WSSU’s Collins optimistic about next season

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina  --  Bobby Collins’ office at the Gaines Center was unusually quiet Tuesday morning.

Collins, who just completed his seventh season as the men’s basketball coach at Winston-Salem State, tried to sum up a season where there were plenty of highs and a few lows. The Rams’ season ended Saturday in yet another first-round loss in the Atlantic Region of the NCAA Division II Tournament.
 The Rams let a late lead slip away in a 69-67 loss to Slippery Rock. The Rams were the No. 2 seed in the Atlantic Region and were upset by the No. 7 seed.

“It just wasn’t meant to be for us,” Collins said about the loss that ended their season with a 21-7 record.

It was the third straight season that the Rams lost in the first round — and for seven seniors, it was the end of their careers.

There were high expectations at WSSU with such a veteran team coming back. The Rams were the preseason favorite to repeat as CIAA champions but they lost to Bowie State in the semifinals of the conference tournament, and — despite two weeks between games — they never recovered before losing to Slippery Rock.

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