HOWARD BASKETBALL

By Bilal Badruddin

Saturday, March 11 was an exciting time in Norfolk, Virginia, for alumni of Howard University and Norfolk State University, as the men’s and women’s basketball teams for both institutions made it to the championship game for the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. The Howard University men’s basketball team came from behind to win the game, marking the first NCAA Tournament berth for the team since 1992.

In women’s basketball, Howard beat Norfolk State University to reach the 2022 tournament. This led to the University’s first NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament win, when the Bison defeated University of the Incarnate Word.

In the first round of this year’s NCAA Tournament, the men’s team played against the defending national champions, the University of Kansas. The team, band, cheerleaders and dozens of alumni gathered in Des Moines, Iowa, to cheer on the men’s basketball team. While the game did not end in favor of the Bison, alumna and Vice President Kamala Harris joined in community with the team post-game.

While for many basketball teams a loss in the NCAA Tournament means the end of their season, for the men’s basketball team the work continues. Throughout the season, the men’s basketball team had been creating awareness and volunteering to support Black maternal health. During their various hotel stays, the team would collect unused hotel toiletries to donate to Mamatoto Village, a D.C.-based nonprofit focusing on Black maternal health. In the near future, the basketball team will lead a diaper drive. This team, under the leadership of Coach Kenny Blakeney, is showing the true meaning of being of “Truth and Service.”

(from the March 2023 edition of Beyond the Yard)