He succeeds Mark Slonaker, whose contract was not renewed after going 11-19 this season and 6-10 in the Atlantic Sun Conference. Slonaker coached the Bears for 11 seasons beginning in 1997 and had a 128-189 record.
A native of Oklahoma City, Hoffman has a 400-171 coaching record at Texas-Pan American and Oklahoma Baptist, his alma mater.
He also guided the American Basketball Association Arkansas Aeros to a 25-2 record in 2006-2007 and had a 17-29 mark with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, an NBA Development League franchise, before taking the Mercer job Thursday.
The Aeros averaged 133 points per game in Hoffman's up-tempo style.
His also did a three-year stint with the Southern Nazarene women's team where he had an 88-16 record and captured the 1989 NAIA national title in his second season.
``I am very excited about the potential at Mercer,'' Hoffman said. ``My wife and I were overwhelmed by the prospects we saw when we visited the campus. We could tell that the Mercer administration is committed to developing a highly successful men's basketball program. I cannot wait to get started.''
http://accesswdun.com/article/2008/3/208451