Hoops squad adds transfer guard, releases Adam Johnson

Their season has only been over for a couple of weeks, but the Lakehead Thunderwolves are already starting to think about next year.

Men's basketball coach Scott Morrison on Monday announced six-foot shooting guard Jamar Coke will transfer to the Thunder Bay school next fall, leaving Medicine Hat College, where the Hamilton native spent the past two seasons.

He averaged 17.7 points, seven boards and 3.8 assists playing under Ben Julius, a 2000 Hammarskjold High School graduate.

“Jamar Coke is one of the most dynamic players I have ever seen. Jamar has explosive speed and is a great shooter, which makes him deadly on the offensive end of the floor. On the defensive end he has great instincts for both steals and defensive boards,"Julius said in a release.

"Jamar has been a focal point for the turnaround of the Medicine Hat Rattlers program in a short period of time. Having several roots in Thunder Bay and especially with Lakehead University I am extremely excited for Jamar, I believe he is a perfect fit for Lakehead and Coach Morrison’s coaching style.”

Coke is the second Hamilton-area recruit to commit to the Wolves. Guard Dwayne Harvey, a 2009 Cathedral High School graduate, went on to play at Alabama State Un iversity in the NCAA.

Morrison, whose team was one of the top three-point shooting squads in the CIS, is expecting an even better performance next season.

“We are excited to welcome Jamar into our basketball family in Thunder Bay.  He has been well coached in both high school and college and brings a versatile skill set on both ends of the floor that will be a boost to our lineup.  With the additions of Jamar and Dwayne Harvey we are ensuring ourselves more depth and explosiveness on the perimeter next season.”

The team, which made it to nationals for a third straight year and failed to make it out of the opening round for its third consecutive appearance, made some room on the roster with the release of Baltimore product Adam Johnson, a 6-foot-6 forward who spent one season in Thunder Bay.