HARTSVILLE, S.C. – The Coker College men's basketball team will take on the visiting No. 1 Lincoln Memorial University Railsplitters Saturday (Feb. 17) afternoon in South Atlantic Conference action on Senior Day. The Cobras will be honoring seniors Jake Barrett, Nathan Lemke, and Donte Samuels.
Barrett, a 6-4 guard from Rocky Mount, N.C. has competed for the Cobras for three years. In the 2015-16 season, Barrett made an immediate impact in his first season at Coker, playing in all 26 games, starting in 12 of them. He averaged 9.2 points per game, 3.2 rebounds per game, while shooting 40 percent from the field. His best performance came in a road matchup against Mars Hill, when he scored 21 points on 9-12 shooting, to go along with five rebounds. During the 2016-17 season, Barrett appeared in all 28 games, starting in 26 of them. He averaged 12.1 points per game on nearly 43 percent shooting. Barrett scored a career-high 24 against Wingate (Feb. 15). In addition, Barrett reached double figures in 18 games total. This season, Barrett has a career-best 14 points per game and has collected 4.4 rebounds per game. The sports management major is the son of Vickie and Reggie Barrett.
Lemke is a 6-10 forward from Elliminyt, Australia. Lemke posted breakout second season in 2016-17 with the Cobras, playing in all 28 games, starting in 27 of them. He averaged 9.5 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. His best performance came in a road win vs. Brevard (Dec. 10) where he scored 21 points on 10-11 shooting and pulled down 10 rebounds. In addition, Lemke was named CoSIDA Academic All-District last season. This year, Lemke is averaging 3.5 points per game, 2.3 rebounds per game, and 0.8 blocks per game. The chemistry major is the son of Jodie and Peter Lemke.
Samuels, a 6-5 forward from Rocky Mount, N.C. competed for the Navy and Gold for all four years. Samuels earned honorable mention All-SAC honors during his sophomore campaign and played in 25 games for the Cobras, starting in 23 of them. He averaged 13.8 points per game along with averaging 5.2 rebounds per game. During the 2015-16 season, Samuels posted another excellent year for the Cobras, earning All-SAC honorable mention accolades. He averaged 15.6 points per game to go along with 5.5 rebounds per contest. Samuels appeared in 23 games, starting in 21 of them and scored in double figures in 19 games, with his best performance coming against Catawba (Nov. 24) when he scored 31 points. This season, Samuels is averaging 15. 6 points per game, 7.2 rebounds per game, and 1.6 steals per game. In addition, Samuels surpassed the 1,000 career point mark on Jan. 3 and the 500 career rebound mark on Feb. 14. The business major is the son of Seora Samuels-Harris and Henry Harris.
Coker heads into tomorrow's game with three players averaging 14 or more points per game. Samuels leads Coker averaging 15.6 points per game. Khalil Halls is Coker's second leading scorer, accumulating 15.0 per game, while Barrett is the final Cobra averaging double-digit numbers with 14.0 per game. Samuels and Halls average points per game land them both in the top 15 in the SAC, ranking sixth and 11th, respectively.
On the defensive end, Samuels has led the Cobras with a team-leading 7.2 rebounds per game, while Barrett leads the Cobras with 1.8 steals per game, trailed by Samuels with 1.6 steals per game.
No. 1 Lincoln Memorial enters tomorrow's contest with a 24-1 overall record that includes an 17-0 mark in SAC action. Trevon Shaw leads the Railsplitters offensively, averaging 18.5 points per game.
Opening tip is set for 4 p.m. Tickets for the game are $5 for adults, $3 for students, and free to all Coker faculty, staff, and students. Tomorrow's game is also Coker faculty/staff appreciation day.