Coker Men's Basketball Picked Sixth in Preseason Poll
HARTSVILLE, S.C. – The Coker College men's basketball team has been picked to finish sixth in the Conference Carolinas preseason poll. The Cobras tied with Limestone at sixth with 52 points each.
Defending conference champion Barton edged out King for the No. 1 spot with 88 points and four first-place votes. Mount Olive, Queens and Belmont Abbey rounded out the top five.
"This ranking is an incentive for our team," said head coach Dan Schmotzer. "We have plenty of work to do as the season gets underway. I think it's important for us to remember this is the preseason and we can determine our position at the end of the season. We still have to go out and perform in the games."
The Cobras finished 14-13 overall with an 8-8 record in the conference last season. They lost to King in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament.
Coker returns all five starters from a year ago, including third team all-conference selections Sharod Williams and Andrew Morris as well as leading scorer Julian Nelson. It opens the 2012-13 season with an exhibition at Campbell University on Nov. 1, followed by the regular-season opener at conference foe Limestone on Nov. 17.
The men's basketball preseason poll is as follows: 1. Barton; 2. King; 3. Mount Olive; 4. Queens; 5. Belmont Abbey; 6. Coker, Limestone (tie); 8. Pfeiffer; 9. Erskine; 10. Lees-McRae; 11. North Greenville.
For more information, contact Chris Dougherty, manager of athletics media relations, at 843-383-8018 or cdougherty@coker.edu.
-------------------------------------------------
Coker College readies undergraduates for personal and professional success through a distinctive four-year program that emphasizes a practical application of the liberal arts as well as hands-on and discussion-based learning within and beyond the classroom. Coker is ranked among the "Best Colleges" in the South by U.S. News & World Report as well as The Princeton Review. Located in Hartsville, S.C., Coker is within two hours of the cultural, financial and recreational resources of Charlotte, Columbia, Charleston and Myrtle Beach.