| Winston-Salem State Rams | |
|---|---|
 | |
| University | Winston-Salem State University |
| Head coach | Cleo Hill Jr. (4th season) |
| Conference | Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association |
| Location | Winston-Salem, North Carolina |
| Arena | LJVM Coliseum Annex (capacity: 4,000) |
| Nickname | Rams |
| Colors | Red and white[1] |
| NCAA tournament champions | |
| 1967 (NCAA Division II) | |
| NCAA tournament Final Four | |
| 1967 | |
| NCAA tournament Elite Eight | |
| 1967 | |
| NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen | |
| 1967, 1985, 1999, 2001 | |
| NCAA tournament second round | |
| 1967, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 | |
| NCAA tournament appearances | |
| 1966, 1967, 1977, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2023 | |
| Conference tournament champions | |
| 1953, 1957, 1960, 1961, 1963, 1966, 1970, 1977, 1999, 2000, 2012, 2020, 2023 | |
The Winston-Salem State Rams men's basketball team is the men's basketball team that represents Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States. The school's team currently competes in the NCAA Division II Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association. 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 (MEAC); it returned to Division II in 2010 for financial reasons.[2][3]
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 in 1982.
Noted players under Gaines' era were Earl Monroe, Cleo Hill and sports commentator and columnist Stephen A. Smith.[4][5] Alumnus Earl Williams, an American-Israeli basketball player, played for the school.
- ^ Winston-Salem State University Brand Guide (PDF). July 20, 2017. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
- ^ "Winston-Salem State jumps to Division I, joins MEAC". ESPN.com. 19 July 2006. Retrieved November 29, 2012.
- ^ "Winston-Salem ready to return to D-II, CIAA". Sporting News. Retrieved November 29, 2012.
- ^ Biography Of A Legend: Clarence "Big House" Gaines, Winston-Salem State University, April 20, 2005, Accessed December 12, 2012.
- ^ Richard Sandomir, ESPN's New Master of the Offensive Foul, The New York Times, July 31, 2005, Accessed December 12, 2012.