When Liberty and Mercer tip-off the Paradise Jam Friday at noon inside the Vines Center, there will be plenty of connections on the sideline.
Former Liberty head coach Dale Layer joined the Mercer coaching staff this summer. Layer was Liberty’s head coach for 6 seasons from 2009-2015, his stint was highlighted by a Big South Tournament Championship and NCAA Tournament appearance in 2013.
Layer and Ritchie McKay’s connection goes much further back than that though, as McKay served as an assistant under Layer at Queens College in 1989-1990. A decade later, they reunited when McKay was hired as head coach at Colorado State in 1998. He hired Layer as one of his assistants. When McKay left CSU for Oregon State two years later, Layer replaced him as the Rams head coach, a position he held until 2007. For the 2007-08 season, the pair again reunited at Liberty with Layer serving as an assistant during McKay’s first stint in Lynchburg.
Ryan Kemrite is the only current Liberty player that played under Layer, as Kemrite played in 32 games and started 15 in Layer’s final season as Liberty’s head coach. Ezra Talbert and Caleb Homesley both signed their NLIs to play at Liberty while Layer was still the head coach.
The connections don’t end there.
When Ezra Talbert signed to play at Liberty, Layer was still the head coach
Former Liberty assistant coach Jason Eaker has been on staff at Mercer since 2013. Eaker was at Liberty for 7 years, including time as an assistant under McKay and Layer. Josh Davis, Mercer’s director of basketball operations, was also a graduate assistant at Liberty under Layer for several years. Kemrite’s brother was a graduate assistant for Mercer a couple of years ago, as well.
Prior to Ritchie McKay being re-hired at Liberty on April 1, 2015, there was a rumor that Mercer head coach Bob Hoffman was the leading candidate to replace Dale Layer. Hoffman has been Mercer’s head coach since the 2008-09 season, and he has compiled a 181-131 record with the Bears, including a 2014 NCAA Tournament appearance and upset of Duke in the first round.
“Mercer is a really good program,” McKay said. “They have a confidence and a belief. Bob Hoffman is a terrific coach. Dale Layer, Jason Eaker are fabulous recruiters, coaches, and men. They’ve got a residue of success in their program, I guarantee you they come out there with high energy and great motivation. That’s who they are, that is why they are good. That is going to be a huge, difficult challenge for us.”
The Bears finished with a 15-17 mark last year, bringing to an end a streak of 5 straight seasons with at least 19 wins and postseason appearances. Behind senior guard Ria’n Holland, many expect Mercer to rebound in 2017-18, as they were picked as the favorite to win the SOCON by the coaches and are currently a top 100 KenPom team.
