MACON, Ga. — The blood ties for the Emerson family run deep in Mercer basketball, but one brother hung up his sneakers and picked up a white coat instead. Now he and his wife are doing their part to end the coronavirus pandemic.
Anyone who follows Mercer basketball is likely familiar with the name Emerson. A trio of brothers -- Scott, Will and Daniel -- were a staple for the Bears through the early 2000s in the time before and early days of Hawkins Arena.
"When I started, we were still in Porter Gym. It was almost like a middle school gym. I think there were like six or seven rows of bleachers on each side. So packed out, maybe 500 people standing room only," Dr. Will Emerson said. "No matter where we played it was always a family atmosphere, and I have such great memories of all my teammates."
The trio litter the Mercer record books. Oldest brother, Scott, is the fourth all-time scorer, second-leading rebounder and had his number four jersey retired.
Youngest brother Daniel holds the Bears' record for rebounds in a single season, and middle brother Will led the Bears in scoring and rebounding his junior year, rebounding his senior year and was Mercer's Male Athlete of the Year in 2005.
After college Will pursued a new calling, medicine, and he had a different teammate by his side, his wife Dr. Gianina Best.
"We're kind of a Mercer love story, I think," Emerson said. "We met each other back in sixth grade. We knew each other for a while, but we were just friends in middle school and high school."
Mercer is where their love bloomed. After undergrad graduation, the pair completed medical degrees at the Medical College of Georgia in 2010 and completed their residencies at Vanderbilt University. Now, they are both attending doctors at the same hospital in Oregon.
"I'm definitely lucky that I found her there and from then on went to medical school together, and then finished the rest of our training together. So I think we've had a class together everyday since sixth grade," Emerson said.
Now they're both doing their part to battle COVID-19. It's a battle that looks bleak, but one that Best said they're winning in Oregon.
"I think it has a lot to do with the community really pulling together to do what we're supposed to be doing, and I honestly believe that we are flattening the curve, and it's working," Best said.
The pair said they've been blessed not to have had to separate from their kids yet like many other doctors who have been exposed to COVID-19 cases. They're taking extra precautions like changing clothes and showering before they come home to their 3-year-old daughter and 1-year old son.
Despite the circumstances, the couple is thankful for the chance to be on the front lines to help their community.
"It's our job, and it's what we do everyday anyway so I think that makes it a little bit easier to fall back on just doing what we know how to do," Emerson said.
"We're going to come out of this better as a nation, better as a community, and it really is an honor and a privilege to be able to care for people in this way," Best said.
Dr. Best works in emergency medicine while Dr. Emerson is in internal.
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