Winthrop Eagles men's basketball

The Winthrop Eagles men's basketball team represents Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina, United States and competes in the Big South Conference. The Eagles hired former Xavier assistant coach Pat Kelsey in 2012 as men's basketball head coach to replace Randy Peele. Winthrop plays their home games in the 6,100 seat Winthrop Coliseum. Winthrop has appeared in 10 NCAA Tournaments and has won 10 conference season championships and 12 conference tournament championships. The Eagles have played 42 seasons of basketball since their inaugural 1978–79 campaign.

Winthrop Eagles
2019–20 Winthrop Eagles men's basketball team
UniversityWinthrop University
First season1978-79
Athletic directorKen Halpin
Head coachPat Kelsey (8th season)
ConferenceBig South
LocationRock Hill, South Carolina
ArenaWinthrop Coliseum
(Capacity: 6,100)
NicknameEagles
ColorsGarnet and Gold[1]
         
Uniforms
Home
Away
Alternate
NCAA Tournament Round of 32
2007
NCAA Tournament Appearances
1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2017
Conference Tournament Champions
1988, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2017, 2020
Conference Regular Season Champions
1999, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2016, 2017, 2020
Xavier Cooks shooting a free throw against VCU (2017).

Rise to mid-major prominence

During the late 1990's and 2000's, Winthrop established itself as one of the most successful mid-major programs in college basketball, reaching the NCAA Tournament eight times in 10 seasons. From 1998–2008, the Eagles posted a 216–95 overall record and went 114–28 in Big South play. During this stretch, Winthrop defeated programs from major conferences like the ACC (Clemson, Georgia Tech, Miami), Big East (Marquette, Missouri, Notre Dame, Providence), and SEC (Georgia, Mississippi State).[2]

Since 2004, Winthrop has defeated over 30 non-conference D1 teams including: Akron, Alabama State, Appalachian State, Auburn (SEC), East Carolina, Eastern Kentucky, East Tennessee State, Furman, Georgia Southern, Illinois (Big 10), Jacksonville University, James Madison, Manhattan College, Montana State, Northern Illinois, Ohio University, Old Dominion, Saint Mary's, St. Louis, University of Illinois-Chicago, Portland, San Diego, Wake Forest (ACC), and William & Mary.[2] Winthrop beat the ACC, SEC, and Big 10 schools at the opposing school.

Steve Vacendak era (1986–1992)

Former Duke point guard and ACC Player of the Year, Steve Vacendak coached the Eagles from 1986-1992. In Winthrop's second season as a Division I program, he led the 4th seeded eagles to their first Big South tournament victory.[3]

Dan Kenney era (1993–1998)

Dan Kenney was the head coach of the eagles during the mid-1990's and finished his tenure with a record of 51-113. WU athletic director Tom Hickman reportedly said that Kenney graduated his players, ran a clean, upstanding program and did everything ``first class″ but had to be relieved of his coaching duties because the school could no longer carry his losing record.[4]

Gregg Marshall era (1998–2007)

Gregg Marshall coached the Eagles from 1998–2007, engineering one of the great program turnarounds in NCAA history. In just his first season at the helm, he led the eagles to a 21–8 record and an appearance in the 1999 Men's Division 1 Tournament. This success continued as his team would go on to make the Tournament in each of the next three seasons, establishing a winning tradition that would last into the 2010s. Overall, he posted a 194–83 overall record during his nine-year tenure and remains Winthrop's all-time winningest coach. Marshall led the Eagles to a 104–24 conference record, six Big South season titles, and seven Big South tournament titles. Winthrop appeared in seven NCAA Tournaments, posted six 20-win seasons, and averaged 21.5 victories per year during the Marshall Era. In April 2007, Marshall left Winthrop to become the head coach at Wichita State.

Randy Peele era (2007–2012)

Randy Peele posted a 77–82 overall record (48–38 Big South) as head coach from 2007–2012. He led the Eagles to one Big South season title and two Big South tournament titles. In addition, Peele's 2010–11 squad defeated Wake Forest in Winston-Salem. Winthrop appeared in two NCAA Tournaments and notched one 20-win season under Peele's leadership. Randy Peele was relieved of his coaching duties at Winthrop on March 5, 2012.[5]

Pat Kelsey era (2012–Present)

Former Xavier and Wake Forest assistant Pat Kelsey was announced as Winthrop's new coach on March 29, 2012.[6] Through eight seasons with the Eagles, Kelsey is 163-93 (.636) overall and 93–45 (.674) in the Big South and has led Winthrop to two Big South season championships (2016, 2017), two Big South tournament championships (2017, 2020), and three Big South Tournament runner-up finishes (2014, 2015, 2016). In 2019-20, Kelsey's Eagles led the Big South in assists, rebounding offense, offensive rebounds, defensive rebounds, 3-pt field goals made, scoring offense, and scoring margin.[7]

