The Winthrop men’s basketball team has a fresh new look for the 2020-2021 season. The team’s social media accounts released pictures last week of sophomore Jamal King wearing a new white uniform, while redshirt junior Adonis Arms sported garnet (as opposed to the black uniform the team has worn the last few years).
“I love the jerseys. Tighter and fresher than last year,” said sophomore guard Russell Jones Jr. “I’m a bigger fan of the white, personally.”
The team also announced that it will begin the season in Louisville, Kentucky as one of nine schools participating in the Wade Hampton Tipoff Classic. The Eagles’ first matchup will be against the Seton Hall Pirates on Nov. 25.
Winthrop will face a total of five opponents at the KFC Yum! Center, with games against UNC Greensboro (Nov. 27), Southern Illinois (Nov. 29), Duquesne (Dec. 1) and Little Rock (Dec. 4).
“[The] team I’m most excited to play at the [multiteam event] is Seton Hall because that’s Power 5 and we get to showcase how good we are against them,” Jones Jr. said. “I think we’re going to match up well against the other teams. We’re a great team and we’re going to have to go up there and show that. It’ll be really fun to play that competition.”
The Big South Conference also released its league schedule last week. Winthrop will play 20 conference games (two against every opponent), and games will be played on consecutive days at the same location to reduce travel.
The Eagles will see their first conference action against USC Upstate, with games in Spartanburg on Dec. 12 and 13. Winthrop will then host its first conference opponent in Rock Hill on Dec. 30 and 31, with games against the Campbell Fighting Camels. Winthrop will also host Longwood, Hampton, Gardner-Webb and UNC Asheville for back-to-backs, with doubleheaders on the road against High Point, Presbyterian, Charleston Southern and Radford.
“I think it will make it harder because we have to make sure we’re locked in for playing the same team back-to-back days,” Jones Jr. said. “We’re capable of doing that, but that is always a challenge for teams to stay positive and enthusiastic about playing the same team twice. Especially with some schools not having fans.”
Winthrop played games on consecutive days only once last season, during the program’s first-ever trip to the state of California. The Eagles lost on a buzzer–beater to Fresno State on Nov. 10 but bounced back the following night to defeat the St. Mary’s Gaels, who were ranked No. 18 in the country at the time.
With 25 games on the schedule, Winthrop is currently in line to play six fewer regular–season games than last season. However, it’s likely that more games could be announced before the season tips off.
“At this time we are still trying to finalize the schedule,” Winthrop Athletic Director Ken Halpin told The Johnsonian in an email. “It has been incredibly difficult to finalize but we do hope to announce more games soon.“
Before it became evident that this season would be different due to COVID-19, Winthrop was set to play games against Elon, Furman, Coastal Carolina, Hartford and LSU. Winthrop was not included on LSU’s schedule announcement last week, but it remains to be seen if any of these other contests will still occur this season.
Photo courtesy of Winthrop Athletics
