Coker Men Set to Begin Conference Carolinas Tournament

HARTSVILLE, S.C. – One game at a time, that has been the Coker men's basketball team's approach all season. When the Cobras take the court on Tuesday night for Quarterfinals of the Conference Carolinas Tournament it will still be, one game at a time. Coker, the #4 seed in the East Division, will face the #1 seed from the West, King College.

Last season head coach Dan Schmotzer led his senior-laden team all the way to the championship game of the conference tournament as a #4 seed. This year Coach Schmotzer is hoping to do the same, but the Cobras have a much different look with no seniors in the line-up.

Juniors Sharod Williams, Andrew Morris and Austin Harper, along with sophomores Julian Nelson and Bryce Arnott comprise a starting five that have led the Cobras to six consecutive wins down the stretch.

Williams has been a scoring and rebounding machine with 10.7 points and 9.2 rebounds per game, including eight double-doubles on the season. Morris is averaging 11.6 points, while Harper is a force to be reckoned with in the paint averaging 10.1 points and 5.2 rebounds per game.  Nelson is the Cobras leading scorer with 13.6 points per game and Arnott has been the general on the court from the point guard position, with an average of nearly five assists per game.

The Cobras' opponent on Tuesday is one of two new members to Conference Carolinas, the King College Tornado. In just their first year in the league, the Tornado captured the Conference Carolinas regular season championship with a record of 14-2 in conference. The guard tandem of Eddie Piccinini and Brian Hewitt leads King with both players averaging just over 16 points per game.

In their lone meeting during the regular season King defeated Coker 70-66.

Coker and King will tip-off at 7 p.m. at King's Student Center Complex. Fans can follow the action live online with a live video broadcast and live stats. Links to both can be found on www.cokercobras.com.