Presbyterian College Men’s basketball Head Coach Quinton Ferrell filled out his staff this week with the addition of four assistants. Joining Coach Ferrell are assistant coaches Ben Korren, Nick Lagroone, and Trey Meyer. Trey Johnson has been hired as the director of basketball operations.
Korren was most recently the Director of Basketball Operations and Video Coordinator at the College of Charleston. He was promoted to Director of Basketball Operations prior to the 2018-19 season after spending the 2017-18 season as the Video Coordinator and the 2016-17 season as the Assistant Director of Basketball Operations.
“Coach (Ben) Korren is a young coach who I have had the pleasure to work with on a day to day basis for five years,” said Coach Ferrell. “His worth ethic, demeanor, unselfishness and passion for the game of basketball will make him a great coach and mentor. He’s someone who brings versatility and I look forward to him making an impact in a major way for years to come on our program!”
Korren, a former four-year student manager for the Cougars, oversaw student managers, assisted with scouting reports and film preparation, created recruiting and motivational videos, and assisted with scheduling.
While a student manager, Korren was the Head Basketball Coach at Mason Preparatory School in Charleston. As the leader of the seventh and eighth grade boys’ teams, he earned a 28-17 record over three seasons and led a staff of four coaches.
Originally from Bedford, N.Y., Korren earned his Bachelor’s degree from the College of Charleston in Business Administration in 2016 and was a two-year varsity starter for the Fox Lane High School basketball team before graduating in 2012.
Lagroone spent the last three seasons as an assistant coach at Southeast Missouri State following a year as the Director of Basketball Operations for the Redhawks. At SEMO, he helped recruit multiple high school players of the year from various states.
“Coach (Nick) Lagroone is a very talented coach. He’s a tremendous relationship builder and someone who relates well to student-athletes. Coach Lagroone has made his mark on the recruiting trail over the years and is a guy that is known for being able to develop players. He is one of the best up and coming young coaches in college basketball. He cherishes his faith and family and I’m excited to watch him make his mark throughout our program.”
Lagroone helped develop perimeter players, including OVC Freshman of the Year Denzel Mahoney and two-time All-OVC honoree Antonius Cleveland, who has played with the Dallas Mavericks and Atlanta Hawks in the NBA and is currently on the Santa Cruz Warriors, the G-League affiliate of the Golden State Warriors.
As Director of Basketball Operations, Lagroone handled all the day-to-day operations of the team, assisted with scheduling practice and skill workouts, on-campus recruiting, team travel, academics, camps, video, and other duties.
Prior to Southeast, he coached one season at Greenforest-McCalep Christian Academy in Atlanta, Georgia. The team tied a school record with 27 wins during the season and set a school record with 22 wins in a row. Greenforest won the regular season and region title, as well as the Chick-Fil-A Classic in Columbia, S.C., and was Class A State Runner-up with Lagroone at the helm. Eight players from that team are now playing in Division I.
Prior to being the head coach at Greenforest, Lagroone was a graduate assistant at Mississippi, where he earned a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership in 2014.
Lagroone played four years (2007-11) as a guard at Southern Wesleyan University in Central, South Carolina. He was a two-time NAIA All-American and three-time Southern States Athletic Conference honoree. Lagroone finished his college career with 1,645 points and ranked among the top 10 in the NAIA in scoring his final two seasons. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Physical Education in 2011.
Lagroone and his wife, Brittany, have a son, Braylen.
Last season, Meyer was the Director of Recruiting/Player Development at the College of Charleston. In that role he coordinated visits and created recruiting material and was also responsible for self-scouting, monitoring academic progress of student-athletes, and handling compliance forms and reports.
“Coach Trey Meyer is a complete coach who has really grind his way from the very bottom of this profession and has proven to be an extremely bright basketball mind. He has recruited at a high level, developed players over the years and been instrumental in game planning for opponents. He’s a man of faith and one who loves his family dearly! I’m thrilled to have him on board as an assistant coach and I know the impact he will have on our players and program will be felt immediately.”
Before starting with the Cougars, Meyer served as an assistant coach at Furman University under head coach Bob Richey. During the 2017-18 season, he helped the Paladins set a school record with 23 wins. Meyer worked primarily with the post players including All-Southern Conference player Matt Rafferty.
Prior to Furman, he spent five seasons as an assistant coach with the Miami (Ohio) University men’s basketball program. Meyer was the lead recruiter on numerous signees including 1,000-career point scorer and all-conference selection Geovonie McKnight in addition to 2017 MAC Freshman of the Year Michael Weathers.
Trey Meyer also was a member of head coach John Cooper’s staff at Tennessee State for three seasons, spending two years as a graduate assistant (2009-11) and one season as the director of operations (2011-12). He helped TSU to a 20-13 record in 2011-12, the program’s first winning record since 1995-96 and the Tigers’ first 20-win season in 32 years.
The team knocked off No. 7-ranked Murray State, 72-68, on Feb. 9, 2012 – one of just two losses for the Racers that season and defeated their first SEC opponent when the Tigers upset South Carolina, 64-63. TSU nearly earned a NCAA Tournament berth falling to Murray State by two points in the finals of the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament. The Tigers would earn a bid to the 2012 CIT.
Cooper brought Meyer with him to Miami (Ohio), where he was actively involved in the player development of the RedHawks. He also played an active part in recruiting and oversaw the development of the RedHawks’ wing players.
In 2010, Meyer co-founded the Rising Coaches Elite Organization, which is designed to help NCAA Division I men’s basketball support staff members become assistant coaches. The organization has boasted over 120 attendees the past few years, while highlighting speakers from across the country.
Meyer is a former student-athlete and played at Erskine College before transferring to Clemson. There, he served as a student assistant for three seasons. The Tigers won 72 games during his time at Clemson and made back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances.
A native of North Augusta, S.C., Meyer earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from Clemson in 2009 and a master’s degree in sports administration from Tennessee State in 2011. He and his wife, Ashley, have two daughters, Paisley and Olive.
Last season, Johnson was an assistant coach at Francis Marion, where he was in charge of recruiting visits, was the recruiting coordinator for four states (SC, NC, VA, GA), and was responsible for player development. He coached Peach Belt Conference Co-Freshman of the Year and Co-Player of the Year on the way to the Patriots’ trip to the NCAA tournament.
“Coach Johnson is a young man who possesses a great deal of energy & passion. He has worked extremely hard in this profession and he is a guy who has no problem serving others. His ability to cultivate relationships with our players and organize a lot of our day to day operations will play a major part to our success. I’m very excited to have him on staff.”
Johnson went to Francis Marion following his time as a manager at Charleston Southern, beginning prior to the 2014-15 season. He was promoted to head manager after his first season and earned a scholarship. His duties included managing game and practice set up, preparing for recruiting visits, assisting with video operations, scouting, and equipment management.
Johnson has also worked several basketball camps throughout the region over the course of his young career. He served as a commissioner for both the Barclay Radebaugh Basketball Camp and Earl Grant Basketball Camp. Other camps include the Frank Martin Basketball Camp, Duke Basketball Camp, Carolina Forest Basketball Camp, and Manzer Skills Academy. Johnson has also served as an assistant coach with a traveling youth basketball team.
A native of Myrtle Beach, Johnson graduated from Charleston Southern in 2018 with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management. He has a son, Jeremiah.
