Hoffman ready for Mercer to bounce back

Mercer had a difficult finish to the 2015-16 season, on and off the court.

Senior Jibri Bryan was killed off campus during the season, and sophomore Desmond Ringer and senior Jestin Lewis were suspended and didn’t return (Ringer is back this season).

The Bears won their first game after Bryan’s death, but they lost nine of their final 10 games to finish 19-15.

“That was not where we want to be. That was not the level we want to play at,” Mercer head coach Bob Hoffman said. “We want to try to win championships; that’s what we’re trying to accomplish. We want to win more games. We want to win every game. We didn’t achieve that the last couple of years, and multiple things happened in the course of that over the last two seasons.

“But I think this team is in a good position. We’ll have a majority of them together for two years, and I’m just really thrilled about what they bring to the core. I’m excited about who they are and how they’re taking care of their business.”

This story was originally published September 29, 2016 at 3:36 PM with the headline "Hoffman ready for Mercer to bounce back."