McCallie grad grows in first college year
ASHEVILLE, N.C. — It’s safe to say that growth has been a big part of David Craig’s first season at Mercer.
The former McCallie big man, who was 7-foot-2 when he graduated from the Chattanooga private school last spring, has grown about two more inches since entering college. He calls it “7-3 and a little bit more,” noting that everybody has basically just rounded up.
“At this point, it’s God given, God’s gift, all that stuff,” Craig said. “Call me what you want. I know who I am, so it doesn’t matter.”
His first season of Southern Conference basketball ended Saturday, when the eighthseeded Bears lost 73-58 to topseeded Furman in the league quarterfinals at Harrah’s Cherokee Center to finish 14-19. Craig wound up starting 10 games and playing in 26, averaging 5.5 points and 4.2 rebounds in close to 14 minutes per outing.
He trimmed his body fat down from 10% when he first arrived in Macon, Georgia, to 6% now, just using a consistent weightlifting schedule.
It’s why he has no bad things to say about his decision to attend Mercer. With his size, it was going to take a coach and a program that saw what the former Blue Tornado standout could be if given some time.
It’s what Purdue — the same Big Ten program that expressed some interest in Craig when he was still a recruit — has done with Zach Edey, the 7-foot-4, 305-pound junior who has averaged 22.1 points and 13.1 rebounds per game this season. Edey’s scoring average has improved by more than five points from year to year throughout his time with the Boilermakers.
The Bears will be able to measure Craig’s progress in that regard in 2023, but Mercer coach Greg Gary can already make some evaluations.
“He’s got a good touch around the basket,” Gary said. “I’ve seen big guys. I knew he’s not going to be ready right away, but for his development, I think he’s come a long way this year. It’s just experience; it’s getting him here for a couple of years to get his weight down and get his agility better.”
And that’s why Craig is indebted to Gary and his staff, who saw something in him and have felt patient enough to see the process through.
“As a person that’s a believer in the Gospel, the Bible says that we have to go from faith to faith and continue every day to delight in the light that he (God) has given us,” Craig said. “That’s my main focus from an athletic standpoint, just trying to grow as a man in my faith and become less prideful, less selfish, love thy neighbor as thyself. I don’t try to complicate things because you never know what the future could look like a year from now.
“I’m just a kid from South Africa. Even when I said I was going to eventually make it to America to play, they looked at me crazy, and that was even Division I. Every day is a real experience, and I never take it for granted whatsoever. I’m just grateful for it all.”