HBCU National Signing Day Celebrates Black College Basketball Signees
ATLANTA — Last year, The Athlete's Foot and HBCU Elite 100 held a signing day for one student-athlete, North Carolina A&T guard Tyrese Elliot. This year, the two brands expanded to host five student-athletes for the first HBCU Elite 100 National Signing Day.
"One of the biggest things that we've been building with the Elite 100 is making sure the kids receive exposure on the court, but they get the signing day experience just like any other kid going to a major program," HBCU Elite 100's Jahi Rawlings said. Rawlings is also the founder and CEO of the Atlanta Entertainment Basketball League.
Of the five student-athletes that were in attendance, three of them are attending local HBCUs. Xavier Griffith will join the Clark Atlanta University men's basketball program, while Arabia Mountain High School standout Myori Pruitt will join the women's basketball program.
Black College Basketball Signees; Credit: Mason Smith, HBCU Legends
Drew Charter High School's Cedric Taylor III will also attend Morehouse College. Not only will he play his college ball 12 minutes down the road, but he'll also continue the legacy started by his father, a Morehouse graduate.
"I grew up in an HBCU household," Taylor said. "My father went to Morehouse, my mother went to Hampton and my sister recently graduated from Tuskegee. I knew I wanted to go to an HBCU.
"I know the people that have come from Morehouse and what it can do for a person. It was honestly a clear choice."
Jalal McKie, a North Carolina A&T signee, has a similar lineage as his great-grandmother is an Aggie, and his grandmother, both of his parents and his brother all attended an HBCU.
"They always talked about the experiences they had," McKie said. "From the classroom to connecting with friends, fraternities, and other groups on campus. I just wanted to be a part of that."
Continuing the legacy is one thing, but beginning a legacy is another challenge Griffith embraces as he begins his career with the Panthers.
"Nobody from my family went to an HBCU, so I'm trying to start that trend," Griffith said. "And I want to be a part of something bigger. I'm trying to expand the HBCU name and make HBCUs a more prominent brand, like how some think of PWIs.
"I want to showcase Clark Atlanta as I continue my basketball career."
Growing the brand of HBCU athletics is another element of this event. Darius Billings, Vice President of Marketing and Community Engagement for The Athlete's Foot, wants the positive trend to continue.
"The Athlete's Foot is a part of the community," Billings said. "A Morehouse graduate owns the store that hosted this event, and we have about 20 stores within five miles of an HBCU from North Carolina to Georgia and beyond.
Isom Lowman, the owner of The Athlete's Foot location near Atlanta's West End Mall, stopped by to congratulate the athletes on their success. Billings mentioned how the brand offers an internship exclusive to HBCU students and scholarship opportunities.
Rawlings also has plans to promote Black college basketball through the AEBL further; there are plans to form a team of former and current HBCU basketball players that will compete in the summer league, hoping to complete that goal in the immediate future.
That, along with the national signing day, contributes to the goal of bringing more attention to HBCU basketball players which may lead to more Black college talent in the NBA and WNBA.
"It starts with events like this," Rawlings said. "Bringing the players together, ensuring they're the focal point, and giving them opportunities to be on that platform. It's possible; we just have to keep finding ways to give them opportunity and exposure."