Nov. 17, 2006
WINSTON-SALEM, NC - The Winston-Salem State University Lady Rams basketball team returns to action on Sunday, November 17, 2006 at 5:00 pm Central Standard Time as they face the Hornets of Alabama State University. The two teams have never met, and the Lady Rams have never faced a team from the storied Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). The Lady Rams (0-3) look for their first win of the season while the Hornets enter the contest with an 0-1 mark after falling at Auburn University on November 15 by the score of 84-47.
Setting The Scene...It's game four for the Lady Rams and Winston-Salem State is still looking for their first win of the 2006-07 season. WSSU heads into Sunday's contest with the Alabama State University Hornets sporting an 0-3 record after falling in defeat to #2 North Carolina (83-32) a week ago, falling in defeat to Towson University (76-51) on Tuesday and falling to Auburn University (85-47) on Friday evening at Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum in Auburn, AL. The Lady Rams travel to Montgomery, Alabama and the Joe L. Reed Acadome to take on the Hornets, a team that they have never faced.
A Quick Look Back...The Lady Rams posted a 10-18 overall record last season and posted a 5-11 conference record in their final year of membership in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA). WSSU lost in the opening round of the CIAA Women's Championship tournament in Charlotte, NC to the Bowie State University Lady Bulldogs by the score of 52-51 as they closed out 31 years of CIAA basketball play before departing Division II for the ranks of Division I.
Last Action...The Lady Rams' dropped an 85-47 decision to the Tigers of Auburn University at the Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum in Auburn, Alabama as WSSU fell to 0-3 on the season. The Lady Rams got 10 points from both Shalonda Carter and Candace Saunders, yet Auburn's DeWanna Bonner tallied a career-high 28 points and pulled down 11 rebounds as she led the Tigers in scoring and rebounding en route to the AU win. The Lady Rams shot 31% from the floor while the Tigers recorded a 51% shooting percentage.
The Series...The contest between the Lady Rams and the Hornets marks the first meeting between the two teams. Winston-Salem State University has never faced Alabama State University as the Lady Rams have never played a team from the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). The Lady Rams are in the second year of a five-year transition from NCAA Division II to Division I.
WSSU Radio Coverage...There will be no Winston-Salem State University radio broadcast of this game. WSSU's first radio coverage of Lady Rams' basketball will be on November 25, 2006 at home when they host the Johnson C. Smith University Lady Golden Bulls.
What's On Tap...The Lady Rams have their most difficult schedule in the 25-year history of the women's basketball program. WSSU opens the season with four road games during the season's first week of play. Winston-Salem State University opened play at #2 North Carolina (L, 83-32) on November 12 before traveling to Towson, MD to face Towson on November 14 where they lost 76-51. WSSU traveled to Auburn, AL to face Auburn University on November 17 where they dropped an 85-47 decision, and will travel to face Alabama State on November 19. The Lady Rams' first home contest will be November 25, 2006 at 7:00 pm when they host the Johnson C. Smith University Lady Golden Bulls at the C.E. Gaines Center in Winston-Salem, NC.
New Head Coach... WSSU is led by Dee Stokes who is entering into her first year as head coach of the Lady Rams. Stokes is no stranger to the Division I coaching ranks as she is entering into her fifth season overall and has posted an all-time mark of 50-55. She comes to WSSU by way of Winthrop University where she spent two seasons as an assistant coach following a spell as the head coach at East Carolina University. Stokes has posted an 0-3 record at WSSU as head coach and is looking for her first win. She has posted an overall head coaching record of 50-54.
Stokes Versus The SWAC...This contest will mark the first time that WSSU head coach Dee Stokes has faced a team from the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC).
Stokes Versus Teams From Alabama...WSSU head coach Dee Stokes is 0-3 versus teams from the State of Alabama. She has dropped two games to the University of South Alabama and dropped an 85-47 decision to Auburn University this past Friday. She looks for her first win against a team from the state of Alabama on Sunday as she and the Lady Rams face the Alabama State University Hornets.
