rbg
Postdoc
Posts: 3058
Reg: 10-20-14
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07-03-20 09:52 AM - Post#309931
In response to mrjames
ESPN looked into this possibility last week.
"Why HBCUs could again become serious options for elite basketball prospects"
https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketba ll/story...
- But due to the disparity in competition, resources and exposure, HBCU coaches are aware they're engaging in uphill battles to land some of these players out of high school. Like most mid- and low-major schools in general, eyebrows are raised when a top-50 prospect includes a non-power conference team on his list.
When asked to respond to those who might express skepticism over a five-star prospect committing to an HBCU, Blakeney responded, "I'd say they're 100 percent accurate."
"I'm very cautious with pursuing this," he continued, recalling a recent conversation he had with a ranked prospect. "I said, 'Hey, look, I'm going to be honest with you. We don't have locker rooms like a blue blood university, we don't have practice courts, our offices aren't what you would see at a blue blood. That said, do you still have interest?' I wanted to be more negative than positive with that conversation, so I don't waste my time pursuing these kids and only do it so they get their numbers up with social media and get in the conversation on a hot-button issue. I want someone that wants to be at Howard and understands what Howard is."
There's also the question: What happens if and when a five-star player does pick an HBCU? What if it doesn't work immediately?
"Wherever a five-star lands, we can't mess it up," Blakeney said. "If we mess it up, we may not have another opportunity to be able to do it."
It's too early to definitively say one of the five-star or high-major prospects talking to HBCUs this month will ultimately decide to commit to one. Williams, whose mother went to Hampton, is No. 3 in the ESPN recruiting rankings for 2023 and might not ever play college basketball. Huntley-Hatfield, the cousin of former Kentucky forward Alex Poythress, is looking at the Wildcats, Tennessee, Memphis and others. Ellis had the likes of Oregon, Louisville, UConn and Texas Tech alongside NC Central on his final eight.
That said, HBCU coaches as a whole sense a potential opening right now, and they're only going to be more aggressive in pursuing five-star prospects.
And if it does happen? It's a game-changer. -
- The social justice movements around the country and the growing mutual interest on both sides of these recruitments would seem to make a marriage between top recruits and HBCUs more likely than at any point in the past couple of decades. A ripple effect could follow.
"This trailblazing path that's trying to get re-sparked, it's already been blazed before," Collins said. "It's just time for somebody to blaze it again." -
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