A native of North Collins, New York and 1995 graduate of St. Bonaventure University, Hemer spent 11 seasons on the bench at Geneseo, transforming the women's basketball program into one of the best in the nation. The Knights posted a record of 218-89 during his tenure, including three SUNYAC Championships (2011, 2015, 2018), seven SUNYAC finals appearances and five NCAA Division III tournament bids, including reaching the round of 16 in both 2015 and 2017. Hemer claimed five SUNYAC Coach of the Year awards (2011, '15-18), was the WBCA East Region Coach of the Year in 2011 and 2016 and collected the WBCA Division III National Coach of the Year award in 2016. He mentored five WBCA All-America selections and 25 All-SUNYAC awards, including two SUNYAC Rookies and three SUNYAC Players of the Year. Despite all his professional accolades and championship accomplishments, Hemer will be most remembered for his leadership during 2016 and 2017, when the women's basketball program lost two players in separate tragedies in back-to-back seasons. Current head coach and then assistant Alyssa Polosky credits Hemer for "guiding the team through their grief and sadness, while continuing to give perspective on life and basketball". Geneseo women's basketball received the SUNYAC Award of Valor in 2016 and the WBCA We R Team Award in both 2016 and 2017.