Undefeated WSSU Rams say they will stay focused

Winston Salem, North Carolina -- Even though 13th-ranked Winston-Salem State will be playing perennial loser Livingstone on Saturday, in some respects this week will be one of the toughest for coach Connell Maynor.

His task is convincing the Rams (6-0) that they still must perform at a high level to beat the Blue Bears (1-5), who have just six wins in the past seven seasons.



Maynor, however, said he senses that his team understands what's in front of it. A victory will clinch the CIAA's Southern Division title and that will get the Rams a spot in the conference-championship game on Nov. 12 in Durham.

"You have to stay focused," Maynor said. "We have bigger goals of winning the CIAA and winning playoff games and the guys understand that. We have to be prepared every week because everybody wants to beat us."



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Winston Salem State holds its first prospects camp

Winston Salem, N.C. - Coach Connell Maynor of Winston-Salem State receives emails, YouTube clips and phone calls about possible football recruits on a regular basis.

 Sorting it all out can be daunting, so Maynor and his staff held WSSU's first "prospects camp" on Thursday at Bowman Gray Stadium. Division I programs have long held the camps during the summer, but they're rare for Division II programs. "I'm not aware of any of the CIAA schools that do this," Maynor said.

About 30 high school players attended the one-day camp, paying $25 each to be evaluated by WSSU coaches and to receive advice on parts of their games on which they might need to work.

Under NCAA rules, Maynor and his coaches can't comment...

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Pursuing QBs and criminals

Former Cavalier working on gridiron and DEA career

Winston Salem, N.C. - At 6-foot-3 and 320 pounds, Justin Kee is built to enforce justice on a football field.

In his freshman year at Winston-Salem State, Kee did some of that, and he’ll likely do much more of it through the next three falls. More importantly, he’s already working toward the same mission in the classroom.

Kee, a 2009 Lakeland graduate, earned an All-CIAA (Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association) Scholar-Athlete award for the 2010-11 school year as he’s maintained a 3.0-plus GPA throughout the year. Kee, a defensive lineman for the Rams, is a Justice Studies major with the goal of becoming a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent.

“That’s exactly what I’m aiming for. I like learning about the justice system a lot and I’ve started looking at the things I want to do if I go to work for the DEA,” Kee said.

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Ex-Warrior baseball standout happy to help WSSU to first-ever title

Coach Kevin Ritsche 

GASTONIA, N.C. — Usually when a college or university starts up an athletic program, their coaches, players and fans simply hope to be competitive. So imagine what Winston-Salem University coaches, players and fans think of their Rams winning a CIAA tournament title in their first season fielding a baseball team in 37 years?

“People are really excited and happy,” said former East Gaston High standout Jordan Graham. “But when we got together last fall, we felt we could have a good team.”

But few could’ve imagined winning the school’s first-ever CIAA championship, which also means the Rams will make their first-ever NCAA Division in two weeks. That is, except for the WSSU players themselves.

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WSSU's Corders waiting for chance at the NFL

Juan Corders of Winston-Salem State hasn't made an appearance in any of the endless mock drafts on the internet. But he still hopes for the chance to make an NFL roster.

Corders, a 6-foot-2, 250-pound defensive end from Durham, has spent the past several months working hard to get noticed. He graduated from WSSU in December with a double major in business management and marketing. He also played in two HBCU all-star games, and he plans to keep his cell phone close in the coming days.



"At one of the all-star games, there were some scouts showing interest," said Corders, an All-CIAA selection last season. "I've got nothing concrete, but I feel like something will come along after the draft, and I'll get a shot."

Corders participated in the NFL Pro Day at Wake Forest in March and did fairly well, bench-pressing 225 pounds 21 times and running the 40-yard dash in 4.88 seconds.

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WSSU Rams sign six players for basketball, with five of them coming from junior college

It has been a busy offseason for coach Bobby Collins of Winston-Salem State. After losing six seniors from a team that went 19-8 and won the CIAA's Southern Division, Collins and his assistants worked overtime on the recruiting trail.

The Rams signed five junior-college players to help offset the loss of so many seniors. The Rams also signed freshman Wykevin Bazemore from Bertie High School and will also welcome 6-foot-9 center David Best, a transfer from N.C. Central.

"I'm extremely happy," Collins said. "We knew we had to really step it up in our recruiting because we had so many seniors on last year's team. I'm very pleased with how my assistant coaches worked long and hard hours to help me put this class together."


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'Gramps' leads WSSU's baseball resurgence

WSSU Rams Michael Robbins

Catcher Michael Robbins doesn't need people to remind him that he's the oldest player on the Winston-Salem State baseball team. His body does that for him. "It can get rough out there on this old dude from time to time," said Robbins, 25, "but I'm handling things pretty well."

WSSU revived the program this spring after a 37-year absence, and Robbins, a 2002 Glenn High graduate and former assistant coach there, decided he wasn't done playing.

"I just kind of kept an eye on the situation because I heard they might bring baseball back," Robbins said. "Once they brought it back, I felt like it was an opportunity, and I took advantage."

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WSSU Audit Finds $3.9 Million Athletics Deficit

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- A state audit of finances at Winston-Salem State University found a $3.9 million athletics department deficit, but the university blamed the shortfall on its decision to move its athletics programs to NCAA Division I classification.

The audit also found no means of eliminating the deficit in the coming years and that the university is using "unidentified funds" to support the athletics program.

Read Full Audit

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