Winthrop draws Washington State in East Regional

ROCK HILL — Winthrop's NCAA run isn't done yet.

The Eagles (22-11) came into the season without their longtime coach and with hearts heavy from the death of beloved teammate DeAndre Adams. They ended the year like they usually do, celebrating its latest trip to the NCAA Tournament.

Winthrop will take on fourth-seeded Washington State in the NCAA's East Regional on Thursday in Denver.

'I felt like there was a sense this year of redemption and payback for our program,' said first-year coach Randy Peele, an Eagles assistant the previous four seasons under Gregg Marshall.

Marshall had led Winthrop to its greatest basketball moments including a first-round NCAA upset of Notre Dame a year ago. After that season, Marshall left for the job at Wichita State.

Then in May, the Eagles were devastated by Adams' death. The 20-year-old guard died from injuries he suffered in car accident.

'He's one of the best people you'll ever meet,' said Winthrop guard Michael Jenkins.

If it sounds like too much to overcome, you don't know Winthrop.

'I thought we showed some character and grit,' Peele said.

Peele's hiring galvanized the players after Marshall's departure. And Peele was there for the grief and pain the Eagles' felt for Adams.

'If they weren't going to get coach Peele, I don't know if we'd have the same team we have right now,' senior Chris Gaynor said.

Things felt odd when practice began in October, Jenkins said. Slowly, though, the Eagles found their way back to basketball success.

Last year's team was led by Torrell Martin, Craig Bradshaw and Phillip Williams, who accounted for roughly half of Winthrop's 74.9-point a game average in 2006-07. Some felt that was impossible to make up.

Instead, Winthrop's senior class of Jenkins, Gaynor, Antwon Harris and Taj McCullough proved it wasn't.

The team, Gaynor said, gained focus soon after a second-round loss to Oregon ended its NCAA run and pledged to return to the 'Dance' in 2008.

'We have four seniors who, the whole time they've been here, have said they never want to let this team not go out on top,' Gaynor said.

Winthrop showed its potential early on, defeating Georgia Tech of the Atlantic Coast Conference at the Paradise Jam in November.

The Eagles won at Miami a month later. But they were swept by UNC Asheville, losing the Big South tournament's top seed to the Bulldogs.

In the tournament finals, Winthrop showed it would take a little bit more to end its decade-long run, topping UNC Asheville, 66-48, on the Bulldogs' home floor to capture their eighth Big South title since 1999.

'This is the most special ring we're ever going to get,' Jenkins said. 'It was the best one to me and I'm ready to make even more special.'

Remembrances of Adams were everywhere. The players' championship T-shirts included Adams' No. 24.

The 1,200-or-so fans at the Winthrop Coliseum cheered during a pre-announcement highlight reel. They gave Peele a loud, standing ovation for his first championship.

The crowd didn't have to wait long to go crazy one last time, Winthrop's name popped up as the first bracket, the East, was read on TV.

'They said it couldn't be done. They said we lost three very good players and it was a time for things to change,' Peele said. 'Well guess what. Things didn't change and we're in our rightful place.'

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