Gerald, Aucs persevere through ups, downs

MULLINS -- The Mullins Auctioneers entered this season with a new perspective.

Not about basketball, but life.

An undefeated 2007-08 campaign ended unceremoniously with a two-point loss to Burke in last year’s Class 2A lower state championship.

But the pain of coming up just short on the court was nothing compared to what awaited off it.

Aucs coach Mark Gerald’s weight had dropped throughout the season. His hands had turned black and his skin was darker as well.

“We knew he was hurting,” senior guard Stacy Wilson said. “We just didn’t know what it was.”

They all found out a week after the season. Gerald was diagnosed with colon cancer and, soon afterward, broke the news to his team.

“I didn’t know anything about cancer. I didn’t know what was ahead and I didn’t know if I was ever going to coach again,” Gerald said. “But I didn’t bring that up. I talked with (the team) throughout the summer and let them know what was going on.”

Gerald went through 12 chemotherapy sessions, which ended in November.

“They did a scan and everything looked ok,” Gerald said.

Two weeks later, Gerald was on the sideline for his team’s first game and has been there for every one since.

“You can’t say how much it means for him to be out there at the games and at the practices,” junior guard Eric Smith said. “He’s giving 100 percent and that makes you do the same, knowing what he’s been through.”

“My new motto has become, ‘Don’t take anything for granted,’” Gerald said.

Including basketball.

“For those two hours at practice or during a game, it’s about the only time I don’t think about the cancer,” Gerald said. “It’s almost like medicine for me.”

New year, new challenges

The stinging loss to Burke gave the returning Mullins players plenty of motivation in the offseason.

“That gives us fuel every time we go out there,” Smith said. “It makes you play harder and practice harder.”

“You learn from what you did wrong,” Wilson said. “We started working out more than we have in the past and really just tried to become a closer team.”

One big aspect missing from that team, though, was Andrew Crawford. Crawford gave the Aucs a force in the post and on the boards, averaging double figures in points and rebounds for the season.

“We didn’t know how much Andrew meant to us until he was gone,” Gerald said. “We’ve gone from having two post players and three guards to one post player and four guards. We rotate our post players and keep them fresh.

“No one player can replace Andrew, but we’ve had a lot of guys step up and fill roles.”

Gerald also knew the Aucs had a target on their backs entering this season after the 24-1 record they posted a year ago. With that in mind, games against Wilson were added to the schedule along with an invitation to the Beach Ball Classic.

“(The competition) definitely made us a better basketball team,” guard Saquan McFarland said. “It gave us a taste of what it was going to take in the playoffs.”

Mullins went 1-2 at Myrtle Beach. One of those losses came against St. Patrick’s (New Jersey), the second-ranked team in the nation at the time.

After a 20-point loss to Wilson on the road, the Aucs rebounded with a home victory earlier this month.

“We know we’re going to get everyone’s best shot,” Wilson said. “We know we have to come ready to play every game.”

Smith, Wilson and McFarland are all averaging double figures, and Donte Cooper and Donnel Coleman have had their share of big games as well.

Cooper has also picked up some of the rebounding slack with eight rebounds a game.

No plays off

The departure of Crawford and the level of competition have made defense a top priority.

“Everyone has to play defense,” McFarland said. “We can’t take plays off. We have to be focused and everyone has to play good defense if we want to win.”

The Aucs have kept things pretty much the same defensively, although they do throw a couple of different defenses at teams now, Smith said.

“It gives other teams something else to look out for,” he added.

So far, the Aucs are 2-0 in Region 8-2A.

But perhaps unlike last year, they’re not looking ahead.

“Our goal is obviously to win the state championship,” Gerald said. “But right now, our focus is only (tonight’s) opponent: Aynor.”

“We take every opponent and every game one at a time,” Smith said. “We know what can happen when you look ahead or if you don’t show up and play at your best every game.”

And Gerald’s motto has already sunk in with his team.

“We don’t take anybody or anything for granted anymore,” Wilson said.