Mercer Releases 2018-19 Men’s Basketball Schedule
9/14/2018 10:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Slate Features 15 Home Games and Road Contests Against Power Conference Foes NC State and Florida
MACON, Ga. – Fifteen home games in Hawkins Arena plus road tests against Power Conference foes North Carolina State and Florida, along with a matchup against Harvard in Atlanta's State Farm Arena, highlight the 2018-19 Mercer men's basketball schedule released Friday.
The Bears open the season Nov. 6 on the road against the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Mercer begins the home portion of its schedule Nov. 9 in Hawkins Arena against Piedmont College. Following an away matchup at Georgia State on Nov. 13, Mercer will host the UT-Martin Skyhawks Nov. 16 and Maryland Eastern Shore on Nov. 20. Mercer then travels to Raleigh, N.C., to take on the North Carolina State Wolfpack Nov. 19 before returning home to host Brewton-Parker (Nov. 27).
The Bears open Southern Conference play Dec. 1 vs. The Citadel in Charleston. Mercer heads south to the Sunshine State for a pair of games against Florida Atlantic (Dec. 5) and the Florida Gators (Dec. 18). Sandwiched in between is a home outing vs. Georgia Southern on Dec. 8.
Mercer entertains the University of North Carolina at Wilmington Dec. 21 before traveling up I-75 to take on the Harvard Crimson Dec. 29 at State Farm Arena, the home court of the NBA's Atlanta Hawks. The Bears begin the New Year with a pair of SoCon road games vs. Furman (Jan. 3) and Wofford (Jan. 5) before having their conference home opener Jan. 10 against Western Carolina. Senior Day is scheduled for March 2 against the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
Mercer head coach Bob Hoffman, who begins his 11th season at the helm, says the upcoming schedule will certainly be a test for the 2018-19 edition of the youthful Bears.
"I think we have a really good home schedule this season," Coach Hoffman said. "There are a lot of different types of teams we will face that will give us an opportunity to find out about our team. The road schedule, to me, is always the thing that gives you the opportunity to let you know what you know and what you don't know about your team. It can give you an idea of how you will compete in conference play. You need to see everything you possibly can. In our league, we have so many great coaches and players and different styles of play. The non-conference slate is imperative to help put yourself in a position to win the league. I think this non-conference schedule is tremendous at that."
The Bears finished 19-15 overall and 11-7 in the SoCon a year ago, winning nine of their last 11 games, including an eight-game winning streak that positioned the team for postseason consideration. Mercer earned a berth in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI), marking the sixth postseason tournament appearance during Coach Hoffman's tenure. During the 2017-18 season Coach Hoffman achieved yet another milestone in his illustrious career, winning his 500th game at the men's collegiate level. He enters this season just two wins shy of 200 victories at Mercer and his 198 wins as the Bears' head coach rank second all-time in the history of the program.
A two-time Conference Coach-of-the-Year, Coach Hoffman has led the Bears to 19 postseason tournament victories and 10 Power Conference wins. Twice Mercer has won a school-record 27 games (2011-12 and 2013-14) under his leadership.
Mercer must replace a trio of 1,000-point career scorers, as senior starters Stephon Jelks, Jordan Strawberry, and Demetre Rivers all joined the school's 1,000-point club last season. In addition, leading scorer Ria'n Holland, who was sidelined with a hand injury for 13 games and was an All-Southern Conference preseason nominee, has graduated along with starting postman Desmond Ringer, who has the best career field goal percentage in school history.
Mercer features five returnees from last year's club. Junior guard Ross Cummings started 12 games a year ago and emerged as the team's leading three point shooter. He averaged 8.7 points and led the team in scoring in four games. Sophomore guard Marcus Cohen appeared in all 34 games and ranked second on the team in assists, while averaging 4.2 points per outing. Senior forward Cory Kilby saw action in 33 of 34 contests and scored at a 4.0 clip while senior guard Jaylen Stowe played in all 34 games and tallied 3.0 points and 2.9 rebounds per game.
A host of talented newcomers will be called upon to receive valuable playing time. The Bears show 10 true freshmen or redshirt freshmen on this year's roster and likely may be the youngest team in the SoCon.