Exhibition Action Nets A Win...Winston-Salem State University played only one exhibition game in 2006-07 as they took to the court and defeated the Lady Golden Bears of West Virginia Tech by the score of 66-58 on November 2, 2006 at the C.E Gaines Center. In that contest, the Lady Rams got 13 points and seven rebounds from Candace Saunders, and saw Lavontay Johnson (12 points), Latoya Armstrong (10 points) and Keoshia Worthy (10 points) score in double figures.
Right Where She Left Off...Senior forward Shalonda Carter is again picking up where she left off last season. Carter has averaged nearly a double-double for her entire career, a span of 85 career games (of which she has started 80 of them). Carter is averaging 10.3 points and 9.0 rebounds per game this season with a career average of 11.7 points and 10.7 rebounds per game. It took Carter only 77 games to break the 1000-point plateau at WSSU, something she did as a junior.
Transition Year Two...The Lady Rams are currently in the second year of a five-year transition from the Division II level to the highest level of competition in Division I. The Lady Rams are an independent team that will join the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference in 2007-08. Winston-Salem State University will become a full-fledged Division I member that is eligible for championships during the 2010-11 season.
12th MEAC Member...On July 20, 2006, the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) announced that it will expand its membership to 12 members next year, as the league voted to admit Winston-Salem State University into the league beginning in 2007-08. "We are elated to welcome Winston-Salem into the MEAC family", said Commissioner Dennis Thomas. "Obviously we think that WSSU is an outstanding academic institution with an excellent athletics program." Winston-Salem State University is currently in the second year of its reclassification from Division II to NCAA Division I status. WSSU will begin a full MEAC schedule in all sports beginning in 2007-08. However they will not be eligible for MEAC Championship play until the 2010-11 football season. The addition of WSSU marks the first expansion for the MEAC since 1997, when Norfolk State University became the 11th member of the conference.
Road Weary...The Lady Rams must improve their record on the road in 2006-07 as they recorded only one victory on the road in 2005-06 en route to posting a 1-9 record away from home. The Lady Rams have posted a losing record on the road for the last three consecutive seasons. WSSU is currently 0-3 on the road during the 2006-07 season.
Honors Candidate...Despite not officially joining the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference until the 2007-08 season, the Lady Rams are eligible for Division I Independent honors in 2006-07. The most decorated of the Lady Rams is senior forward Shalonda Carter (#40) who is a national favorite for playing honors this season. Carter garnered CIAA Rookie of the Year honors and All-CIAA honors her freshman season and again graced the CIAA First-Team last season. Carter averaged nearly a double-double last season as she tallied 12.2 points and 8.8 rebounds per contest. She will again be on the "watch list" for national honors this season.
Experienced Team...Despite the newness of the transition to Division I play, the Lady Rams will have the benefit of a team that has playing experience. The lone freshman on the team is Ja'Pel Sumpter, a 5'7" guard. She will join a team laden with three seniors, one junior, and five sophomores.
Glass Matters...Whoever wins the rebounding battle wins the basketball war. The Lady Rams, who are currently 0-3 on the season, have lost the rebounding battle in all three of their losses this season. Last season when the Lady Rams were out-rebounded, they posted a record of 2-15 overall. Rebounding may very well be the key to the success, or failure, of this young women's basketball team.
A New Era; A Proud History...The Lady Rams are entering into a new era at WSSU as they are heading into the Division I ranks. However, the Rams have a history of basketball excellence as they have recorded 12 winning seasons en route to posting an overall mark of 329-325 over the span of 25 years of play.
A Look At The University... Winston-Salem State University was founded as the Slater Industrial Academy on September 28, 1892. It began in a one-room frame structure with 25 pupils and one teacher. In 1895, the school was recognized by the state of North Carolina, and in 1897, it was chartered by the Slater Industrial and State Normal School.
