WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina -- I haven’t arrived in Alabama yet but will get there later tonight to cover what has to be the biggest moment in athletics in Winston-Salem State history on Saturday.
Those players and students who were around when Coach Big House Gaines won the 1966-67 Division II basketball championship might beg to differ but Saturday’s Division II national championship game is a big deal. The 14-0 Rams will take on Valdosta State at 1 p.m. and if you can’t be in Alabama it will be live on ESPN2. Also WSJS (600) and WSNC (90.5) are scheduled to air the game on radio.
One of the things I remember about Connell Maynor’s three years here has been how he changed the culture. It used to be that winning a CIAA title was what it was all about, and then if the playoffs came, then that’s OK too.
I first noticed a big difference last season when the Rams won the CIAA title in Durham and beat Elizabeth City State. I was down on the sidelines and all Nic Cooper wanted to talk about was “the Natty.” And other players followed suit and while they were excited to have won a CIAA title that wasn’t the mindset.
Fast forward to this season and the mindset hasn’t changed. The Rams fell short last season losing in the semifinals but a win on Saturday will complete the three-year journey that Maynor and Athletics Director Bill Hayes started in the spring of 2010.
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