Wright State hires Cedarville’s Hoffman as women’s basketball coach

“I’m beyond grateful for this opportunity I’ve been given,” Hoffman said in a statement. “In my short time interviewing, it was clear to me that this place truly cares about student-athletes and treating people right. That’s a mission I can get behind 100 percent. I’m so humbled and very excited to get the ball rolling!”

Hoffman, the eighth head coach in program history, will be introduced at a press conference, which will be closed to the public but streamed live on Facebook, at 11:30 a.m. Friday at the Mills Morgan Center/Setzer Pavilion.

“We are thrilled that Kari and her family are joining our Raider Family,” Wright State Athletic Director Bob Grant said in a statement. “During this process, it became clear that Kari has the passion and the priorities that we value in our culture. She brings a winning mindset and a proven track record of success. We are excited for the future of our women’s basketball program under Kari.”

A native of Wisconsin, Hoffman played for Cedarville from 2001-05 and remains the program’s second all-time leading scorer with 2,275 points.

“Cedarville has been a part of my life for 17 years as a student and a coach,” Hoffman said in a statement. “The people here and this program have simply changed my life. I’ve grown up here and learned who I am and who I want to be. I’m so thankful that Kirk Martin believed in me many years ago and started this trajectory for my life. I’m convinced there is not another program in the country like Cedarville women’s basketball and that’s mostly because of the incredible young women we got to coach every day. They are our family and they always will be. I’ll truly miss them every day and leaving them is the hardest part of this new journey. God has been so good in giving me the blessing of Cedarville and it will always be a huge part of my life.”

This will be Hoffman’s second stint in the Horizon League. She was the director of basketball operations at Green Bay from 2008-2010. Then from 2010-16, she was an assistant coach at Cedarville under Martin.

“We appreciate all Kari has done for Cedarville University,” Cedarville Athletic Director Dr. Alan Geist said in a statement. “While the team’s success on the court speaks for itself, she has worked with a special group of young ladies and consistently pointed them toward Christ.”I appreciate the time and effort she has put into every aspect of our program, and her love and passion for the members of her team have been most evident. She will be in our prayers as she moves on to a new challenge.”

Wright State lost coach Katrina Merriweather in March. She left to take the head coaching job at Memphis after five seasons with the Raiders.

Merriweather was 113-47 in her Wright State career and won the Horizon League Coach of the Year Award three times. Last season, she guided the team to the NCAA tournament for the second time, and the Raiders won a tournament game for the first time in program history, upsetting Arkansas in the first round.