HBCU basketball coach picks up 43 commits in 90 days
HBCU basketball rebuilds rarely move this fast, but Winston-Salem State men’s basketball coach Jay Butler is not treating his first offseason like a slow reset.
Butler has been on the job roughly 90 days. In that time, Winston-Salem State has introduced several signees, brought in a much larger group of prospects and started laying the foundation for one of the more ambitious turnarounds in the CIAA.
That urgency isn’t preference — it’s necessary. WSSU finished 7-19 last season, closing the year with a first-round CIAA Tournament loss to Bluefield State. The Rams went 2-14 in CIAA play, a long way from the standard attached to the C.E. Gaines Center.
Butler knows the standard. He played at Virginia Union under legendary coach Dave Robbins. The former point guard coached at Virginia Union for 11 years. He has won in the CIAA and in the NCAA Division II Tournament. Now he is trying to do at WSSU what Tierra Terry did on the women’s side: walk into a proud HBCU program and change the conversation quickly.
“We just had the opportunity to bring in 43 guys in about 90 days,” Butler said Tuesday. “So, I’m excited about the kids coming in. We got a group of guys in summer school right now.”
That number does not mean WSSU has announced 43 signees. It does show Butler’s approach. He is casting a wide net, creating competition and trying to build a deeper basketball ecosystem than the Rams had last season.
“For me, the last 20-plus years, my goals always been, we want to win 20-plus games,” Butler said. “My main thing is we want to be playing on Saturday night. You know, I think the Ramily, they deserve it.”
WSSU adding size, guards and experience
The announced Winston-Salem State University men’s basketball signees give a clearer picture of Butler’s first roster-building push.
Antonio Williams, a 6-foot-7 forward from Hopkinsville, KY, comes from Three Rivers Community College. He averaged 12.3 points and seven rebounds last season, giving WSSU an immediate frontcourt piece with junior college production.
David Solomon III gives WSSU another big body. The 6-foot-8, 265-pound forward/center comes from Santa Monica College, where he started 27 of 28 games during the 2024-25 season.
DeJaun Sidney, a 6-foot-8 forward from Raleigh, gives the Rams another long frontcourt option. He previously played at Pfeiffer after transferring from St. Augustine’s. There’s also Kevon Corley, a former CIAA Rookie of the Year from Bowie State.
On the perimeter, Butler has added several guards. Blake Bartney, a 6-foot-1 combo guard from Wake Forest, NC, comes from Brunswick Community College. Region 10 statistics listed him as a contributor for Brunswick, and his high school profile at Millbrook showed a guard who averaged 7.8 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.5 assists as a senior.
Ronald Bridges Jr. may be one of the most intriguing additions because he already knows the CIAA. The 6-foot-4 combo guard comes from Lincoln University of Pennsylvania. He led Lincoln with 22 points and seven rebounds in a January win over Bowie State. He averaged nearly 13 points and almost five rebounds last season.
WSSU also announced TJ Williams, a 6-foot-3 shooting guard from Bolingbrook High School in Illinois. His addition fits what Butler said he wants long-term: not just transfers, but players he can develop.
Butler wants development, not just quick fixes
The transfer portal matters. Butler knows that. But his comments have consistently pointed toward something larger than a patchwork roster.
At his introductory press conference, Butler said WSSU planned to create a developmental team, a redshirt group and a varsity team. With that in perspective, the large net makes sense.
The plan sounds aggressive, but it fits Butler’s résumé. WSSU’s official announcement noted that Butler brought more than two decades of college coaching experience, a 372-239 career record, nine 20-win seasons and eight NCAA Division II Tournament appearances to Winston-Salem State. It also said he was named CIAA Coach of the Year for the third time after last season.
That background gives him credibility when he talks about rebuilding quickly.
“I’m excited,” Butler said. “Coach Tory and Coach Terry, they good friends of mine. I had opportunity, like I said, I worked with Coach Terry at Virginia Union. So we formed a relationship. We’re very close.”
That connection is important. Terry came from Virginia Union and led WSSU women’s basketball to a historic first season. The Lady Rams finished 28-4, won the program’s first CIAA Tournament championship and reached the NCAA Division II Sweet 16. (Winston-Salem State University)
Butler saw that up close.
“I watched her win the CIAA, make history,” Butler said. “We both went to the NCAA last year, and she won one more game than me. So, she got one up. She put a little bit of pressure on me coming into Winston.”
The Gaines Center standard still matters
For Butler, this Winston-Salem rebuild is not just about roster numbers. It is about place.
The C.E. Gaines Center still carries weight in HBCU basketball. It is named for Clarence “Big House” Gaines, one of the giants of college basketball. Butler now sits in the office once occupied by Gaines.
“You talking about sitting in the chair with Big House, his office, and it’s just a surreal feeling,” Butler said. “These are some of the coaches that — they Hall of Famers.”
Butler said he wants his work at WSSU to eventually belong in that kind of conversation.
“I say one day that’s something that I’m chasing,” Butler said. “I just hope, at the end of my time here at Winston, my body of work could be remembered with some of the greatest.”
That will take wins. It will take recruiting and development. It will also take reconnecting with a fan base that still remembers what WSSU men’s basketball is supposed to feel like.
“As an opposing coach, I thought the atmosphere was probably top of the country,” Butler said. “I’m looking forward to playing in the Gaines Center.”
Butler said WSSU has been an easy sell because of its resources, city, alumni and tradition.
“You can’t go anywhere without having someone that’s an alum from WSSU,” Butler said. “I’m enjoying the moment. It’s been the best 90 days of my life right now.”
For WSSU, the first 90 days have been about volume and momentum. The next step is turning signees, prospects and belief into a team capable of playing deep into CIAA Saturday night.
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This story was originally published July 8, 2026 at 10:34 AM.