Follow the Bears
For complete coverage of Mercer Men's Basketball, please follow the Bears on social media at @MercerMBB (Twitter), /MercerBasketball (Facebook) and @Mercer_MBB (Instagram) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com.
The Bears open the season Nov. 6 on the road against the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Mercer begins the home portion of its schedule Nov. 9 in Hawkins Arena against Piedmont College. Following an away matchup at Georgia State on Nov. 13, Mercer will host the UT-Martin Skyhawks Nov. 16 and Maryland Eastern Shore on Nov. 20. Mercer then travels to Raleigh, N.C., to take on the North Carolina State Wolfpack Nov. 19 before returning home to host Brewton-Parker (Nov. 27).
The Bears open Southern Conference play Dec. 1 vs. The Citadel in Charleston. Mercer heads south to the Sunshine State for a pair of games against Florida Atlantic (Dec. 5) and the Florida Gators (Dec. 18). Sandwiched in between is a home outing vs. Georgia Southern on Dec. 8.
Mercer entertains the University of North Carolina at Wilmington Dec. 21 before traveling up I-75 to take on the Harvard Crimson Dec. 29 at State Farm Arena, the home court of the NBA's Atlanta Hawks. The Bears begin the New Year with a pair of SoCon road games vs. Furman (Jan. 3) and Wofford (Jan. 5) before having their conference home opener Jan. 10 against Western Carolina. Senior Day is scheduled for March 2 against the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
Mercer head coach Bob Hoffman, who begins his 11th season at the helm, says the upcoming schedule will certainly be a test for the 2018-19 edition of the youthful Bears.
"I think we have a really good home schedule this season," Coach Hoffman said. "There are a lot of different types of teams we will face that will give us an opportunity to find out about our team. The road schedule, to me, is always the thing that gives you the opportunity to let you know what you know and what you don't know about your team. It can give you an idea of how you will compete in conference play. You need to see everything you possibly can. In our league, we have so many great coaches and players and different styles of play. The non-conference slate is imperative to help put yourself in a position to win the league. I think this non-conference schedule is tremendous at that."
The Bears finished 19-15 overall and 11-7 in the SoCon a year ago, winning nine of their last 11 games, including an eight-game winning streak that positioned the team for postseason consideration. Mercer earned a berth in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI), marking the sixth postseason tournament appearance during Coach Hoffman's tenure. During the 2017-18 season Coach Hoffman achieved yet another milestone in his illustrious career, winning his 500th game at the men's collegiate level. He enters this season just two wins shy of 200 victories at Mercer and his 198 wins as the Bears' head coach rank second all-time in the history of the program.
A two-time Conference Coach-of-the-Year, Coach Hoffman has led the Bears to 19 postseason tournament victories and 10 Power Conference wins. Twice Mercer has won a school-record 27 games (2011-12 and 2013-14) under his leadership.
Mercer must replace a trio of 1,000-point career scorers, as senior starters Stephon Jelks, Jordan Strawberry, and Demetre Rivers all joined the school's 1,000-point club last season. In addition, leading scorer Ria'n Holland, who was sidelined with a hand injury for 13 games and was an All-Southern Conference preseason nominee, has graduated along with starting postman Desmond Ringer, who has the best career field goal percentage in school history.
Mercer features five returnees from last year's club. Junior guard Ross Cummings started 12 games a year ago and emerged as the team's leading three point shooter. He averaged 8.7 points and led the team in scoring in four games. Sophomore guard Marcus Cohen appeared in all 34 games and ranked second on the team in assists, while averaging 4.2 points per outing. Senior forward Cory Kilby saw action in 33 of 34 contests and scored at a 4.0 clip while senior guard Jaylen Stowe played in all 34 games and tallied 3.0 points and 2.9 rebounds per game.
A host of talented newcomers will be called upon to receive valuable playing time. The Bears show 10 true freshmen or redshirt freshmen on this year's roster and likely may be the youngest team in the SoCon.
Follow the Bears
For complete coverage of Mercer Men's Basketball, please follow the Bears on social media at @MercerMBB (Twitter), /MercerBasketball (Facebook) and @Mercer_MBB (Instagram) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com.
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