Mark Slonaker (born February 14, 1957) was an American college basketball coach. He is the former head coach of the Mercer Bears men's basketball team. He was the 2002–03 Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year after leading Mercer to the best one season turnaround in NCAA history, improving from 6–23 to 23–6. The team won the Atlantic Sun regular season championship with a 14–2 conference record and made school history for number of wins (23); Mercer won 22 games in 1923–24 and 1984–85. The season ended with a loss in the Atlantic Sun tournament. Slonaker was the first National Coach of the Year to receive the award after it was named in honor of Jim Phelan.[1] Slonaker's contract was not renewed after the 2007–08 season.[2]
Slonaker grew up in Rahway, New Jersey, where he played prep basketball at Rahway High School.[3][4] He was a four-year Letterman at the University of Georgia under Hugh Durham from 1975 to 1979. He was named co-captain during his senior year. He graduated with a B.A. in Education before attending Georgia State University where he earned a Masters in Sports Administration.[5] From 2009 to 2015, Slonaker served as the radio color commentator for the Georgia Bulldogs Men's Basketball team. From 2011 to 2015, Slonaker was the executive director of the Georgia Bulldog Club. Slonaker has served in his current role, executive director of athletics alumni relations, since 2015 for University of Georgia Athletics.
References
^Recipients, Jim Phelan Award. Accessed January 30, 2008.
^Gomes, Jay. "Former Teaneck star Baker makes choice", Rivals.com, June 7, 2001. Accessed January 30, 2008. "Slonaker, a New Jersey native and a former Rahway High School standout, inked his first Garden State recruit in signing Baker, a native of Teaneck."
^Collier, Warren. "Three new teams set for CVC tournament action", Muncie Evening Press, December 20, 1984. Accessed February 9, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "Slonaker was hired by Pugliese out of Lovett High School in Atlanta where the Rahway, N.J., native had coached the Lions to their best season in eight years. The Panther coach had been an all-state player at Rahway High School and starred at the University of Georgia where he is listed as third on the all-time assist list behind former Olympian Vern Fleming (now with the Indiana Pacers) and Walter Daniels."
