Volkerts closing in on all-time scoring record ahead of final home game

RALEIGH, NC – Wake Tech Men's Basketball plays their final home game of the season on Wednesday, March 6 against Brunswick Community College. Before the game, the team's four sophomore players will be honored before playing their last home games at Wake Tech. One player in particular, Eddie Volkerts, has had a unique career timeline, and when he leaves, he will have his fingerprints all over the program's record book.

Volkerts was a standout player as a freshman during the 2017-18 season. The New London, CT native averaged a team-high 23.2 points per game and scored a career-high 38 points on two separate occasions. His teammate that season, freshman guard Koraan Clemonts, wasn't far behind with an average of 18.4 points per game. The team finished the season with a 14-16 record, ultimately losing to Richard Bland in the NJCAA Region 10 Division II Tournament quarterfinals. While it wasn't the greatest season in program history, it featured the two most prolific scorers that Wake Tech has ever seen.

"Our first day of conditioning we had to run the team mile," said Clemonts about his freshman season. "(Eddie) never seemed to get tired or break stride when we did conditioning—he pushed me to be better and he didn't even realize it. I also remember the confidence he instilled in me to be the best point guard I could be."

Volkerts departed Wake Tech after the season and eventually joined the United States Army, where he served for five years, including a deployment in Syria.

Clemonts, meanwhile, remained at Wake Tech and took Volkerts' place as the team's leading scorer in the 2018-19 season. In the process, he became the all-time leading scorer in program history, finishing his Wake Tech career with 1,048 points. At the time of this writing, that record still stands.

The road back to Wake Tech

While in the Army, Volkerts remained in touch with head coach Adam Wainwright. When he left the armed forces, Volkerts still had a year of eligibility remaining to play at the NJCAA level. Volkerts was eager to re-enroll in school, get his degree, and continue his basketball career. Wainwright was excited by the idea of bringing back his leading scorer from six seasons ago.

"As soon as I heard that he was interested in coming back, I knew he would be a great addition to the team this year," said Wainwright. "We have a lot of young players, so bringing back someone as mature as Eddie, who had gained valuable such valuable life experience, it was a no-brainer. And clearly he's a great basketball player."

"I came back to Wake Tech because I did not want to live life with that 'what if?' feeling," said Volkerts. I should have come back after my freshman year and that was something I thought about my whole time in the Army. I kept in contact with Coach Wainwright and I believed if I want any future of continuing to play basketball at a four-year school he would put me in the best position to get looked at."

Volkerts is back this season like he never left, averaging 15.4 points per game, shooting 44.3% from the field. He has played a big role in helping the team compile a 16-12 record. The Eagles are 9-5 in conference play, which has them in third place in the Region 10 Division I standings in their first season after moving up from Division II. He is not only one of the team's main contributors on the court, but also a strong leader as well.

"The main thing I learned while in the Army that has helped me grow as a leader is you have to instill confidence in your teammates," Volkerts said. "So, as a leader I try to keep everyone in a good mood and everyone's confidence high."

Based on what Clemonts had to say about their shared time at Wake Tech, Volkerts has always had those leadership traits.

Some records are meant to be broken

On February 3 against Gaston College, Volkerts surpassed the 1,000-career point mark. Before his final home game on Wednesday he will be presented with a commemorative ball to mark the achievement.

"Reaching 1,000 points was exciting," said Volkerts, "but it was not reaching 1,000 that meant a lot to me—my coaches and teammates surprised me with a poster signed by all of them that meant more than the actual achievement."

Now he is closing in on the all-time scoring record set by his teammate and friend Clemonts. Entering his final home game, Volkerts sits at 1,039 points, just nine points shy of Clemonts' total of 1,048. The two remain in contact to this day.

"I wished him good luck before the season started and I check on him here and there, asking him how he's doing outside of basketball," said Clemonts. "I didn't talk to him about the record much because I didn't want it to be in the back of his head. I wanted him to be able to play free and have a successful season."

"To see Eddie break the record at home would be a bittersweet moment for me. I know records are meant to be broken, but I didn't know it would be so soon," Clemonts said jokingly. "But if I had to choose for someone to break my record, I wouldn't want it any other way. I'm happy for Eddie, he's a hard worker and he deserves it."

While no one wants the record to serve as a distraction, it is easy to recognize how special Volkerts achievement would be.

"Obviously our focus is to win the game on Wednesday night and continue preparing for the postseason," said Wainwright, "but I am so proud of Eddie and if he can break the record on Sophomore Night, that would be really special."

Wednesday night's game will be played at the Southern Wake Campus Gym (Building N). Admission is free and tipoff is scheduled for 6:00pm. Volkerts will be recognized before the game along with teammates Ceejay Jordan, Tharius Suggs, and Gio Prete. The game will also be streamed on the Wake Tech Eagles YouTube channel.