Now with college football ending soon, Black college basketball should be moving in the weekly spotlight, especially women's hoops.
Jackson State plays at Minnesota Wednesday Dec. 11. It is the first of two HBCUs scheduled to play the Gophers this season - Prairie View A&M visits on Dec. 20.
"It's an exciting time to be part of the SWAC," declared PVAM Coach Sandy Pugh, now in her sixth season. A four-time SWAC Coach of the Year, the nearly 20-year veteran coach have to her credit seven conference regular season titles, four tourney crowns, four NCAA berths and four NIT appearances.
"I think in this league, in this conference, by far our coaches are exceptional and can coach at any level," reaffirmed Pugh. "This conference has come a long way in a short period of time and so have the quality of coaches."
"We really have done a phenomenal job of putting together a product of excellence at A&M," added Dawn Thornton, who was hired at Alabama A&M this past April. She brings a ton of coaching experience, including nine seasons at Prairie View.
"When the A&M job came around, what was very intriguing to me is to understand the brand of A&M represent," recalled the HC. What attracted me to A&M was (the) administration," namely school president Dr. Daniel K. Wims, Thornton pointed out. "He has done a phenomenal job for our department of athletics.
"If you are going to have success, you have to have support from administration, and we have that," stressed Thornton.
The first-year coach pointed out that HBCU women's hoops' time to shine is coming: "We have done a real good job pushing the athletic and academic side. We want our platform. We want to playing in front of a crowd and make it about us," surmised Thornton.
The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) announced on Monday the five members of the 2025 Hall of Fame Class. The group will be officially enshrined during the week of the 2025 MEAC Basketball Tournament.
Two former local prep stars received top performers recognition for their past week individual performances:
Joshua Strong (Howard) - Had nine points, four steals, two assists and a rebound against No. 14 Cincinnati
Kierra Wheeler (Norfolk State) - Scored 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in a win over St. Louis