Ex-Colorado State, Liberty head coach joining Mercer basketball staff

A college basketball coach with more than three decades of experience on the sidelines, a career that includes head coaching stints at two NCAA Division I programs, will be on the sidelines at Mercer this fall.

Dale Layer, who has spent time as head coach at Colorado State and Liberty, will join head coach Bob Hoffman’s staff, Mercer announced Tuesday in a release.

Layer’s teams have four NCAA Tournament berths and seven postseason appearances. He also has been head coach at Queens College in North Carolina.

Last season, Layer was an assistant with the NBA D-League’s Greensboro Swarm.

“I am so excited to be able to add Dale to our coaching staff,” Hoffman said in the release. “His coaching experience at the NCAA Division I level and at the professional level will add value to our staff and our student-athletes. Dale is a class act who strives to improve those around him, and I am confident his understanding of the game and his ability to develop student-athletes will make him a great addition to our basketball family.”

Prior to his season with the Swarm, Layer spent six seasons as Liberty’s head coach, leading the Flames to the 2013 NCAA Tournament. At Colorado State, he recorded 103 wins in seven seasons, going to the NCAA Tournament in 2003.

Layer, a 1980 Eckerd College graduate, started the Queens men’s basketball program in 1988, putting together eight winning seasons and two NCAA Division II Tournament appearances in nine seasons.

“I am both thankful and thrilled to have the opportunity to join Coach Hoffman's staff,” Layer said in the release. “The Bears are poised to have an exciting team this upcoming season, and I hope to be able to contribute in any way possible.”

This story was originally published June 13, 2017 at 5:16 PM with the headline "Ex-Colorado State, Liberty head coach joining Mercer basketball staff."