The Winston-Salem State Rams men's basketball team is the men's basketball team that represents
Winston-Salem State University
Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) is a historically black public university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It is part of the University of North Carolina system.
History
Winston-Salem State University was founded as "Slater Industrial A ...
(WSSU) in
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Winston-Salem is a city in Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the List of municipalities in North Carolina, fifth-most populous ...
, United States. The school's team currently competes in the
NCAA Division II
NCAA Division II (D-II) is the intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environment ...
Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association
The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (originally and through 1950 known as the Colored Intercollegiate Athletic Association — CIAA) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NC ...
. 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
The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC ) is a List of NCAA conferences, collegiate athletic conference whose full members are historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and the Mid-A ...
(MEAC); it returned to Division II in 2010 for financial reasons.
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
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and pre ...
in 1982.
Noted players under Gaines' era were
Earl Monroe
Vernon Earl Monroe (born November 21, 1944) is an American former professional basketball player. He played for two teams, the Baltimore Bullets and the New York Knicks, during his career in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Both teams ...
,
Cleo Hill and sports commentator and columnist
Stephen A. Smith.
[Biography Of A Legend: Clarence "Big House" Gaines]
Winston-Salem State University, April 20, 2005, Accessed December 12, 2012.[Richard Sandomir]
''The New York Times'', July 31, 2005, Accessed December 12, 2012. Alumnus
Earl Williams, an
American-Israeli
Israeli Americans () are Americans who are of full or partial Israeli descent.
The Israeli-American community, while predominantly Jewish, also includes various ethnic and religious minorities reflective of Israel's diverse demographics. This c ...
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 the Oklahoma City Blue squad of the NBA G-League.
Postseason
NCAA Division II
The Rams have made the
NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament fourteen times. The Rams have a record of 11–16.
See also
*
Clarence Gaines College Basketball Coach of the Year Awards
References
External links
Team website
{{NorthCarolina-basketball-team-stub