November 10, 2006

Nov. 10, 2006

Nov. 10, 2006

Without change there can be no progress...Without progress, there can be no breakthroughs. The Rams will live by that philosophy in 2006-07 as they enter into their first  full season at the Division I level. Winston-Salem State University has a new coaching staff, new players, a new NCAA Classification, and will enter into uncharted waters for not only the men's basketball team but for the WSSU Athletic Department, and the University as a whole.  WSSU has one of the most difficult schedules in the nation as the Rams play only six home games and will face 11 different conferences from around the nation as WSSU travels over 5,000 miles to face national basketball powers before making the full-time switch to the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference next season.

 

Coaching Staff:

The Rams most noticeable change will be the addition of first-year head coach Bobby Collins who replaces Philip Stitt who resigned his duties in June of 2006. Collins is no stranger to Division I head coaching responsibilities as he was a two-time MEAC Coaching award winner at Hampton University where he led the Pirates to a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship last season.  A member of the Pirates' coaching staff since their transition to the NCAA Division I level in 1995, he was a part of the success that saw Hampton elevate itself to the highest echelon of college basketball en route to three MEAC titles, and the most stunning upset in NCAA Tournament history when the Pirates knocked off then-#2 seed Iowa State University.

 

Collins has made a commitment to building a quality Division I program at WSSU and has already begun implementing sweeping changes to overhaul what is already a very successful team. He inherits a team that is accustomed to winning as no player on the 2006-07 roster has ever experienced a losing season at either the high school or college level.  Collins, who was named Winston-Salem State University's seventh head men's basketball coach on September 5, 2006, will make history as the Rams will participate in their first year of Division I play during the 2006-07 season. He will lead a historic program that has captured 10 CIAA titles, and the 1967 National Championship and will lead a talent-laden team that has posted a winning record for ten consecutive seasons.  During his first season leading the Hampton University men's basketball program Collins guided the Pirates to within six points of their third consecutive MEAC Tournament Championship and NCAA Tournament appearance. With a mark of 19-11 in his inaugural season, Collins became the winningest first-year head coach in the history of Hampton University basketball, surpassing Hall-of-Famer John McLendon's mark of 17 victories that came during the 1952-53 campaign.

 

Collins' coaching career began as a restricted earnings coach with the Old Dominion Monarchs (1994-95). Under the leadership of former Monarch Head Coach, Jeff Capel, Collins aided the Monarchs to a Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) championship and a first round victory over Villanova University in the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament. Prior to his stint at ODU, Collins served as an admissions counselor at Eastern Kentucky University from 1992-94.  Collins earned his bachelor's degree in business administration and management in 1991 from Eastern Kentucky University (EKU), where he finished as a four-year letterman.

 

While wearing the Colonel uniform, Collins was a member of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) All-Freshmen Team and Honorable Mention All-OVC as a senior. Following his collegiate career, Collins played in the Helsinki, Finland Classic earning MVP honors.

Followers of WSSU are firm in their belief that Collins is the final piece of the puzzle that completes WSSU's transition to the nation's highest level of intercollegiate athletics at the NCAA Division I level and they are ready to celebrate the accomplishments that continue to cast WSSU basketball into the national spotlight.

 

Overview:

Collins will be the beneficiary of a team that returns seven upperclassmen as the roster will feature three seniors and four juniors, all of whom have extensive collegiate playing experience. All the seniors on the roster are players that have spent at least four years with the Rams as Curtis Hines, Lowen Wray and Norman Carter all arrived at WSSU as freshman and have been a part of the rich tradition and history that is Ram Basketball.

Alleggrie Guinn, WSSU's leading scorer last season departed following graduation

 

Gone are the Rams' top three leading scorers as WSSU has lost to graduation the services of Alleggrie Guinn and Corey Parker, as well as having lost rising-senior forward Audly Wehner.  Guinn completed a stellar four-year career at WSSU where he ranks seventh on the all-time scoring list with 1,535 points. The Rams' leading scorer in 2005-06 he averaged 15.0 points per game and added 4.3 rebounds.  Despite being only 6'3", Guinn led the Rams in blocks with 28, and steals with 66 and is among the Rams' career leaders in both categories.

