Kari Hoffman was named the women's basketball head coach at Wright State University in May 2021, becoming just the eighth head coach in women's program history.
In her fifth season at WSU, Hoffman guided the Raiders to the Horizon League Quarterfinals, finishing the 2024–25 campaign with a 10-22 overall record and a 7-13 mark in conference play. Graduate forward Amaya Staton, a 2025 All-League Third Team and All-Defensive Team selection, was a standout performer. In the opening round of the Horizon League Championship, Staton pulled down 27 rebounds against Youngstown State — setting a new program record, breaking the Horizon League Championship single-game record, establishing a new 2025 NCAA Division I single-game rebounding record, and tying the Horizon League all-time single-game mark.
The Raiders also excelled in the classroom during the 2024–25 season, as all 13 student-athletes posted a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher following the Fall 2024 semester. The team earned the highest term GPA in the department with a 3.753. Junior guard Lauren Scott was recognized for her academic success with selection to the 2024–25 CSC Academic All-District Team.
On the court, two Raiders earned Horizon League weekly honors. Redshirt freshman Rylee Sagester was named HL Freshman of the Week on January 13 after helping lead the Raiders to their first two conference wins of the season, averaging 10 points per game while shooting 53.8 percent from the field and 62.5 percent from three (5-of-8). Staton followed with HL Player of the Week honors on February 17 after powering Wright State to a 78-76 overtime victory at Youngstown State with 23 points and 16 rebounds.
Hoffman led the team to have large improvements in the 2023-24 season, putting up an 18-15 overall record, going 11-9 in conference play, a large turnaround from the previous year's 6-14 league record. She guided the Raiders to a Horizon League Championship semifinals appearance, as graduate guard Alexis Hutchinson was named to the Horizon League First Team.
In her second year at Wright State, Hoffman guided the Raiders to a four-win improvement, a Horizon League Championship quarterfinals appearance, and a 6-5 record over the program's last 11 games.
The native of Wisconsin has transformed Wright State into one of the nation's most prolific long-distance shooting teams, as the Raiders ranked second nationally in 3-point makes per game (10.1) and 22nd in 3-point percentage (.364) during the 2022-23 season. Wright State netted a school record 323 threes in the campaign while also shattering a single-game school record with 18 3-pointers versus Cleveland State (1/20).
Hoffman joined the Raiders after serving as the head coach at nearby Cedarville University for the previous five seasons, where she won 106 games, led the Yellow Jackets to three regular season conference titles, and was named the Great Midwest Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in 2018 and 2021. Hoffman also earned NCCAA Midwest Region Coach of the Year honors in 2019 and 2020.
Hoffman averaged 21.2 wins per season at Cedarville and has won 66 percent of her games in her career. She led Cedarville to the NCAA Division II Regional as an at-large selection in 2021 after the Yellow Jackets were an NCCAA National Tournament qualifier following the 2019-20 campaign.
Under Hoffman, Cedarville had five NCCAA All-Americans, including one NCCAA Midwest Region Player of the Year, and nine All-NCCAA Midwest Region players. Hoffman coached 13 All-Great Midwest Athletic Conference players, including a pair of All-Conference Defensive players and one Great Midwest Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year. Academically, Hoffman mentored 20 NCCAA Scholar-Athletes and 31 All-Great Midwest Athletic Conference Academic Team players.
Prior to taking over the reins at Cedarville, Hoffman was an assistant coach with the Yellow Jackets from 2010-16 and was a part of Great Midwest Athletic Conference titles in 2015 and 2016. She began her collegiate coaching career at Cedarville during the 2007-2008 season.
Hoffman spent two seasons as the Director of Basketball Operations at Horizon League foe Green Bay from 2008-2010 as the Phoenix won back-to-back Horizon League Championships and represented the League in the NCAA Tournament, which included a first-round win in 2009.
A student-athlete at Cedarville from 2001-05, Hoffman remains the program's No. 2 all-time leading scorer (2,275 points) and is the all-time leader in three-point field goals made (338), three-point field goal percentage (.458) and career games played (142). She led Cedarville to three American Mideast Conference championships and a pair of NAIA Division II National Runner-Up finishes (2004, 2005) and was a two-time American Mideast Conference Player of the Year, along with being named the 2005 NCCAA National Player of the Year.
Hoffman was a two-time NAIA Division II All-America First Team honoree and also was a NAIA Division II All-America Second Team selection, along with a pair of NCCAA All-America First Team recognitions and two NCCAA Midwest Region Player of the Year awards. Hoffman also played volleyball at Cedarville her senior year, when she was a part of Cedarville’s 2005 NCCAA Championship.
Hoffman earned her degree in multi-age physical education from Cedarville University in 2005 and a master’s degree in athletic administration and coaching from Concordia University (Calif.) in 2011. Kari and her husband, Jimmy, reside in Springfield with their three children: Finley, Breslyn and Tripp.
Kari Hoffman Year-by-Year
| Year |
School |
Overall |
Pct. |
Conference |
Pct. |
Postseason |
Notes/Highlights |
| 2016-17 |
Cedarville |
19-11 |
.633 |
9-5 |
.643 |
1-1 |
Finished 3rd overall in the G-MAC |
| 2017-18 |
Cedarville |
24-6 |
.800 |
18-4 |
.818 |
1-1 |
G-MAC Regular Season Champions; G-MAC Coach of the Year |
| 2018-19 |
Cedarville |
23-7 |
.767 |
18-4 |
.818 |
1-1 |
G-MAC Regular Season Champions; NCCAA Midwest Region Coach of the Year |
| 2019-20 |
Cedarville |
21-8 |
.724 |
13-5 |
.722 |
1-1 |
Hosted NCCAA Midwest Regional before season ended early due to COVID-19; NCCAA Midwest Region Coach of the Year |
| 2020-21 |
Cedarville |
19-6 |
.760 |
18-4 |
.818 |
1-2 |
G-MAC Regular Season Champions; G-MAC Coach of the Year; Advanced to Division II Atlantic Regional; NCCAA Midwest Region Coach of the Year |
| 5 Seasons |
|
106-38 |
0.736 |
76-22 |
.776 |
5-6 |
|
| 2021-22 |
Wright State |
4-16 |
0.174 |
3-14 |
.176 |
0-1 |
|
| 2022-23 |
Wright State |
8-24 |
0.25 |
6-14 |
.300 |
1-1 |
Advanced to HL Quarterfinals |
| 2023-24 |
Wright State |
18-15 |
0.545 |
11-9 |
.550 |
1-1 |
Advanced to HL Semifinals |
| 2024-25 |
Wright State |
10-22 |
.312 |
7-13 |
.350 |
1-1 |
Advanced to HL Quarterfinals |
| 4 Seasons |
|
40-80 |
0.333 |
27-50 |
0.350 |
3-4 |
|
| 9 Seasons |
|
146-118 |
0.553 |
103-72 |
.589 |
8-10 |
|
