By Doug Roberson
The HBCU Tip-Off Championship will be more than just a basketball tournament, according to founder Kevin Clayton. The tournament, which will be played at Philips Arena Nov. 9-11, will be an event that he hopes will enrich the lives of the players and community.
Clayton detailed his vision during a press conference on Tuesday at the Arena to announce the inaugural eight-team event, which will feature men’s basketball teams from historically black colleges and universities.
In addition to the tournament, the Championship will feature seminars and information on health and economic empowerment. Internships will be created to assist students from HBCUs in gaining real-life experience in the workplace. Scholarships will be created to assist Atlanta-area students in attending HBCUs. Lastly, athletes from HBCUs will be given what is being called a first-of-its-kind opportunity to play against each other in the beginning of the season, giving them a chance to earn some respect instead of playing in guarantee games in which their schools make a little bit of money, but usually result in lopsided losses.
“This is far more than just a basketball championship,” said Clayton, who has been putting together the tournament for more than two years.
Morehouse will be one of the eight teams that will participate in the first tournament. Clayton said the rest of the field will be unveiled in a few weeks. The field will change each year (other than the potential of the defending champ returning) so that every one of the more than 100 HBCUs have a chance to participate. Chicago State, Central State and Tennessee State have been asked to play in next year’s event.
The bracket will be arranged so that a Division II school won’t face a Division I school until either the championship game or the consolation game. The winner will receive a trophy more than four-feet tall that was unveiled on Tuesday. All of the schools will receive a financial guarantee to play in the tournament. Tickets will be sold through the event, not through the participating schools.
Morehouse athletic director Andre Pattillo and coach Grady Brewer said playing in the event will help their school in recruiting and marketing to athletes and students it may not normally reach. Pattillo implied that the financial trade-off between playing a Kentucky, which the Maroon Tigers did two years ago in an 85-point loss, and playing in the Tip-off Championship, is negligible. He said the exposure will be invaluable.
“One of the personal goals I have is to give my student-athletes a lifetime experience,” Pattillo said. “Having an opportunity to participate in this type of event is something the kids will never forget.”
Legendary Celtics player Sam Jones, a graduate of North Carolina Central, raved about the opportunity to play in Philips and what could be a sold-out arena. There are more than 100,000 alumni living in the metro Atlanta area, according to Clayton.
“These colleges and universities can’t do anything but gain from the opportunity to play in this place,” he said.
Source:
http://www.ajc.com/
Posted By: How May I Help You NC
Tuesday, March 5th 2013 at 4:32PM
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