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At the beginning of the season, Coach Ron Woodard knew his Claflin University men's basketball team would be good. He didn't know just how good.
Entering the final year of transition to NCAA Division II, Woodard also knew that his team would not be eligible for postseason play or NCAA rankings. Still, the team went on to make school history with a 24-2 regular season record, beating many teams in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, where they hope to play next season.
Unable to garner the awards it deserved, the Claflin Panthers' season was still incredibly rewarding, culminating with a ninth place ranking among all HBCUs in the nation, across divisions, in the end-of-the-season Black College Sports poll.
"I knew that because of the transition, we would not be eligible for NCAA rankings," Coach Woodard said. "With the season we had, I was hoping we would be ranked among HBCUs. There were two things that (Athletics Director) Dr. (Timothy) Autry and I were pushing for this season - we wanted to make sure we got our team statistics into the SIAC Conference and to make sure we had a strong chance to be ranked in the top 10 among HBCUs. This is very rewarding."
Claflin's record was the best among all HBCUs this season. The men's team earned its ranking after "posting a sterling 24-2 record mostly against SIAC competition," according to BCSP editor Lut Williams. Claflin's wins include SIAC champion Benedict College, who is ranked number one by BCSP.
"One thing we want to accomplish here at Claflin is having national and global exposure," said Woodard. "This is a milestone. I feel good about it. However, we also put ourselves out in the forefront. We will be a target as well. Maintaining our success will be a challenge."
Claflin University has been transitioning from NAIA to NCAA Division II since 2004 when it entered its exploratory phase. Since then, it has been competing for membership and should get a final decision by July, according to Dr. Autry.
Autry said the ranking will hopefully be a catalyst for excellence in not only basketball but all of Claflin's athletic programs.
"I'm very excited that we were able to accomplish that type of feat early, certainly moving into Division II," Autry said of the number nine ranking. "Credit goes to our players but support comes from everyone, up to the president down. We get 110 percent support from President Tisdale. I hope we are setting the tone for more success in the fall when we'll be eligible for a championship. We want to set that milestone in all of our programs, even though basketball is our signature sport. I hope we continue to take this momentum into full membership."
Dr. Autry is confident that the Claflin athletics program will earn full membership into the NCAA.
"We're on track," he said. "They have changed the rules twice since we started the transition. I feel confident we have met all of our requirements. We have had good compliance and blueprint reviews. The SIAC will visit next to determine our readiness to move on. I feel sure the SIAC site visit team will recommend us going into the SIAC for membership."
Both Woodard and Autry are proud of the players, not just this season but past seasons players who also helped build the program. Coach Woodard said he has a lot of players coming back next season and the team's success has helped with recruiting. Dr. Autry said the stability of the program has been the biggest key to success.
"The success of the programs is due in large part to stability and consistency in coaching," he said. "That's the way you build a successful athletic program - maintain stability. You don't want to change coaches every year. The teams had the commitment and chemistry to have successful runs this season."