 

Also missing will be Corey Parker who ranked third on the team in scoring last season with 10.0 points per game. A slasher who created his own shot, Parker shot 51% from the field last season (103-202) and his production will be missed on the offensive end of the court. The final starter to depart was Audly Wehner. A rising redshirt senior, Wehner withdrew from school prior to the fall semester as the Rams will lose his 12.4 points, and 4.9 rebounds per contest. Wehner finishes a three-year career at WSSU with 1,014 points.

 

Despite the losses, the Rams cupboard is far from bare, as Bobby Collins' team will mount a stiff challenge to all opponents. The Rams will respect all the teams on the 2006-07 schedule, yet will fear none of them.

 

Backcourt:

The Rams will again be a guard-laden team with nine backcourt players gracing the roster, the most seasoned of which is junior point guard Roy Peake. Peake appeared in, and started, all 29 games for the Rams as he recorded a team runner-up 835 minutes of playing time. A true pass-first, shoot-second point guard, Peake led the CIAA in assist to turnover ratio with 3.75 assists per turnover.  Peake placed second in the conference in assists per game with 5.17 helpers per contest as well as ranking fifth in the league with 1.93 steals per game.

 

A quality player who is an excellent ball handler, Peake must improve his scoring average in 2006-07 and will be looked towards to take more shots as he averaged only three shots per game last season, en route to hitting nearly 36% of his shot attempts.

 

Joining Peake in the back court is guard/forward Curtis Hines. A 6'2" senior from Charlotte, NC, and the cousin of former Wake Forest University All-ACC guard Justin Gray, Hines is a sharp shooter who provides the Rams with a presence on the perimeter. Hines will look to add to his offensive average of last season, one that saw him chip in 6.5 points and 1.5 rebounds per game as well as shoot nearly 40% from long range.  The final experienced guard in the Rams arsenal is Lowen Wray. Despite playing in only 21 games last season, for a total of 188 minutes (9.0 minutes per game), Wray is a force on the defensive end of the floor, as well as being able to use his speed and quickness to create offensive opportunities. Wray recorded nearly a steal per game, and dished out 26 assists last season and he will look to compete for more playing time in 2006-07 and will undoubtedly see his scoring average rise.

Curtis Hines is one of three seniors on the Rams' 2006-07 roster

 

Joining the college-tested trio of guards will be walk-on Andrew Porter and four true-freshman guards. Porter, one of two walk-ons on the 2006-07 roster, is a fan favorite who played in eight games last season. Porter turned in an average of 1.4 points and nearly one rebound per game last year. He will use his defensive intensity to record more playing time this season as he looks to break out in his sophomore year. 

 

Porter will be one of five inexperienced guards on the roster, as he is joined by four true freshman guards. Topping that recruiting class is Jarmel Baxter. A 6'3", 185 pound slasher from Charlotte, NC, he was a four-year letterman for the Vikings of North Mecklenberg High School. His athletic, 6'3" frame will make him one of WSSU's tallest guards, and he will compete for playing time immediately.  Joining Baxter is Brian Fisher, a 6'2" guard from Marietta, Georgia. During his four-year career at Kennesaw Mountain High School, he led the Mustangs to a State of Georgia runner-up finish in 2005-06 on the heels of leading Kennesaw Mountain to a Regional Championship his junior season. His team's MVP and a Georgia North vs. South All-Star Game selection, Fisher may very well crack the Rams' starting lineup during his freshman campaign.  Fisher's journey to crack into the starting five will not be an easy one as newcomer Darius Floyd will have his sights set on being one of the Rams' go-to players as he looks to write a new chapter in a basketball career that includes 2005-06 Big South Conference Player of the Year accolades as well as participation in the NCHSAA East vs. West All-Star Game and a Charlotte Pro-Am All-Star Game selection.

The second cousin of former NBA'er "Sleepy" Floyd, he will look to make an immediate impact this season.  The final two newcomers in the WSSU backcourt will be Patrick McCandies and Jason Smith. McCandies is the tallest of the pair as the 6'5", 166-pounder from Parkland High School looks to use his height to create shots over undersized guards. McCandies has spent significant time in the weight room during the summer and the preseason and will look to display the talents that earned him 3A Piedmont Triad Conference All-Conference honors his senior season.  Rounding out the guards is Jason Smith. At 6'3", and 189 pounds, Smith is a physical presence at the guard position. An excellent rebounding backcourt member, Smith already possesses a college-level body and already employs a strict workout regiment. A 2006 graduate of East Mecklenberg High School, Smith will look to establish himself during his freshman campaign. 

