• 2007 Samford Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award-Winner

Experienced competitor with an aggressive court demeanor on both ends of the floor ... versatile defender with the toughness to guard inside the lane ... has a knack for knocking down the big shot.

Joe Ross Merritt

Junior (2006-07): Received Samford's Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award . . . started in 29 of the Bulldogs' 32 games and averaged 30.4 minutes per contest . . . ended the season ranked fourth on the team in scoring with 8.8 points per game . . . averaged 3.4 rebounds per contest . . . concluded the season as the team's active career leader in 3-point field goals with 104 . . . paced the team in scoring five times . . . also led the Bulldogs in rebounding five times . . . turned in 13 double-digit scoring performances . . . finished with career-highs in points (23), field goals (9) and 3-point field goals (5) against Murray State Jan. 29 . . . scored 11 points in the Bulldogs' upset victory at Murray State in the opening round of the OVC Tournament . . . led the team in scoring Feb. 22, as he finished with 18 points against Southeast Missouri . . . shot 7-of-12 from the field and connected on 3-of-8 of his 3-point attempts in the game . . . scored 17 points and led the Bulldogs to a 55-41 victory over Tennessee-Martin Jan. 4 . . . knocked down the game-winning 3-point shot at the buzzer to beat Jacksonville State (54-53) on Dec. 7 . . . played a career-high 40 minutes against Jacksonville State and scored 11 of his 13 points in the second half of the OVC-opening contest . . . came off the bench to score a team-high 17 points against No. 1-ranked Florida Nov. 10 . . . finished the game 7-of-9 from the field and was 3-for-4 from 3-point range . . . earned his third varsity letter.

Sophomore (2005-06): Started in all 31 games and averaged 26.4 minutes per contest . . . scored 5.5 points per game and averaged 2.0 rebounds per outing . . . tied a career-high with 17 points against Tennessee Tech Jan. 2 as he finished 7-of-7 from the field and 2-of-2 from 3-point range . . . also finished with 17 points and grabbed a team-high seven rebounds versus Berry College Nov. 10 . . . scored in double figures four times and led the team in scoring once with 17 points against Tennessee Tech Jan. 2 . . . registered a 13-point performance against Tennessee State Jan. 12 and finished 3-of-3 from beyond the arc . . . led the Bulldogs with two assists versus sixth-ranked Oklahoma Nov. 19 and with four at Tennessee-Martin Jan. 5 . . . scored 11 points and grabbed a team-high five rebounds against Ohio Feb. 18 as he connected on 5-of-10 of his shots from the floor . . . tallied eight points on 3-of-4 shooting versus Tennessee Tech in the semifinal round of the OVC Tournament March 3 . . . earned his second varsity letter.

Joe Ross Merritt

Freshman (2004-05): Saw significant playing time in all 28 games and started in 10 contests . . . averaged 6.1 points, 1.5 rebounds in 20.3 minutes per game . . . moved into the starting lineup on Jan. 8, and scored nine points on 4-of-7 shooting against Tennessee State . . . earned the OVC's Freshman of the Week award Feb. 7 after averaging 10.0 points and 3.5 rebounds per game in a pair of conference wins over Tennessee Tech Feb. 3 and Austin Peay Feb. 5 . . . tallied 12 points, five rebounds and finished 5-of-6 from the field against Austin Peay, including a last-second 3-point shot that forced overtime . . . scored 13 points on 4-of-5 shooting versus eventual conference champion Eastern Kentucky Jan. 22 . . . led the team in rebounding in both games of the team's home-and-home series against Austin Peay by finishing each contest with five . . . paced the Bulldogs with four assists on the road versus Eastern Illinois Jan. 27 . . . scored in double figures four times and finished the season sixth on the team in points per game (6.1) . . . earned his first varsity letter.

2003-04: Redshirted.

High School: Finished as a First-Team 5A All-State performer at Bishop McGuinness High School . . . averaged 19.2 points and 6.0 rebounds per game . . . member of two Oklahoma state championship teams . . . also led BMHS to the state quarterfinals as a senior.

Personal: Born March 8, 1985 . . . son of Paul and Suzy Merritt . . . father played football at Panhandle State College . . . older brother J. Robert also played basketball at Samford and was named the 2005-06 OVC Male Athlete of the Year . . . oldest brother John Paul was one of the final two suitors featured on the 2005 season of ABC's hit TV show The Bachelorette . . . majoring in business management.

ONE-ON-ONE WITH MERRITT
I have to admit, I am really good at: golf
Person you would most like to meet: Jesus
Favorite movie: "Shawshank Redemption"
Favorite TV show: "Entourage"
Favorite food: steak