Mercer Bears basketball

Mercer Bears basketball history

Mercer University (Macon, GA)
Hawkins Arena
Southern Conference (SoCon)

Current head coach: Ryan Ridder (2024-)

  • Asst: Jonathan Mitchell (2024-)
  • Asst: Reed Ridder (2024-)
  • Asst: Ben Witherspoon (2024-)
  • DBO: vacant (-)

Post-Season:

  • National Championships:  0
  • Final Four Appearances:  0
  • Sweet Sixteen Appearances:  0
  • NCAA Tournament Appearances:  3  (1981, 1985, 2014)
  • NCAAT Overall Record:  1-3
  • NIT Championships:  0
  • NIT Appearances:  1  (2013)
  • NIT Overall Record:  1-1
  • CBI Appearances:  2  (2015, 2018)
  • CBI Overall Record:  2-2
  • CIT Championships:  1  (2012)
  • CIT Appearances:  2  (2012, 2016)
  • CIT Overall Record:  5-1
  • NCAA Division II Tournament Appearances:  1  (1972)
  • NCAA Division II Tournament Overall Record:  0-2
  • NAIA Tournament Appearances:  2  (1948, 1954)
  • NAIA Tournament Overall Record:  0-2

Conference Titles (Atlantic Sun, SoCon):

Award Winners:




Mercer head coaches:

Coach Tenure Record Conf. Titles NCAA Apps. Nat. Champ
Ryan Ridder 2024-Pres 0-0 0 0 0
Greg Gary 2019-24 81-79 0 0 0
Bob Hoffman 2008-19 209-165 2 1 0
Mark Slonaker 1997-2008 128-189 1 0 0
Bill Hodges 1991-97 62-107 0 0 0
Brad Siegfried 1989-91 9-45 0 0 0
Bill Bibb 1974-89 222-194 0 2 0
Joe Dan Gold 1973-74 16-8 0 0 0
Dwane Morrison 1970-73 48-22 0 1^ 0
Robert Wilder 1957-70 147-168 0 0 0
James Cowan 1946-51, 53-57 103-80 0 2^ 0
Dan Nymicz 1951-53 40-16 0 0 0
Cliff Snow 1944-46 16-9 0 0 0
Jimmy Daugherty 1939-40 6-13 0 0 0
Jimmy Slocum 1934-36 8-26
Smokey Harper 1930-31 11-4
Lake Russell 1929-30 41-37
Oscar Long 1928-29 20-5
Bernie Moore 1926-28 24-11
John M. King 1925-26 16-8
M.P. Gilliam 1923-25 36-12
Josh Cody 1921-23 23-19
Charles Morgan 1917-18 4-4
J.C. Clements 1916-17 7-8
J.J. Scully 1913-16 8-18
C.C. “Doc” Stroud 1911-13 27-15
Homes Maxon 1910-11 3-5
C.C. McClure 1908-09 1-6

Key: Conf. Titles= Regular Season only, NCAA Apps= NCAA Tournament Appearances, Nat. Champ= NCAA Tournament Champions

^ These tournament appearances came when the Mercer program was at either the NCAA Division II or NAIA level; Mercer moved up to Division I prior to the 1973-74 season

NOTE: Overall program records on this page do not include anything later vacated by the NCAA.