 

Frontcourt:

The 2006-07 Rams will again be undersized as the tallest player on the roster is Julian Murphy-Long who is 6'9". WSSU will again rely on smaller players playing bigger than their stature, and the best example of that will be sophomore Jamal Durham. A 2005-06 CIAA All-Rookie Team selection, Durham will be the first option for the Rams on offense.  He ranked 30th in the conference in scoring last season, averaging 9.7 points per game. Durham, a patient offensive player, does not force his shot, and is a disciplined player who takes high-percentage field goal attempts as evidenced by his hitting 94 of his 209 FG attempts (45.0%), Durham will pair with Norman Carter, a 6'5", 180 pound forward from Ben L. Smith High School in Greensboro, NC. Carter made an appearance in 21 games last season tallying 61 points on 27-of-53 shooting from the field (50.9%). A three-year member of the Rams' basketball program, Carter redshirted during the 2004-05 season but broke out in 2005-06.

Roy Peake will again start at point guard for the Rams; He led Division II in assist-turnover ratio in 2005-06

 

Joining Durham and Carter is experienced junior forward Darrell Wonge.  Wonge, a 6'6", 210 pound swingman from Malverne High School in Lakeview, NY appeared in all 29 games last season as he made 18 starts. Ranked fifth in the CIAA in field goal percentage as he hit 54.5% of his attempts from the field. Capable of breaking out offensively, he will look to replicate the performance that earned him his career-high of 23 points on January 21, 2006 versus Saint Paul's College. A solid defender, Wonge's length makes him a difficult opponent, one who recorded 10 blocks and 22 steals in 2005-06.  Returning for the Rams are a pair of role players with big bodies. Greg Lewis and Julian Murphy-Long will again return to the roster. Lewis, the most stout player on the WSSU roster at 6'7" and 255 pounds,

will need to use his style and aggressive play to create scoring opportunities this season. At 6'7", he will likely be undersized versus the power forwards of many of the Rams' opponents. He will look to improve upon his 2005-06 totals of 2.3 points and 1.8 rebounds per contest.  Murphy-Long brings a 6'9" frame to the court looking to make more of an impact in 2006-07 with his sights set on a more integral role for the Rams.  Appearing in six games last season, Murphy-Long tallied 1.0 points and 1.2 rebounds per contest last season.

 

The lone newcomer to the WSSU frontcourt will be David Moore. Moore will enter into the 2006-07 season at WSSU looking to make an impact following an impressive two-year career at Cape Fear Junior College where he broke the career scoring, rebounding and fieldgoal percentage records and led Cape Fear JC to a 22-10 record last season.  The 6'5", 200-pounder is a capable offensive presence who will focus hard on improving his defense as he looks to break into the WSSU starting lineup.

 

Schedule:

The Rams are coming off of a season in which they posted a 19-10 record and advanced two rounds in the CIAA Tournament before falling to Bowie State University by four points in the semifinals. The Rams will have their work cut out for them as they boast a challenging schedule which includes road games against national championship contenders Kansas (December 19) and Georgetown (December 16) as the Rams face eight teams that played in the post season in 2005-06.  WSSU faces four teams that made NCAA Tournament appearances in Georgetown (Sweet Sixteen), Kansas (First Round) South Alabam (First Rounf) and UAB (First Round) as well as five teams that made NIT appearances in Georgia Southern, Lipscomb, Notre Dame, Akron, and Wake Forest.  The Rams will start the season in Fresno, CA as they play three games in as many days to open the year as a participant in the Fresno State University Basketball Classic on November 10, 11 and 12, 2006. The first month of the season will see the Rams on the road for 20 days as they enter the world of Division I men's basketball under the guidance and leadership of a new head coach in Bobby Collins, a coach that is a proven winner at the Division I level. There is change in the program, change that will lead to progress, and that progress will lead to breakthroughs for the Rams as WSSU bursts onto the national scene.