helped lead Lycoming College (Pa.) to a Middle Atlantic Conference Championship.

“It is particularly gratifying to see these three young men have so much success,” Levy said. “They all grew tremendously as individuals during their time at Mercer. Barry has received his degree and I anticipate that Tyliek and David will do the same after completion of their eligibility.”

It was a banner year for former MCCC assistant coaches as well. In his first year as an assistant coach at Rosemont College (Pa.), Jordan Ingram helped guide his team to the Colonial States Athletic Conference playoffs, and Miles Smith, in his first year as head coach at Johnson State College (Vt.), led his team to the North Atlantic Conference (NAC) Tournament semifinals and was named the NAC Coach of the Year.

Several players from the 2009-2010 squad, which reached the NJCAA Division II National Championship, were in attendance: Gary Carthan, who is currently playing at Rowan University; Anthony Obery, current head basketball coach at the County College of Morris; Aaron Smitherman, Arlington Rowley, Quentin Loftin, and Paco Boussougou.

Others participating in the annual event were Dashante Alexander, Petar Milivojevic , and Dean Blank, all of whom were members of Mercer’s 23-4 team in 2014-2015. Milivojevic, who played at Mercer from 2013-15, graduated from MCCC in May2016 with Blank, who played from 2014-16. Kevin Alison (2012-14), Brandin Youngblood (2010-12), Todd Jones (2007-09), and Donovan McCleese (2010-11), also participated in the event.

Levy said that celebrating the success of these former players and coaches is something he wants to continue, and it is his hope that the annual alumni game continues to grow each year. MCCC President Dr. Jianping Wang attended a luncheon following the game, when she addressed alumni and reinforced the importance of higher education.

“We’ve seen that the guys who go the distance at Mercer are on a real track for success,” Levy said. “Our players continue to perform well on the court, in the classroom, and professionally, far beyond their Mercer years. We work as a team – we succeed as a team. That is something that doesn’t end on graduation day.” 

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