HARTSVILLE, S.C. – The Coker College men's basketball team, under the tutelage of second-year head coach Aric Samuel, is ready to begin the 2017-18 season. The Cobras open up their season on Friday (Nov. 3) at The Citadel for a 3 p.m. exhibition game.
2017-18 Season Outlook
The Cobras boast a 29-man roster, made up of ten returners and 19 newcomers. Although the newcomers outweigh the returners, the Cobras will look for veteran leadership from seniors Jake Barrett, Donte Samuels, and Nathan Lemke to achieve success this season.
Last year, Samuels was named to the preseason All-SAC team for the second-straight season, marking his fourth-consecutive All-SAC honor. Unfortunately, Samuels was unable to compete last season due to injury.
In the absence of Samuel, Lemke stepped up for the Navy and Gold and had a breakout season. On the court, he averaged 9.5 points per game and 6.9 rebounds per game, with his best performance coming against Brevard where he scored 21 points. Off the court, Lemke was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District Team, being just one of four members from the SAC to earn the accolade.
While coach Samuel acknowledges the importance of his veterans, he is also excited about some of his new players.
"We brought in a great class this year," said Samuel. "Khalil Halls, Zachary Mack, Dakota Jennings, and Ra Anderson, just to name a few, should make an impact this year. The new guys came in with a humble spirit and are meshing well with the returning players."
Schedule Breakdown
As mentioned, the Cobras will open up their season on the road with an exhibition game against The Citadel on Friday (Nov. 3) at 3 p.m. Following The Citadel, the Navy and Gold will take on another Division I opponent in Georgia St. on Monday (Nov. 6) at 7 p.m.
"We're going to use our games against The Citadel and Georgia St. to get better," stated Samuel.
Next, the Cobras will prepare themselves for their South Atlantic Conference schedule with non-conference games against Emmanuel, Limestone, Belmont Abbey, and Southern Wesleyan.
After Thanksgiving, Coker will begin conference play when they host Lenoir-Rhyne on Nov. 29 at 8 p.m.
"We look forward going into the conference this year and trying to improve on our results from last season," said Samuel.
Other home conference games for the Cobras this year include Mars Hill (Dec. 16), Queens (Dec. 18), Newberry (Jan. 3), Anderson (Jan. 13), Wingate (Jan. 17), Carson-Newman (Jan. 27), Tusculum (Feb. 10), Catawba (Feb. 14), and Lincoln Memorial (Feb. 17).
Fans are encouraged to follow the Coker men's basketball 2017-18 season at www.cokercobras.com.