Mercer's Hoffman Fired

[CharlieFU]

https://www.macon.com/sports/college/me ... 01609.html

[Fessor]

The team was really bad this year and his sideline behavior, as described by you, was unacceptable. However, unless he refused to resign, I would think that he had earned the right to resign rather than be fired. Firing someone, especially a public firing such as this, is such an unsavory thing

[Monday]

Last year was supposed to have been their year with 5 seniors starting, but they went into a slump and couldn't get out.

My thoughts go back to the Jibri Bryan tragedy a few years ago. It seems the program couldn't recover from it.

[tim]

If they are smart, they go after Jay MacCauley. But they prolly won't.

[FUBeAR]

Met him a few times and had a long conversation with him one night while we were both waiting for our tables at a restaurant in Macon. My best friend from JrHigh and HS played basketball at Mercer and has gotten to know Coach Hoffman pretty well also.

Basically a good guy and a good man, but like most of us, not without his flaws. Did a lot of very, very good things for Mercer hoops in his 11 years there.

As someone else previously noted, things have really not been the same with Mercer Basketball since Jibri Bryan was murdered on 2/2/16 and his Teammates/Starters, Desmond Ringer & Jestin Lewis, were suspended (for, never specified, but obviously related reasons) for the remainder of that season. The Bears were 17-6 (.739) that season before the murder & 2-9 (.182) afterward, both wins coming over a bad CIT Team that lost their last 10 games. So...looking broader, the Bears have been 47-61 (.435) in the 2+ season since Bryan was killed and they were 87-43 (.669) in the 2+ seasons prior to his murder. It's certainly not the only factor driving the precipitous change in direction, but, IMO, it has been a very weighty and dark cloud that has not lifted.

This tragedy did not end with Bryan's murder. It is still a 'hot topic' in Macon and was very much in the news as recently as this past summer...and will be again...whenever the slow wheels of justice decide to un-stick themselves.

https://www.13wmaz.com/article/news/loc ... -566552164

http://www.co.bibb.ga.us/BSOInmatesOnli ... gID=339750


Mercer Basketball and Coach Hoffman will both probably benefit from a fresh start.

[The Jackal]

I suggested on the other thread this might happen.

Reading between the lines, but a quick trigger on a head coach at Mercer after another mediocre season isnt good news for Bobby Lamb.

[FUBeAR]

I suggested on the other thread this might happen.

Reading between the lines, but a quick trigger on a head coach at Mercer after another mediocre season isnt good news for Bobby Lamb.

Since you are reaching to find some type of parallel, I suspect you are correct.

If Mercer Football 2019 goes 4-7 (.364) overall & 2-6 (.250) or 3-5 (.375) in the SoCon and the Bears finish in 6th place, which are more or less the Football equivalents of an 11-20 (.355) / 6-13 (.316) "mediocre" / 6th Place basketball season, then Coach Lamb's contract will most likely not be renewed when it expires after the 2019 season.

Calling this Mercer Basketball decision "news" (of any type) related to Coach Lamb is a bit ridiculous...albeit predictably expected.

Oh...BTW...if he were at WCU, those kinds of results (or worse), paired with a solid (but perhaps a bit overinflated / overhyped) recruiting class, would earn him a 5 year extension...apparently.