From the beginning, the school has insisted upon the vital importance of elementary school teachers in building an improved citizenship. Emphasis has, therefore, constantly been placed upon the quality and quantity of training for these teachers. In 1925, the General Assembly of North Carolina recognized the school's leadership in this field and granted the school a new charter, extending its curriculum above high school. The school changed its name to Winston-Salem Teachers College and empowered it, under the authority of the State Board of Education, to confer appropriate degrees. Winston-Salem Teachers College thus became the first Negro institution in the nation to grant degrees for teaching in the elementary grades.
The Nursing School was established in 1953, awarding graduates the degree of bachelor of science. The basic nursing program covers four years of study with equal emphasis on academic and professional education.
In 1957, the North Carolina General Assembly revised the charter of the college and authorized the expansion of the curriculum to include secondary education and any other specific types of training as directed and determined by the State Board of Higher Education.
The North Carolina General Assembly of 1963 authorized the changing of Winston-Teachers College to Winston-Salem State College. A statute designing Winston-Salem Teachers College as Winston-Salem State University received legislative approval in 1969. On October 30, 1971, the General Assembly reorganized higher education in North Carolina, and on July 1, 1972, Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) became one of 16 constituent institutions of The University of North Carolina, subject to the control of the Board of Governors.
Winston-Salem State University is located on 110 acres in Winston-Salem, Forsyth County, North Carolina, a city of 185,470 residents. This thriving Twin City is part of the Piedmont Triad, which encompasses the neighboring cities of Greensboro and High Point. The Triad is one of the most heavily populated and fastest growing metropolitan areas between Washington, D.C. and Atlanta, GA (U.S. Census Statistical Information).
Winston-Salem State University rapidly is changing its "well-kept secret" status. The University has been ranked by U.S. News and World Report's "Best Colleges and Universities" publication as one of the best public liberal arts colleges in the south for the last five years. WSSU is perhaps best defined by part of the University's mission statement which reads: "Excellent academic programs with a strong liberal arts foundation will be offered within a learning culture which exemplifies excellence in teaching and scholarship; emphasizes faculty-student interaction; promotes lifelong learning; and prepares individuals for leadership and service in the global society."
The present day Winston-Salem State University has come a long way from its humble beginnings as Slater Industrial Academy in 1892; WSSU now enrolls over 5,557 students, offers bachelor's degrees in over 40 majors, master's degrees in seven degree programs, and employs nearly 250 full-time faculty and 350 staff members. It is accredited by the Commission on College of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. WSSU has a diverse student population with increasing enrollment of non-traditional and part-time students.
On March 5, 1998 the University's "Strategic Framework for Change" was unveiled to the Board of Trustees and the Winston-Salem community. The document provides the context for transforming today's Winston-Salem State University into one of the region's finest public undergraduate institutions. Nursing at Winston-Salem State University offers a global health curriculum and international student and faculty exchange. Gottenburg's University in Sweden, the Nightingale Institute at King's College in London, the University of Ulster in Northern Ireland, Waterford Regional Technical College in Southern Ireland, and WSSU are all partners in this exciting venture.
The pass rate for Winston-Salem State University nursing graduates on the state board examination is above 90 percent, one of the highest in the state of North Carolina and the highest among historically black colleges and universities nationally.
In the 90's, Fortune 500 corporations increasingly recruited business, economics, and accounting graduates. Recently, the University's student chapter of the National Association of Black Accountants was recognized in the national competition at the Association's annual meeting.
Sport Management at WSSU is one of the top undergraduate programs of its kind in the country and is currently seeking accreditation by the North American Society for Sport Management and the National Association for Sport and Physical Education. Therapeutic Recreation and Physical Education for Mature Adults at WSSU and across the nation are among the fastest-growing health-related curricula. Only a handful of colleges and universities offer bachelors degrees in these disciplines, and even fewer are accredited by related professional organizations.
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