The Howard Bison ended a 31-year NCAA tournament drought by winning the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament. The reward is a first-round game vs. the defending national champs.
With fourth-year coach Kenny Blakeney at the helm, the Bison have dispelled the notion that Howard is simply a top spot for Black academia. In the summer of 2020, Howard took center stage when five-star recruit Makur Maker announced his commitment. Maker remains the highest-rated player in the modern era to play for an HBCU.
“You always got work to do, but every year of our tenure has been about laying another layer of the foundation,” Blakeney said. “We don’t get to this moment without the bumps and bruises we took. … It’s all a progression. When you are building something special, you can’t skip steps.”The Bison are led by sophomore guard Elijah Hawkins. Last season’s MEAC freshman of the year averaged a team-high 13 points and ranks 11th in the nation at 5.9 assists per game.
Freshman forward Shy Odom earned MEAC rookie of the year honors and was named conference tournament MVP. In three tournament wins, he averaged 12.7 points and six rebounds on 68 percent shooting.
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