Chicago HBCU Hardwood Classic Announces Game Schedule
The Chicago HBCU Hardwood Classic (CHHCS) called a press conference to expose Chicago’s youth to what HBCU’s (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) have to offer. The event was held at the Emil and Patricia A. Jones Convocation Center on the campus of Chicago State University, located at 9501 S. King Dr. Community members, clergy and local HBCU alumni attended.
The Chicago HBCU Hardwood Classic is a showcase series of NCAA/NAIA college basketball events where over 15,000 alumni and basketball fans of all ages attend.
“We’re pledging a commitment to our community and we’re making sure we create a future generation of leaders,” said Prentiss Hill, the Founder and President of BCSG, LLC (Black College Sports Group) “We felt that HBCU basketball, since Chicago is such a basketball town, has a place here in Chicago. There are so many things we could do to give back to the community.”
Hill came to Chicago soon after graduating from Tennessee State University, another HBCU, with an engineering degree and he began working at Chicago State University. He has now branched out on his own and started BCSG, LLC, to bring the excellence and opportunity of HBCU Athletics and Academics to cities across the country, starting with Chicago.
“I got my start in college sports right here at Chicago State,” Hill says. “Under the administration that was here at the time, I learned how to understand Chicago sports. What it had and what it was missing.”
The schedule of the Chicago HBCU Classic Series, scheduled to take place at Chicago State’s Jacoby Dickens Center, is as follows:
Windy City Hardwood Classic on Saturday, November 14:
Dillard University (New Orleans, LA) vs. Paul Quinn College (Dallas, TX)
Wilberforce University (Wilberforce, OH) vs. Kentucky State University (Frankfort, KY)
Harris-Stowe State University (St. Louis, MO) vs. Central State University (Wilberforce, OH)
HBCU Legends Classic on Saturday, December 12:
Grambling State University (Grambling, LA) vs. Tennessee State University (Nashville, TN)
King Hardwood Classic on Saturday, January 16 and Sunday, January 17, 2016:
Clark Atlanta University (Atlanta, GA) vs. Albany State University (Albany, GA)
Stillman College (Tuscaloosa, AL) vs. Morehouse College (Atlanta, GA)
Harris-Stowe State University (St. Louis, MO) vs. Governors State University (University Park, IL)
Former University of Illinois standout Marcus Liberty, an ambassador or the Chicago HBCU Hardwood Classic says that this event is any opportunity for kids to grow an interest in attending an HBCU.
“When I was growing up, I didn’t see any Black colleges on TV. You saw Duke, North Carolina and Kentucky,” Liberty says. “Then I did some research and I saw that many successful businesspeople come out of historically Black colleges. You don’t see this on television, so you don’t know.”
Liberty first starred at Chicago’s Martin Luther King High School, now called King College Prep.
“These young kids need to see that there’s an opportunity to grow. You can go to a Morehouse. You can go to a Jackson State,” Liberty says. “Bringing it [Chicago HBCU Hardwood Classic] to Chicago is a big step and I expect to get a lot of support from our communities.”
Coach Joseph Price of Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio, has three players on his roster who call Chicago home. Price says that Chicago is the perfect place to host the Hardwood Classic.
“We do a lot of recruiting in this area. Chicago is one of our target areas our students come from,” Price said. “We have a huge alumni chapter here. We’re looking forward to these events. We’re going to bring two busloads of students.”
For more information, contact the Chicago HBCU Hardwood Classic http://chicagohbcuhardwood.com/.
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