Rams CIAA return nets 19-8 season

Winston-Salem State's men's basketball season ended March 13 when the Rams dropped a 75-47 decision to Shaw in the opening round of the NCAA Division II tournament in West Liberty, W.Va.    

Despite the opening-round loss, WSSU finished the season with a 19-8 record and Rams head coach Bobby Collins called it a successful season: "We had a great season, and our guys were up to the challenge," Collins said.

Indeed, the Rams' return to the CIAA was a success by many standards.

For the first time in five years, the Rams finished above .500 and two players finished with All-CIAA honors: Shelton Carter and Paul Davis.

Davis, a 6-foot-9 senior power forward, led the Rams with 250 rebounds and finished third in scoring at 11.4 points per game. The forward was the top rebounder in both his junior and senior seasons. Davis was also selected as this season's CIAA Defensive Player of the Year, primarily because of his shot blocking. Davis averaged 1.2 blocks per game and has 177 blocks over his four-year career.

"Paul did a great job anchoring us in the paint this season," Collins said.

Carter, a 6-5 senior small forward, led the team in scoring at 14.1 points per game. He finished third in rebounding by yanking 123 rebounds this season.

"Shelton did great things for us early in the season to get us going," Collins said.

"His shooting kept us in a lot of our early-season games."

The Rams showed improvement in many facets. They scored more points (1,953), grabbed more rebounds (1,096) and blocked more shots (123) than last season.

The Rams also cut their turnovers from 503 last season to 459 this year.

In addition, they won the CIAA Southern Division title (7-3 division, 12-5 conference), edging Shaw by one game for the division crown.

"The CIAA tourney was a different environment and very tough," Collins said.

"The experience was incredible, and for the players it was new because they have never played for a conference title before."

Collins said that the Rams coaching staff has resumed recruiting and hopes the athletes that the staff is recruiting will make an immediate impact.

"We realize that in this conference if you don't recruit well you will fall behind and with this competition that is not where you want to be," Collins said.

The Rams are losing six seniors, three of them starters. The players are forwards Paul Davis, Corey Morris, Shelton Carter, McIntoche Alcius, and guards Andrew Jackson and Ricky Bolton Jr.

"You always plan to do better than the year before and with the players we have coming back next season I know we can do it."