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NCAA Basketball: 5 keys to a successful and continuing HBCU movement

By Caleb Hightower

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 20: The MEAC logo on the floor before a college basketball game between the Yale Bulldogs and the Howard Bison at Burr Gymnasium on January 20, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 20: The MEAC logo on the floor before a college basketball game between the Yale Bulldogs and the Howard Bison at Burr Gymnasium on January 20, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /
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WASHINGTON, DC – DECEMBER 22: Isaac Taylor #35 of the Maryland-Eastern Shore Hawks (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – DECEMBER 22: Isaac Taylor #35 of the Maryland-Eastern Shore Hawks (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

The role that 3 and 4-star prospects play in the movement

Key #3: Long term prospects (3-4 star prospects) must also commit to playing at  HBCUs, to help balance out the movement.

So far, I have addressed the 5-star recruits that need to flock to HBCUs, in order for the HBCU movement to prosper, but what about the 3 and 4-star prospects that may have to stay at school for 2-4 years? In case you haven’t noticed, they can play as well, but they are not always ready to take the leap from college to the NBA after just one year. I think that if HBCUs are able to secure several of them in the years to come, they will be in tremendous shape.

Why is that exactly? Well, if you are an HBCU like Maryland Eastern Shore (who has only finished with a .500 or better record once in the last 15 seasons), and you are essentially looking to improve the quality of your program over time, you need to recruit players that may decide to stick around for a little bit.

5-star one and done players are essential to getting your program the national attention it needs, but the 3 and 4-star prospects (that don’t turn out to be one and done players) will give your program the reputation it desires.

And listen, I know that power 5 programs such as Kansas, Kentucky, Duke, and North Carolina have been extremely successful over the years, because of their talented one and done freshmen, but there are other power 5 programs that have thrived because four or five of their solid players wanted to see how far they could go each season.

Look at Auburn for example, in 2016-17 they finished with a slightly above average 18-14 overall record and a subpar 7-11 conference record.  However, the very next season the Tigers looked like a completely different team, finishing with a 26-8 overall record, a 13- 5 conference record, and making a brief appearance in the 2018 NCAA tournament. (beat the College of Charleston in the round of 64, but lost to Clemson in the round of 32 as a 4 seed).

In 2018-2019, they decided to take things up a notch, by rounding out the season with a 30-10 overall record, an 11-7 conference record, an SEC tournament championship, and a trip to the final four.

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