Congrats to Winston-Salem State University first, for winning the CIAA Championship last week. If you missed it, the Rams were the 5th seed in the CIAA Tournament and defeated the 6th seed Lincoln (PA) 62-57 to take home the title. It is the 13th title for the Rams in their history, and it also helped them earn an automatic bid in the NCAA Division II playoffs.
When you look at the roster though, there are PLENTY of familiar names that have come through the Phenom Hoops landscape, and Winston-Salem State has made it evident in recruiting the area in the past. A top-tier program that just finished the season 21-8 overall, you see plenty of names that you remember not long ago. In the championship game, Samage Teel led the charge with 14 points, while Jonathan Hicklin and Jaylon Gibson both finished 11, and Jaylen Alston and Xavier Fennell both had 8; all of which came from North Carolina and were big-time players on the Phenom Hoops platform in the past.
This is a program that takes pride in recruiting in-state prospects, as all of their players except two come from North Carolina and they will now have a chance to compete for a national title.
On the season, here are their top leading scorers and stats:
Jaylon Gibson: 29 games, 29 starts, 26.3mpg, 12.4ppg, 6.2rpg
Samage Teel: 29 games, 18 starts, 29.7mpg, 11.9ppg, 2.9rpg, 81 assists, 45 steals
Jaylen Alston: 28 games, 23 starts, 28.0mpg, 11.7ppg, 6.9rpg, 35 assists, 25 steals
Isaac Parson: 28 games, 25 starts, 30.7mpg, 10.6ppg, 3.2rpg, 86 assists
Jonathan Hicklin: 28 games, 20 starts, 6.0ppg, 2.8rpg
Nathan Springs: 18 games, 5.0ppg, 2.9rpg
DyQuavis Wilkins: 29 games, 4.3ppg, 3.5rpg
KC Shaw: 29 games, 13 starts, 3.6ppg, 2.4rpg
Jeremy Dixon: 21 games, 2.6ppg, 0.7rpg
Xavier Fennell: 29 games, 6 starts, 2.4ppg, 2.2rpg
Name after name fans and families have seen coming from North Carolina… Winston-Salem State understands the importance of reeling in talent from around the area, and it has paid off with a championship. Congrats to the Rams.