Winthrop Coliseum

Under Kelsey, the Eagles' style of play has typically exhibited a fast-paced, high scoring offense and pack line defense. Kelsey's Eagles have broken multiple school records in categories such as free throw accuracy, blocked shots, three-pointers made, offensive pace,[8] and points scored in a single game.[9]

With the help of assistant coaches like Brian Kloman,[10] Kelsey has developed a successful local and international recruiting pipeline and has signed some of the top players in WU's history. This includes Winthrop's all-time leading rebounder[11] and shot-blocker,[8] Xavier Cooks, and Winthrop's all-time leading scorer, Keon Johnson.[12] In recent years, the program has received commitments from D2 transfer Chandler Vaudrin, the 2017-18 national leader in triple-doubles,[13] Josh Corbin and Jamal King, two ESPN 3-star recruits,[14][15] and DJ Burns, an ESPN 4-star recruit and transfer from the University of Tennessee.[16][17]

2006-07 Season: Top 25 and Round of 32

Winthrop achieved its greatest success in 2007, as it went 29–5 under Coach Marshall and finished #22 nationally in both the AP and Coaches' Final Polls. The Eagles posted a perfect 14–0 mark in conference play, winning the Big South regular season championship. Notable regular season non-conference victories included wins against Mississippi State and Old Dominion. Each of Winthrop's four regular season losses came at the hand of a Top 25 opponent, with two of the games decided by single-digit margins. They lost to the #2 program in the country (UNC) by seven points.

After winning the Big South Tournament, the Eagles were given a #11 seed in the NCAA Tournament and a First Round matchup against #6 seed Notre Dame. On March 16, 2007 (day before St. Patrick's Day), Winthrop defeated the Irish by a score of 74–64, becoming the first Big South men's basketball team to win an NCAA Tournament First Round game. In the Round of 32, the Eagles lost to #3 seed Oregon by a score of 75–61 to close out their season.

Postseason

NCAA Tournament results

Winthrop has appeared in ten NCAA Tournaments and has a combined record of 1–10. The Eagles have twice appeared in the tournament's Opening Round and participated in its debut contest in 2001.

Year Seed Round Opponent Result
1999#16First Round#1 AuburnL 80–41
2000#14First Round#3 OklahomaL 74–50
2001#16Opening Round#16 Northwestern StateL 71–67
2002#16First Round#1 DukeL 84–37
2005#14First Round#3 GonzagaL 74–64
2006#15First Round#2 TennesseeL 63–61
2007#11First Round
Second Round		#6 Notre Dame
#3 Oregon		W 74–64
L 75–61
2008#13First Round#4 Washington StateL 71–40
2010#16Opening Round#16 Arkansas–Pine BluffL 61–44
2017#13First Round#4 ButlerL 76–64

Conference Championships
  • 1988 Big South (tourney) – Winthrop went 17–13 overall and won the Big South Tournament.
  • 1999 Big South (season & tourney) – Winthrop went 21–8 overall and 9–1 in Big South play.
  • 2000 Big South (tourney) – Winthrop went 21–9 overall and 11–3 in Big South play.
  • 2001 Big South (tourney) – Winthrop went 18–13 overall and 11–3 in Big South play.
  • 2002 Big South (season & tourney) – Winthrop went 19–12 overall and 10–4 in Big South play.
  • 2003 Big South (season) – Winthrop went 20–10 overall and 11–3 in Big South play.
  • 2005 Big South (season & tourney) – Winthrop went 27–6 overall and 15–1 in Big South play.
  • 2006 Big South (season & tourney) – Winthrop went 23–8 overall and 13–3 in Big South play.
  • 2007 Big South (season & tourney) – Winthrop went 29–5 overall and 14–0 in Big South play.
  • 2008 Big South (season & tourney) – Winthrop went 22–12 overall and 10–4 in Big South play.
  • 2010 Big South (tourney) – Winthrop went 19–14 overall and 12–6 in Big South play.
  • 2016 Big South (season) – Winthrop went 23–9 overall and 13–5 in Big South play.
  • 2017 Big South (season & tourney) – Winthrop went 26–6 overall and 15–3 in Big South play.
  • 2020 Big South (season & tourney) – Winthrop went 24–10 overall and 15–3 in Big South play.

Facilities

Winthrop Coliseum (1982–present): 6,100-seat multi-purpose arena in Rock Hill, South Carolina.

