Bartow's Samarrippas rolls into Hall of Fame Classic as rising head coach with Lincoln Memorial

Walking around the Bartow High School gym was Jeremiah Samarrippas, coaching up his Lincoln Memorial University basketball players. As he was beckoning his players to run specific drills and plays, the college coach often pondered about his coaches, family and friends and how in 2010 that led to Bartow achieving a state title.

It was a little more than a decade ago when he was coached up by current Bartow head coach Terrence McGriff. The chemistry of coach and player led to Samarrippas becoming the Class 5A Player of the Year as a point guard, and in 2022 he has found success as a head basketball coach.

His Division II team was selected to play in the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic 3:30 p.m. on Saturday vs. Valdosta State at Florida Southern because of the stellar 26-5 season last season — the best as a first-year head coach in program history. The showcase, which was at Missouri Western last season, will now be hosted at Florida Southern.

With all the team and individual success as a Bartow player and his most recent successful season that ended in 20212’s second round of the NCAA Division II Tournament — the first time an LMU first-year head coach took a team to the tourney — it was a perfect storm for  Samarrippas to bring his college players to where it all started.

“Just being back at home was a big plus," Samarrippas said. "I haven’t done anything here from a competitive standpoint in a long time. Being able to have a game where my family can come and watch me and not have to travel to Tennessee — like my grandparents haven’t seen me coach. So, grandparents can watch me, different family members, old high school teammates, coaches, friends, just being so close to home, that was super attractive.

“To be able to take my guys back to a place (I’m from), that’s super special to me. A place that’s turned me to a type of person, coach, basketball mind, I just felt like it was something that we needed to do. … It’s kind of like just a time to go back and reflect.”

Samarrippas, 30, reflected on some of the knowledge he gleaned from McGriff that made him into the successful coach he is today. The second-year college head coach — seventh at LMU overall — said McGriff brought to the forefront the importance of basketball relationships amongst coaches and players. It was important to McGriff to let players know that the coach loves them.

On top of that, it’s all about trust, Samarrippas said.

“I think trust is really, really big. If you are going to have success as a team, if you are going to have individual success, you got to have trust in your players and coaching staff,” Samarrippas said.

This trust led to a championship. And the type of culture was no surprise, as McGriff and other folks in the community reaffirmed that Samarrippas was the consummate leader. It was all business and nobody acted out when around Samarrippas during the championship season.

This was a lesson he had to learn as a junior, though. That year, his team made it all the way to the final four but lost. Samarrippas attributes the shortcoming to his lack of focus a few days before the final four.

During a practice he was overly confident and he wasn’t going where he was supposed to be. McGriff ended up kicking Samarrippas out of practice. Two days later, he committed too many turnovers in the second half of a game vs. Cocoa Beach in the final four in 2009.

While Samarrippas wishes he could have the moment back, a lesson was duly noted.

“That was a big-time learning experience for me because I think I took the opportunity, the moment for granted,” he said.

The next year, of course, Bartow won the championship, learning and excelling defense taught by McGriff and acquiring offensive knowledge from assistant coach Marlon Austin. And Samarrippas, nicknamed J-Frogg, went on to play at NCAA Division I Southern Methodist, starting as a freshman, and then to Tennessee Tech where he wrapped up his basketball playing career.

Although his dearth of big plays led to lucrative offers to play basketball overseas, he went on to become a graduate assistant at Lincoln Memorial in 2014 before earning his masters. And since ascending through the ranks eventually to become a coach, he has a record of 204-29 record.

Still, Samrrippas ascribed his success to former LMU all-time winning head coach Josh Schertz, but of course to McGriff as well.

“From the time I can remember, he wanted to coach,” McGriff said. “He was a coach on the floor, which is what point guards are. He was a coach in the locker room as far as keeping everybody together. He was a coach in the community, too.”

As a second-year head coach at Lincoln Memorial, his team was voted No. 6 in Division II. And now, his team is amongst some of the top teams in Division II college basketball.

“And the event itself, the amount of really good teams that are in the event, (and) the ability to see how we stack up vs. some of the nation’s top teams early in the season (is really appealing) … I don’t know what else you can ask for,” Samarrippas said.

Partnered with Central Florida’s Polk County Tourism & Sports Marketing, the Hall of Fame Classic will begin Friday night at the Polk Theater and the men’s basketball tournament will start Saturday. The Hall of Fame ceremony is free to everyone on a first come, first serve basis. Below is the schedule:

Saturday at Florida Southern College, George W. Jenkins Field House

11:00 a.m. – Hillsdale vs Dallas Baptist

1:15 p.m. – Nova Southeastern vs Alabama-Huntsville

3:30 p.m. – Lincoln Memorial vs Valdosta State

5:45 p.m. – Florida Southern vs Flagler

8:00 p.m. – West Texas A&M vs Northwest Missouri State

* Postgame press conferences are held following the conclusion of each game in the FSC ROTC Classroom, adjacent to the Jenkins Field House on the East side of Gilbert Gymnasium

Sunday at Florida Southern College, George W. Jenkins Field House

11:00 a.m. – Alabama-Huntsville vs Lincoln Memorial

1:15 p.m. – Dallas Baptist vs Nova Southeastern

3:30 p.m. – Valdosta State vs Hillsdale

5:45 p.m. – Florida Southern vs West Texas A&M

8:00 p.m. – Northwest Missouri State vs Flagler

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Lincoln Memorial's Jeremiah Samarrippas learned from Bartow's McGriff