Morehouse and Tuskegee will take their rivalry to the national stage in the NBA HBCU Classic

Director of Athletics at Morehouse College Harold Ellisformer Maroon Tigers basketball standout, recalls that as a student-athlete, he made quite a few calls to scouts and agents, asking for a likelihood to play in the NBA. Now Morehouse basketball players will get the opportunity Ellis wished that they had in college.

Morehouse and Tuskegee University, Division II compete in the competition Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conferencewill participate in the NBA HBCU Classic 2025 during NBA All-Star Weekend in San Francisco, the NBA announced Thursday. The two historically black universities will play on Feb. 15, 2025, at the Oakland Arena, one in all several Bay Area locations that will host NBA All-Star events.

“Getting the (athletic director) job and bringing the NBA (HBCU Classic) to Morehouse since I’ve been working there has been unbelievable,” said Ellis, who’s the athletic director the only athlete in Morehouse history play in the league. He also spent several years in the Detroit Pistons front office as an expert personnel evaluator.

“When I was in school at Morehouse, my only goal was to work in the NBA. Everyone knows it,” Ellis said. “It’s good for these kids. …We didn’t have that option. And now that the NBA is taking over the HBCU space and taking ownership of it, it’s amazing. … It’s important for them to come to our campus because they’ll really be able to see, ‘Hey, the NBA is here.’ We can work in the NBA, be a part of NBA life.” ”

SIAC is the fourth HBCU conference played as a part of the NBA HBCU Classic. Morgan State University and Howard University represented the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference in the inaugural match in 2022Grambling State University and Southern University represented the Southwestern Athletic Conference in 2023, and Winston-Salem State University and Virginia Union University represented the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association in the February game.

SIAC, which incorporates 15 institutions, is the largest of the 4 HBCU conferences, and the conference’s founding members include Morehouse and Tuskegee. SIAC Commissioner Antoni Holloman said he is worked up to showcase one in all the conference’s historic rivalries and the SIAC brand of basketball.

We have teams that perform at a high level defensively and I believe the athleticism and grit with which our teams play will be shown. … This is a very good opportunity for the world to see HBCU basketball,” Holloman said. I do know there are players who can play skilled basketball. This is a likelihood for somebody to showcase themselves in the G League (or) playing overseas.

The rivalry between the two HBCUs has an extended history. Tuskegee was inaugural SIAC 1934 men’s basketball champion and the university’s Golden Tigers NCAA Division II Tournament in 2023. Tuskegee defeated Morehouse in football on October 5and Tuskegee athletics director Reginald Ruffin in search of an identical result in basketball.

“When you talk about the history of two of the greatest institutions, Tuskegee University and Morehouse College, because of the contributions they have made to society, now we have a chance to be part of the celebration with the NBA,” Ruffin said. “It’s all the time a contest. We did what we had to do football-wise. Now we concentrate on basketball and keep the same energy.

NBA and league partners will each donate $100,000 to Morehouse and Tuskegee to support academic resources, athletics and wellness services. The league also offers NBA HBCU Scholarship Programwhich provides HBCU undergraduate and graduate students with opportunities to advance their basketball careers. Scholarship participants work at the NBA HBCU Classic, and previous scholarship recipients have been heavily involved in game preparation, from event planning to merchandising.

“One of our core values ​​at the NBA is to innovate with purpose,” he said Lesley Slaton BrownNBA Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. “That’s why we’re bringing that talent into the team who already has a certain level of understanding of the league experience and/or team experience. and we say, “Help us create a better experience.” Introduce latest ideas.

“We will continue to make commitments and challenge ourselves to be better, do better and create an experience that truly strengthens the HBCU space and excites people.”

For the past 10 years, Morehouse has led Tuskegee head-to-head 11-3. The teams have split their last 4 games 2-2with each competition being decided by single digits.

Morehouse men’s basketball coach Douglas Whittler remembers the intensity of the game against Tuskegee when he played basketball for the Maroon Tigers, and Whittler and Ellis spent a long time participating in the rivalry as players and members of the athletic staff.

Ellis believes the NBA HBCU Classic will be one other close battle.

“I never lost to Tuskegee. I know I had some better games against Tuskegee. “We said we were going to beat these guys to sleep,” Ellis said. “It’s a basketball rivalry, but these are two historic institutions. … We’re both national brands, and I think the fans will really respect that, and the fans will come out and understand that it’s a rivalry.”