Athletics Alumni Spotlight

Anthony Obery, Men's Basketball

 

When Mercer men’s basketball faces off against County College of Morris, there is a familiar face on the sidelines.  That familiar face is Anthony Obery, who played for Mercer in 2009-2010 and 2010-2011.  Obery has been the Head Coach of County College of Morris men’s basketball for the past eight seasons.  Obery was a starter for the 2009-2010 Viking team that made it to the NJCAA National Championship. The Vikings were Region 19 and GSAC (Garden State Athletic Conference) Champions that season. In his sophomore season at Mercer, Obery led the Vikings in scoring, averaging 12.8 points per game and was also the team leader in steals, averaging 1.5 per game.  Following his two years at Mercer, Obery transferred to Felician University, where he played for two seasons and graduated with a degree in Criminal Justice.

 

Obery is very appreciative of his two years at MCCC and reflects on how much his time at Mercer helped him grow and mature.  “I came to Mercer as a young boy but left as a man. I thought I knew all the answers at a young age but what I understood life to be wasn’t even close to what it was. Mercer was a place where I was basically the youngest on the team at 17 years old and had to learn how to live on my own and grow up fast.  Mercer, along with its coaches helped me tremendously during my journey.”

 

Not only does Obery serve as Head Coach for CCM, he is also a cop with the Roselle Police Department, a pastor with New Bethel Baptist Church and has two young children.  In December 2022, Obery became a Bishop with New Bethel Baptist Church. When asked how he does it all, he said “It’s a lot. I don’t know how I’ve been doing it this long to be honest. Next year will be 10 years and it’s so unreal to me. I must say it’s because of God who gives me the strength and support from my wife and family that allows me to be who I am. It’s not easy but I enjoy it.”

 

Obery shared that he has always been interested in a career in law enforcement. “All my life I wanted to be in law enforcement.  I had a passion for helping people and making a difference in my own community. I always looked up to one officer in my community and I wanted to model after him because he had his own personality and he could play basketball. I told myself if he could do it so can I.”

 

While his career in law enforcement was planned, coaching was not.  “Coaching wasn’t something I thought about doing long term, it kinda fell in my lap. Once I graduated college I wasn’t doing much and my former coach at Felician, Eric Powe told me he had an assistant job open at County College of Morris and the rest was history.”

 

When asked what he enjoys most about what he does, Obery said “Giving young people the opportunity like someone gave me.” Obery credits some key people who helped him in his life. “I will not be who I am without the male figures who played a major role in my life: my Father, The Smith Family, The Pattersons, The James Family and Coach Danny Flecher.”

 

Obery also discussed the impact MCCC Head Coach Howard Levy and former Assistant Coach Miles Smith had on him and continue to have on him today. “Coach Levy still plays a major role in my development as a coach and a man. Coach Miles and I made a pact to make sure that if anything changes in our lives we will know about it. It’s all about family and those that developed me so it’s about giving back what people gave to me. By the time I got to Felician I had already become a young man.”

 

When asked if he has a favorite memory from his playing days at Mercer, Obery didn’t have one specific memory.  What he does remember from his time at Mercer is “winning and having that family atmosphere. It amazes me the love and support I get years after I left and how much I made a positive impact in the program.”

 

When asked if Obery enjoys coming back to Mercer, he had the following response “I love coming back but not so much about basketball but to show my players that I’ve been where they are and this is where it started for me.”

 

Even if he’s on the opposing sideline, Mercer is always a place Obery is welcome.