Back on 4/28, I mentioned that former Lincoln Memorial head coach Jeremiah Samarrippas would be hired as an assistant at Wofford. The hiring has now been made official, as has the hiring of Trent Patterson. Here’s the official release from Wofford:
Wofford College men’s basketball head coach Dwight Perry has announced the hiring of Jeremiah Samarrippas and Trent Patterson as assistant coaches. Samarrippas spent the last four seasons as the head coach at Lincoln Memorial University, while Trent Patterson joins the Terriers after two years at the University of South Florida.
Jeremiah Samarrippas was named the head coach of the Lincoln Memorial Railsplitters on April 1, 2021, posting a 105-25 record across his four-year tenure. During his time as head coach at Lincoln Memorial, Samarrippas saw seven first team all-conference selections, two second team, four third team, four all-freshman selections, one SAC Player of the Year, two SAC Freshmen of the Year and one SAC Defensive Player of the Year.
“I am ecstatic to add Jeremiah to our staff,” said head coach Dwight Perry. “He is a proven winner and has demonstrated a commitment to helping the student-athletes he coaches reach their goals. During his time as a coach at LMU, his teams won at a high level, competed with intensity and played an exciting style of basketball that will fit in well here at Wofford. He has a great ability to identify and evaluate talent. We are excited to welcome Jeremiah, his wife Brooke, and their daughter Millie to the Wofford family.”
Last season, Lincoln Memorial posted a 25-6 record with a 21-3 mark in conference play. LMU finished a perfect 14-0 at home to extend its home winning streak against conference foes to 67 games. The 21-3 conference record led to the sixth-straight SAC regular season title for the Railsplitters. Wes Enis was named a NABC All-American as well as the SAC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. Samarrippas also guided Elyjah Freeman to SAC Freshman of the Year honors. Both Enis and Freeman were selected to the NABC All-District Team and the D2CCA All-Region Team.
The 2023-24 season saw the team produce a 24-9 overall record and a 16-4 record in league action to claim a share of the SAC regular season championship. The Railsplitters would earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Southeast Regional. Martez Brown was named a consensus First Team All-Region selection by both the NABC and the D2CCA. Brown was also selected as an All-American by the D2CCA.
During the 2022-23 season, he led the Railsplitters to a 30-5 record and the team’s fourth-ever Elite Eight appearance. Lincoln Memorial won the SAC regular season championship and NCAA Southeast Regional title as well. Chase Rankin was selected to the NABC First Team All-Southeast Region while also being named the SAC Men’s Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
He led LMU to a SAC regular season championship during his first year at the helm of the program in 2021-22, including a 21-3 record in conference play. At the conclusion of the season, Samarrippas was named the SAC Coach of the Year and the NABC Co-Coach of the Year for the Southeast District. Jordan Guest was selected to the NABC Southeast All-District First Team.
Prior to being named Lincoln Memorial’s 18th head coach, Samarrippas served as an assistant coach for the Railsplitters for five seasons. He first joined Lincoln Memorial as a graduate assistant in 2014 before being promoted to assistant coach in 2016. He helped guide the team to two Division II national semifinal appearances as an assistant as well as two seasons with an unblemished record in conference play.
He was a 1,000-point scorer at Division I Tennessee Tech University after transferring from Southern Methodist University in Dallas. Samarrippas was named to the 2013 Ohio Valley Conference All-Newcomer Team.
Samarrippas received his bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies from Tennessee Tech and earned his Masters of Educational Leadership (M.Ed.) from LMU in 2016.
“I want to thank Coach Dwight Perry for welcoming me into a program with a rich tradition of championship excellence,” said Jeremiah Samarrippas. “My wife Brooke, our daughter Amelia, and I are thrilled to become part of the Spartanburg community. I look forward to helping Wofford continue to make history and build on its status as the premier program in the Southern Conference. Go Terriers!”
Trent Patterson comes to Wofford after spending the last two seasons as the Director of Basketball Operations at the University of South Florida. In this position, Patterson spearheaded the program’s budget management, all recruiting and team-related travel, and serving as the liaison between the athletic department and the men’s basketball program.
“I am excited to welcome Trent to Wofford,” said Perry. “Wofford attracts winners and that is exactly how I would describe Trent. Not only did Trent help USF win a championship during his tenure, he also was a part of an NCAA Tournament program at Troy. Throughout his entire career, he has demonstrated a commitment to maximizing the student-athlete experience for the players. He and his wife Carsyn will be incredible additions to the Wofford community.”
Last season, USF reached the second round of the American Athletic Conference Tournament. Two Bulls received all-conference honors, with Jamille Reynolds named second team all-conference and CJ Brown selected to the all-freshman team.
In his first year with the Bulls, Patterson helped guide the team to a program-record 25 wins, including 16 conference wins. A 15-game win streak helped propel the team to its first-ever AAC Regular Season Championship. During that 2023-24 season, USF also received its first-ever Top 25 ranking.
Prior to USF, Patterson spent five years at his alma mater, Troy University, in numerous roles. He served his last three years with the Trojans as the Director of Basketball Operations. In this role, Patterson coordinated all team travel, managed all film operations, ordered team gear, and aided in film analysis and analytics.
Before his time as the Director of Basketball Operations, Patterson was the Video Coordinator for Troy. He was also a graduate assistant and student manager with the Trojans.
Patterson earned his bachelor’s degree from Troy in Hospitality, Sport and Tourism Management in 2018. He received his masters degree from the Trojans in Sport and Fitness Management in 2020.
“I am so grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the continued success and rich winning tradition of Wofford Basketball,” said Patterson. “My family and I can’t wait to get to Spartanburg!”
Samarrippas and Patterson join the Terriers fresh off their sixth Southern Conference Championship and an NCAA Tournament appearance. The team finished with a 19-16 overall record last season, including three wins in three days at the SoCon Tournament in Asheville, North Carolina.
