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.
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, Big East, and SEC.Since 2004, Winthrop has defeated over 30 non-conference D1 teams including: Akron, Alabama State, Appalachian State, Auburn, East Carolina, Eastern Kentucky, East Tennessee State, Furman, Georgia Southern, Illinois, 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, and William & Mary. 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.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.Gregg Marshall era (1998–2007)
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)
posted a 77–82 overall record 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.Pat Kelsey era (2012–Present)
Former Xavier and Wake Forest assistant Pat Kelsey was announced as Winthrop's new coach on March 29, 2012. Through eight seasons with the Eagles, Kelsey is 163-93 overall and 93–45 in the Big South and has led Winthrop to two Big South season championships, two Big South tournament championships, and three Big South Tournament runner-up finishes. 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.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, and points scored in a single game.With the help of assistant coaches like Brian Kloman, 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 and shot-blocker, Xavier Cooks, and Winthrop's all-time leading scorer, Keon Johnson. In recent years, the program has received commitments from D2 transfer Chandler Vaudrin, the 2017-18 national leader in triple-doubles, Josh Corbin and Jamal King, two ESPN 3-star recruits, and DJ Burns, an ESPN 4-star recruit and transfer from the University of Tennessee.
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 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, 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.| 1999 | #16 | First Round | #1 Auburn | L 80–41 |
| 2000 | #14 | First Round | #3 Oklahoma | L 74–50 |
| 2001 | #16 | Opening Round | #16 Northwestern State | L 71–67 |
| 2002 | #16 | First Round | #1 Duke | L 84–37 |
| 2005 | #14 | First Round | #3 Gonzaga | L 74–64 |
| 2006 | #15 | First Round | #2 Tennessee | L 63–61 |
| 2007 | #11 | First Round Second Round | #6 Notre Dame
| W 74–64L 75–61 |
| 2008 | #13 | First Round | #4 Washington State | L 71–40 |
| 2010 | #16 | Opening Round | #16 Arkansas–Pine Bluff | L 61–44 |
| 2017 | #13 | First Round | #4 Butler | L 76–64 |
| 2020 |
Conference Championships
- 1988 Big South – Winthrop went 17–13 overall and won the Big South Tournament.
- 1999 Big South – Winthrop went 21–8 overall and 9–1 in Big South play.
- 2000 Big South – Winthrop went 21–9 overall and 11–3 in Big South play.
- 2001 Big South – Winthrop went 18–13 overall and 11–3 in Big South play.
- 2002 Big South – Winthrop went 19–12 overall and 10–4 in Big South play.
- 2003 Big South – Winthrop went 20–10 overall and 11–3 in Big South play.
- 2005 Big South – Winthrop went 27–6 overall and 15–1 in Big South play.
- 2006 Big South – Winthrop went 23–8 overall and 13–3 in Big South play.
- 2007 Big South – Winthrop went 29–5 overall and 14–0 in Big South play.
- 2008 Big South – Winthrop went 22–12 overall and 10–4 in Big South play.
- 2010 Big South – Winthrop went 19–14 overall and 12–6 in Big South play.
- 2016 Big South – Winthrop went 23–9 overall and 13–5 in Big South play.
- 2017 Big South – Winthrop went 26–6 overall and 15–3 in Big South play.
- 2020 Big South – Winthrop went 24–10 overall and 15–3 in Big South play.
Facilities
Player awards
Big South Men's Basketball Player of the Year- Fred McKinnon
- Greg Lewis
- Keon Johnson
- Xavier Cooks
- Tyson Waterman
- Tyrone Walker
- DJ Burns
- Mantoris Robinson
- Keon Johnson
- Xavier Cooks
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.
- 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.
- In 2019, Winthrop averaged 12.4 made threes to lead the nation in three-point field goals per game.
- In 2020, Chase Claxton shot 81.2% to lead the nation in two-point shooting average.
- In 2020, Winthrop pulled 1388 rebounds to lead the nation in total rebounds.
NBA Summer League Players
- Pierre Wooten - Denver Nuggets, Charlotte Bobcats, and New Orleans Hornets
- Michael Jenkins - Brooklyn Nets
- Jimmy Gavin - Orlando Magic
- Xavier Cooks - Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns
FIBA World Cup Players
- Craig Bradshaw - New Zealand
- Xavier Cooks - Australia. Cooks made the Australian Boomers team but did not compete in the 2019 World Cup due to an injury.
Olympians
- Craig Bradshaw, power-forward and center for the Eagles from 2003–2007, played with New Zealand in the 2004 and 2008 Olympic games.