Bobby Collins isn’t making any guarantees about his team heading into his third year coaching at Winston-Salem State.
But one thing he does promise is a more exciting game than last year’s season.
“We’ll be a much more athletic team,” Collins said. “We’re going to be much more exciting to watch.”
Last season, the Rams finished 12-18. The Rams lost five players from last year’s squad, including starters Roy Peake and Darrell Wonge.
Sophomore guard Isaiah Tucker will be given the task of replacing Peake, a four-year starter at point guard.
Last season Tucker started nine games at shooting guard. He also got some experience running the team while Peake took a breather.
Collins says he is looking for Tucker to take his game to another level.
“I want him to make better decisions,” Collins said.
“He’s a talented point guard. He can be one of the best to come through the program.”
Senior Jamal Durham will once again be the Rams’ go-to-guy in the ’09 season. The 6-6 forward averaged a team-high 12.2 points, leading the team in scoring 12 times.
Collins said that Durham’s impact on the team extends beyond what shows up on the stat sheet.
“What I’m most impressed about is Jamal Durham’s leadership,” he said.
Durham will be joined by sophomores Corey Morris and Paul Davis.
Collins said that Morris has dropped 25 pounds. Collins is hopeful that Davis will be fully recovered from a hip sprain.
The Rams will start the season on the road with trips to Georgia Tech and Eastern Kentucky before returning to Winston-Salem Nov. 24 to take on Wake Forest.
The Rams will also have several chances to play their two biggest rivals.
WSSU plays North Carolina Central and North Carolina A&T twice.
A&T head coach Jerry Eaves said he enjoyed competing against WSSU and was impressed by the atmosphere at both arenas.
“Our gym was electric and so was the (LJVM) Coliseum,” Eaves said.