Winston-Salem State Rams men's basketball
| Winston-Salem State Rams | |
|---|---|
| University | Winston-Salem State University |
| Head coach | Corey Thompson (1st season) |
| Conference | Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association |
| Location | Winston-Salem, North Carolina |
| Arena | C.E. Gaines Center (capacity: 3,200) |
| Nickname | Rams |
| Colors | Red and white |
| 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 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.
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. Alumnus Earl Williams, an American-Israeli basketball player, played for the school.
Pro basketball player Robert Colon finished his WSSU career with the seventh-highest scoring total in program history with 1,737 points. Javonte Cooke, who played one season for WSSU in 2021-22, is currently a member of the Oklahoma City Blue squad of the NBA G-League.