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Miami Herald
27-06-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
North Carolina has two HBCUs on 2025-2026 schedule
North Carolina has officially announced its 2025–2026 non-conference men's basketball schedule, which includes two matchups against in-state HBCUs - Winston-Salem State and North Carolina Central. The Tar Heels will host Winston-Salem State on October 29 in an exhibition game, followed by a regular season contest against North Carolina Central on November 14. The games continue a meaningful tradition of North Carolina engaging with HBCUs, highlighting the state's rich basketball history and cultural connections. The Tar Heels last played Winston-Salem State to open the 2019–2020 season, earning a 96–61 win. That WSSU team would go on to win the CIAA championship under head coach Cleo Hill Jr., proving itself as one of the top programs in Division II HBCU basketball. North Carolina's last contest against North Carolina Central came during the pandemic-impacted 2020–2021 season. Despite being heavily favored, UNC had to battle for a 73–69 win over the Eagles, showcasing the competitive edge of HBCU programs even against traditional basketball powerhouses. This year's matchups hold special resonance for UNC head coach Hubert Davis. A native of Winston-Salem, Davis has personal ties to HBCUs - his father played at Johnson C. Smith University, a fellow CIAA member alongside WSSU. In 2022, Davis received the Clarence "Big House" Gaines Coach of the Year award, named in honor of the legendary WSSU head coach and Naismith Hall of Famer. These games provide valuable exposure and experience for HBCUs while giving North Carolina a chance to honor its connections to Black college basketball culture. For WSSU and NCCU, the opportunity to compete in Chapel Hill adds another layer of visibility and challenge for their respective programs. As UNC prepares for another season with national expectations, these early-season contests against HBCUs will serve as both a competitive tune-up and a celebration of North Carolina's deep basketball roots across all divisions. The post North Carolina has two HBCUs on 2025-2026 schedule appeared first on HBCU Gameday. Copyright HBCU Gameday 2012-2025
Miami Herald
13-03-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
College basketball's toughest rebuild is underway
Maryland Eastern Shore head coach and HBCU basketball lifer by birth, Cleo Hill Jr. has seen a lot of college basketball. But until his team showed up to the Norfolk Scope on Wednesday night to take on Norfolk State, he didn't have any experience in the MEAC Tournament. "After the Del State game, my attention just got locked in on the tournament because I haven't even the MEAC tournament - being in the CIAA - I don't believe," Hill told the media following his team's 77-70 loss to the top-seed in the loss punctuated the end of a 6-25 season for UMES in Hill's first season at the Division I level. Those 25 losses were equal to the amount of games he lost in his last three seasons at Winston-Salem State University where he won 59 games during that stretch. The losses were abnormal to Hill but not to the program. The 2024-2025 season marked the third season in the last decade the team has lost at least 25 games and the seventh since the turn of the century. The tiny school in remote Princess Anne, MD has had just four winning seasons since going Division I in the mid-1970s. It has never been to the NCAA Division I Tournament. Considered one of the toughest jobs in college basketball due to finances, location and history, this job is not for the faint of heart. Cleo Hill Jr., son and namesake of an HBCU basketball legend and coach, knew this when he took the job. The former North Carolina Central guard has spent the last quarter century coaching at HBCUs - first as an assistant at Shaw University - then with a five year stint at Cheyney University before returning to Shaw as head coach and leading that program to a CIAA championship in 2011. He led Shaw to a 116-67 overall record, including multiple NCAA Tournament appearances before spending several years away from college basketball as a trainer and returned to the CIAA in 2018 coaching at his parents alma mater, WSSU, and leading the program to CIAA titles in 2020 and 2023 and making it one of the most visible Division II programs. His 2023 team included a slight but athletic freshman named Ketron "KC" Shaw on a team full of Division I level Hill took the job in June, Shaw hit the transfer portal and followed him up to Princess Anne, along with his younger brother Kyrell. Less than a year later, he went from being a third-option at WSSU to the go-to-player for UMES. (Go To Page Two) The post College basketball's toughest rebuild is underway appeared first on HBCU Gameday. Copyright HBCU Gameday 2012-2025
