The Winston-Salem State family ties continue to strengthen, with another son of the men’s basketball program taking over for another.
Per Chris Stiles of The Robesonian, Corey Thompson, who played at WSSU from 1998 to 2002, was announced today as the Rams’ new men’s basketball coach, replacing Cleo Hill Jr., who moved up to NCAA D1 Maryland-Eastern Shore earlier this summer.
Hill, son of the late, great Winston-Salem State legend and former NBA player Cleo Hill, led Winston-Salem to two CIAA championships and two NCAA Division II tournament appearances in six seasons on the job. Steven J. Gather of HBCU Gameday reported Monday that Thompson was the university’s choice to replace Hill.
We would like to introduce you to our new head men’s basketball coach, Corey Thompson! #GORams pic.twitter.com/fnXVRD3xHw
— WSSU Athletics (@WSSU_Athletics) July 9, 2024
WSSU Athletics on X: “We would like to introduce you to our new head men’s basketball coach, Corey Thompson! #GORams
Thompson’s most recent job was as head boys’ basketball coach at St. Pauls High School, where he compiled a 139-72 record overall, with several trips to the North Carolina playoffs. He served as an assistant coach at UNC-Pembroke and CIAA rival Fayetteville State prior to taking the St. Pauls job.
“It’s been a lot of sleepless nights, pinching myself and saying, ‘Is this actually real,’ are we going back home?” Thompson said at his introductory press conference. “And I’m so delighted to be the new men’s basketball coach. It’s a great day to be a Ram.”
WSSU athletic director Etienne Thomas said “That’s what I was looking for, that person that will continue to graduate champions at WSSU. A partner, someone who can see beyond men’s basketball and see the institution, the academy of who we are. Someone who can appreciate the legacy and history here. We had many candidates in the pool, many he had a story to tell, but you know it when you hear it, you know it when you see it.”