HBCU All-Star Game is About 'The Culture and Legacy'

The historic HBCU All-Star Game will allow 24 HBCU basketball players to showcase their skills and talents, not only for professional scouts but also for millions to witness the HBCU "culture and legacy."

Author:
Kyle T. Mosley
Publish date:
Apr 3, 2022 9:56 AM EDT

HOUSTON, TX — The historic HBCU All-Star Game will allow 24 HBCU basketball players to showcase their skills and talents, not only for professional scouts but also for millions to witness the HBCU "culture and legacy."

Amid the 2022 Men's Final Four activities in New Orleans, LA will be a historic HBCU basketball event held in an arena near Lake Pontchartrain. The inaugural HBCU All-Star game will tip off at the UNO Lakefront Arena on Sunday, Apr. 3 at 3 PM CT. CBS Sports will broadcast the affair featuring 24 draft-eligible players from the SWAC, MEAC, SIAC, CIAA, Big South, and OVC conferences.

HBCU ALL-STAR GAME - "IT'S ABOUT THE CULTURE AND LEGACY"

The former college basketball coach has patiently waited and has stewarded his project for three years. In less than 60 days, the HBCU All-Stars, LLC founder and CEO, Travis Williams, will see his concept become a reality during the NCAA Men's Final Four games in the Big Easy.

"The significance of this game is that we never had an HBCU All-Star game during the Final Four weekend. This has never happened, period," said Williams. The historical aspect of the event hasn't garnered the attention of many. Truth be told, the publicity has been relatively quiet in the mainstream media.

"There's never been an HBCU All-Star game featuring the best in black college basketball...There's never been a game of this magnitude as a part of the Final Four festivities and NCAA festivities. So that's the historical significance of this game."

WHY IS THE HBCU ALL-STAR GAME IN NEW ORLEANS?

Williams is sharing the stage in New Orleans with culmination of the NCAA's March Madness in terms of the Men's Championship game on the following Monday night.

Nov 15, 2012; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Tennessee State Tigers head coach Travis Williams (left) talks with guard Patrick Miller (2) during the first half against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Williams Arena. The Gophers defeated the Tigers 72-43. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

2012 was the last time New Orleans hosted a NCAA Men's Final Four event. The Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation reported that the 2012 NCAA Final Four "drew more than 75,000 out-of-town visitors to New Orleans, accounted for more than 200,000 hotel room nights, and generated an economic impact of $168 million. Additionally, the television broadcast of all three games drew a combined audience of more than 50 million viewers."

THE SUPPORT AND FINANCIAL IMPACT

Why is this important for the HBCU All-Star basketball game? Millions of dollars could be infused into HBCU All-Stars, LLC to keep the game in the NCAA's auxiliary-event rotation and with major broadcasters for years to come.

The UNO Lakefront Arena holds approximately 10,000 attendees. Williams' goal is to sell out the inaugural event.

"So we have a big community outreach push there [in New Orleans]. We want you there. The Lakefront Arena seats close to 10,000. We have this great opportunity to sell out this arena. We have a great opportunity to make sure that folks are tuning in on CBS...that's in over 122 million homes. If we get a few percentages of that, we're doing great," cited Coach Williams.

COMMUNITY OUTREACH

The New Orleans community has a wealth of talented young basketball players. The HBCU All-Stars, LLC plans to reach out to the local high schools and community centers to give and receive attendance support for the event. He hopes it will provide New Orleans area youth a first-hand interaction with players, coaches, and scouts.

The HBCU All-Stars, LLC will partner with Kingsley House. "We have a big community outreach there at Kingsley," noted Williams. "We're going to help feed 500 families from that community. We are in the process of putting together a program with community leaders to feed some of the homeless population."

HBCU ALL-STAR COMBINE AND COLLEGE FAIR

Dillard University will host the HBCU All-Stars, LLC's college fair, inviting all HBCU students to participate during the Final Four festivities. "That's never been done before," commented Williams.

The HBCU All-Star Combine will be held for the top 24 players and allow them to connect with NBA scouts and professionals. "We have a company to come in and do all of our measurements. Weight, agility, and skills. We will run our guys through a series of drills and skills development, so they can see them up and close."

Williams said they would schedule a financial literacy class and athlete empowerment workshops for the 24 participating players.

Travis Williams' envisioned the HBCU All-Star contest to help players, students, and the surrounding community.

William's "vision" could have a positive long-term effect in many ways. "We're going to continue to do our part. Let's do our part and support it. Now we have this platform. What use of having this platform if we don't support it. If you are there in New Orleans on a Sunday, you should be at this game. You should be supporting. If you can't, whether locally or nationally, you should still support it. We still have opportunities where we're providing scholarships. I want to make sure that folks just that it's not about Travis Williams and not about HBCU All-Stars. This is about our HBCU culture and our legacy," Williams expressed.

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