Winston-Salem State Rams men's basketball

Winston-Salem State Rams men's basketball
Winston-Salem State Rams men's basketball
University	Winston-Salem State University
Head coach	Corey Thompson (1st season)
Location	Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Arena	C.E. Gaines Center ; (capacity: 3,200)
Conference	Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association
Nickname	Rams
Colors	Red and white;
NCAA Division I tournament champions
	1967 (NCAA Division II)
NCAA Division I tournament Final Four
	1967
NCAA Division I tournament Elite Eight
	1967
NCAA Division I tournament Sweet Sixteen
	1967, 1985, 1999, 2001
NCAA Division I tournament appearances
	1966, 1967, 1977, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2023
Conference tournament champions
	1953, 1957, 1960, 1961, 1963, 1966, 1970, 1977, 1999, 2000, 2012, 2020, 2023

The Winston-Salem State Rams men's basketball team is the men's basketball team that represents Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States. The school's team currently competes in the NCAA Division II Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association. The school won the 1967 NCAA Division II championship. Winston-Salem State competed in Division I from the 2007–08 season to the 2009–10 season as a transitional member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC); it returned to Division II in 2010 for financial reasons.^[2]^[3]

UniversityWinston-Salem State University

Head coachCorey Thompson (1st season)

LocationWinston-Salem, North Carolina

ArenaC.E. Gaines Center
(capacity: 3,200)

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Among its notable coaches was Clarence "Big House" Gaines (1923–2005): during his 47-year tenure at WSSU as coach, professor, and athletic director, his men's basketball team compiled a record of 828–447. Gaines was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1982.

Noted players under Gaines' era were Earl Monroe, Cleo Hill and sports commentator and columnist Stephen A. Smith.^[4]^[5] Alumnus Earl Williams, an American-Israeli basketball player, played for the school.

Pro basketball player Robert Colon finished his WSSU career with the seventh-highest scoring total in program history with 1,737 points. Javonte Cooke, who played one season for WSSU in 2021-22, is currently a member of both the Portland Trail Blazers and the Rip City Remix via 2-way contract.

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Year	Region	Round	Opponent	Result
1966	South	Regional semifinals Regional third place	Oglethorpe South Carolina State	L 66–69 W 85–81
1967	Mideast	Regional semifinals Regional final National Quarterfinals National semifinals National Championship	Baldwin–Wallace Akron Long Island Kentucky Wesleyan SW Missouri State	W 91–76 W 88–80 W 62–54 W 85–73 W 77–74
1977	South Atlantic	Regional semifinals Regional third place	Towson Virginia Union	L 83–107 L 93–107
1984	South Atlantic	Regional semifinals Regional third place	Norfolk State Randolph–Macon	L 61–70 L 54–69
1985	South Atlantic	Regional semifinals Regional Final	Virginia Union Mount St. Mary's	W 44–42 L 56–63
1986	South Atlantic	Regional semifinals Regional third place	Mount St. Mary's Virginia Union	L 71–74 L 77–95
1999	South Atlantic	First round Regional semifinals Regional Final	Elizabeth City State Wingate Lander	W 71–60 W 66–63 ^OT L 46–47
2000	South Atlantic	Regional semifinals	Georgia College	L 68–72
2001	South Atlantic	Regional semifinals Regional Final	Augusta State Johnson C. Smith	W 65–48 L 52–64
2002	South Atlantic	First round Regional semifinals	Wingate Shaw	W 90–75 L 61–62
2005	South Atlantic	First round	South Carolina Upstate	L 59–63
2011	Atlantic	First round	Shaw	L 47–75
2012	Atlantic	First round	West Virginia Wesleyan	L 54–57
2013	Atlantic	First round	Slippery Rock	L 67–69
2023	Atlantic	First round	Indiana (PA)	L 50–52

Winston-Salem State Rams men's basketball

Postseason

NCAA Division II

See also

References

External links

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