An annual tournament to celebrate HBCUs, brings broad and exciting global attention to these incredible institutions, and each year crown a Men’s and Women’s HBCU National Champion.
The Event
An annual tournament to celebrate HBCUs, brings broad and exciting global attention to these incredible institutions, and each year crown a Men’s and Women’s HBCU National Champion.
An annual tournament to celebrate HBCUs, brings broad and exciting global attention to these incredible institutions, and each year crown a Men’s and Women’s HBCU National Champion.
16 HBCU teams—8 men and 8 women. Eligibility will extend to all four-year schools representing our nation’s rich Black College and University history across all divisions (NCAA Divisions I, II, and III; NAIA Divisions I and II; and Independents). A neutral, highly diverse selection committee, comprised of educators, sports writers, professional athletes, and other key influencers will pick the field each year, taking into account, each school’s on-court performance and wholistic body of work.
A four-day, single elimination extravaganza, held in between the NCAA’s Elite Eight and Final (when there are fewer games and fans wanting to watch more basketball). The 2024 Inaugural HBCU Mens and Women's Championships tournament will be held in the dynamic host city of Houston, Texas
A four-day, single elimination extravaganza, held in between the NCAA’s Elite Eight and Final (when there are fewer games and fans wanting to watch more basketball). The 2024 Inaugural HBCU Mens and Women's Championships tournament will be held in the dynamic host city of Houston, Texas
A four-day, single elimination extravaganza, held in between the NCAA’s Elite Eight and Final (when there are fewer games and fans wanting to watch more basketball). The 2024 Inaugural HBCU Mens and Women's Championships tournament will be held in the dynamic host city of Houston, Texas
The teams and their alumni, stakeholders and fans, will come together in festival style, concerts, college bands, Greek step shows, poetry readings and more. The initial destination is Houston, Texas, with a future rotation of cities with distinction or significance to the civil rights or social justice movements. Sites currently under consideration include Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Charlotte, New Orleans, Memphis, and Nashville.
Freedom Victory Bell Trophy - The name of the trophy has historical significance: FREEDOM and Victory are words synonymous with progress—e.g., the Emancipation Proclamation, the victory of Oliver Brown, et al. in the U.S. Supreme Court case in Brown v. the Board of Education, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 enacted by the 89th Congress. These were each a major victory for justice and equality, the product of hard-fought battles, as are symbolized by the hard-fought battles of athletic competition. Concluding each year’s HBCU National Championship will be the ringing of the Freedom Victory Bell.
