NORFOLK, Va. – Coppin State's
Sam Sessoms and
Nendah Tarke earned All-MEAC Men's Basketball Team honors, it was announced by the league office at the BBT Awards Ceremony on Tuesday night at Attucks Theatre. Sessoms received First Team accolades while Tarke was named to the Second Team and All-Defensive Team.
A fifth-year senior from Philadelphia, Pa., Sessoms put up career numbers in his final collegiate season, leading the MEAC and ranking 15
th nationally with 20.7 points per game. Sessoms also ranked second in the league in assists (5.0) and steals (2.0) while grabbing 4.2 rebounds per game. An eight-time MEAC Player of the Week, Sessoms recorded at least 20 points in 17 games this season, tallying a season-high 37 points on a school-record 16-of-25 shooting. Sessoms also recorded 35 points while making 15-of-22 shots in a win at Loyola Maryland. He is the only player in the Nation to average 20 points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals while shooting at least 50 percent from the floor.
Sessoms proved to be one of the best distributors in CSU history, dishing out five assists in 17 games while recording ten assists at both Georgetown and Tennessee Tech. He also had nine assists in two other games and eight dimes in another. Sessoms led the Eagles in rebounding eight times and had at least three steals in 11 contests.
His lone season at Coppin has been historic among CSU's all-time bests. Sessoms ranks seventh in the program's single-season history in points, assists and field goals.
Sessoms has had a storied collegiate career, becoming just the 13
th player in the last 30 years to record at least 2,000 points, 500 rebounds, 500 assists and 200 steals. He currently ranks sixth among active NCAA players with 2,350 career points and has the third-most points among players with 2,000 points and 500 assists.
Receiving All-Conference honors for the third-straight year is Tarke, who was a Third Team selection and Rookie of the Year in 2021 before earning First Team and Defensive Team accolades last season. Tarke finished second on the Eagles with 12.6 points (7
th in MEAC) and 1.7 steals (4
th in the MEAC) while leading the team with 5.9 rebounds which ranked fourth in the MEAC. A redshirt sophomore from Gaithersburg, Md., Tarke reached double digits in scoring 20 times this season with 20-point efforts at Towson and Morgan State. Tarke noticed double-doubles at North Carolina State and in a win over James Madison. He was credited with multiple steals in 14 games.
In the regular season finale, a win at Morgan State, Tarke became the 24
th Eagles player to record 1,000 career points and now stands 23
rd in CSU history with 1,016 points. His 182 career steals is already fifth in school history.
Winners of three of the last four games, Coppin earned the sixth seed at the MEAC Tournament will take on #3 Norfolk State in the Quarterfinals at 8:00 pm on Thursday, March 9. The game will air on ESPN+ and can be heard on WNST 1570 AM and
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