Winthrop Coliseum

Player awards

Big South Men's Basketball Player of the Year

Big South Men's Basketball Freshman of the Year

  • Tyson Waterman (1996)
  • Tyrone Walker (2001)
  • DJ Burns (2020)[20]

Big South Men's Basketball Defensive Player of the Year

  • Mantoris Robinson (2009 & 2010)

Big South Men's Basketball All-Decade Team (2010-2019)

NCAA statistical leaders
  • In 2006, James Shuler made 18 out of 18 free-throws in a single game to lead the nation in highest single game free-throw percentage.[22]
  • In 2007, Michael Jenkins made 12 three-point shots in a single game to lead the nation in most three-point field goals made in a single game.[22]
  • In 2019, Winthrop averaged 12.4 made threes to lead the nation in three-point field goals per game.[23]
  • In 2020, Chase Claxton shot 81.2% to lead the nation in two-point shooting average.[24]
  • In 2020, Winthrop pulled 1388 rebounds to lead the nation in total rebounds.[25]

NBA Summer League Players

FIBA World Cup Players
  • Craig Bradshaw - New Zealand (2006)[31]
  • Xavier Cooks - Australia (2019). Cooks made the Australian Boomers team but did not compete in the 2019 World Cup due to an injury.[32]

Olympians
  • Craig Bradshaw, power-forward and center for the Eagles from 2003–2007, played with New Zealand in the 2004 and 2008 Olympic games.
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References
  1. "Winthrop University Art Sheet" (PDF). WinthropEagles.com. September 10, 2019. Retrieved March 11, 2020.
  2. "Winthrop Eagles". Winthrop University. Retrieved 2018-04-05.
  3. "Men's college basketball conference tournament champions that (almost) no one saw coming | NCAA.com". www.ncaa.com. Retrieved 2020-07-18.
  4. "Kenney Out as Winthrop Coach". AP NEWS. Retrieved 2020-07-18.
  5. Winthrop Eagles fire Randy Peele as basketball coach – ESPN
  6. Winthrop Eagles make Pat Kelsey men's basketball coach – ESPN
  7. "Big South Conference - 2019-2020 Men's Basketball Overall Statistics". bigsouthsports.com. Retrieved 2020-06-16.
  8. "Winthrop Eagles". winthropeagles.com. Retrieved 2018-09-19.
  9. "Recap: WU vs. Pfeiffer". Blogging the WU. 2018-11-14. Retrieved 2018-11-14.
  10. "What led to Winthrop basketball success recruiting internationally, especially in Oz?". heraldonline. Retrieved 2018-09-19.
  11. "Xavier Cooks became Winthrop's all-time leading rebounder as the Eagles dropped Radford". miamiherald. Retrieved 2018-09-19.
  12. "Ex-Tyger Keon Johnson breaks Winthrop U. scoring record". Mansfield News Journal. Retrieved 2018-09-19.
  13. "Who is Winthrop basketball's new mustachioed triple-double king?". heraldonline. Retrieved 2018-09-19.
  14. "Winthrop roundup: Eagles men's basketball lands three commitments". heraldonline. Retrieved 2018-09-19.
  15. "Jamal King - Basketball Recruiting - Player Profiles - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2018-10-18.
  16. "Tennessee basketball's D.J. Burns transfers to Winthrop". Knoxville News Sentinel. Retrieved 2019-07-12.
  17. "Ex-Vols forward DJ Burns heading to Winthrop". ESPN.com. 2019-07-11. Retrieved 2020-03-31.
  18. "Winthrop's Keon Johnson voted Big South player of the year". heraldonline. Retrieved 2018-03-31.
  19. "Big South Conference - Big South Announces 2017-18 Men's Basketball Award Winners". bigsouthsports.com. Retrieved 2018-03-31.
  20. "Burns Jr. Voted Big South Freshman Of The Year, Eagles Garner Six Honors". Winthrop University Athletics. Retrieved 2020-03-03.
  21. "Big South Announces 2010-19 Men's Basketball All-Decade Team". Big South Conference. Retrieved 2020-06-15.
  22. pbrock (2013-11-27). "NCAA Men's Basketball Records Books". NCAA.org - The Official Site of the NCAA. Retrieved 2018-10-18.
  23. "NCAA Statistics". stats.ncaa.org. Retrieved 2019-07-12.
  24. "2020 NCAA tournament preview: Get to know Big South champion Winthrop | NCAA.com". www.ncaa.com. Retrieved 2020-03-13.
  25. "NCAA College Men's Basketball DI current team Stats | NCAA.com". www.ncaa.com. Retrieved 2020-03-21.
  26. inspirationalbasketball.com https://inspirationalbasketball.com/basketball-interview-former-winthrop-university-and-professional-overseas-basketball-player-pierre-wooten/. Retrieved 2019-07-01. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  27. Income, Net (2014-07-04). "For Summer League's Jenkins, a last chance at NBA". NetsDaily. Retrieved 2019-07-01.
  28. "Gavin Joins NBA's Orlando Magic For 2016 Summer League". Winthrop University Athletics. Retrieved 2019-07-01.
  29. "Warriors' Xavier Cooks: Joining Golden State for summer league". CBSSports.com. Retrieved 2019-07-01.
  30. "NBA Summer League news, rosters: Australians in Summer League, Mitch Creek, Isaac Humphries, Xavier Cooks". Fox Sports. 2019-06-27. Retrieved 2019-07-01.
  31. "Big ask for Bradshaw, Tall Blacks". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 2019-09-04.
  32. "FIBA World Cup 2019: Australian Boomers forward Xavier Cooks will miss tournament with knee injury". www.sportingnews.com. Retrieved 2019-09-04.
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