First of two parts
TUSCALOOSA, Al. – Three native Black Minnesotans participated in the 2025 HBCU Athletic Conference (HBCUAC) Hope Credit Union Basketball Championships played last week at Stillman College.
Each individual was pleasantly surprised and honored that a Black journalist from their home would travel over 1,000 miles down south just to speak with each of them. They briefly told their stories on what brought them to their respective Black schools.
Naftal Morara, Oakwood (AL) University junior, hometown Farmington:
“I had a family member that went there,” Morara explained. “It feels like home. I wanted to pursue biology.”
Raena Suggs, Stillman (AL) College senior, hometown Minnetonka:
“It certainly has been better than what I expected,” Suggs said proudly. “I wasn’t used to a small private school. I just love the little things — they give recognition to everybody. Everybody is like somebody here.”
The guard further pointed out that her eventually winding up at the small Southern college that lies in the shadow of the larger University of Alabama in the same city wasn’t a pre-planned straight line travel experience.
“First, I went to a JUCO (Cochise College, 2018-20) for two years and graduated. Then I went to West Florida, and then they kind of blackballed me, so I had to be in the transfer portal for a year,” recalled Suggs, who eventually transferred to Weber State (2020-21) but never played there.
Her present Stillman coach heard about Suggs and recruited her to come there, she continued. “I was so ready to play. I didn’t even see the campus. I just signed the papers. I think the demeanor and family-oriented program is what got me here.”
Assistant Coach KaTia May said of Suggs, “I’m very proud of Raena. She put in the work.” Suggs scored 14 points off the bench in Stillman’s quarterfinal win over Talladega last Friday, and she had 17 points in a semifinals loss last Saturday.
“I actually love the Alabama lifestyle. People are so nice here. You don’t get that up North,” said Suggs.
Brenden Lankford-Johnson, Stillman senior, hometown St. Paul:
Lankford-Johnson noted that when his time was winding down at Bryant & Stratton (Wis.) College (2020-22), “My head coach asked me where I wanted to go. I said that I wanted to go to an HBCU,” recalled Lankford-Johnson. “Almost 30 minutes later, I got a call from [Stillman Coach John Teasley] and he told me about Stillman. He asked me had I heard of it. I said I heard of Tuscaloosa but not Stillman. He told me to check out the website and come down and visit.”
Assistant Coach Montego Hoskins said of Lankford-Johnson, “He is the leader of the team. He’s our workhorse. He does everything we need him to do.”
“I visited and fell in love with it,” stressed the senior. “It’s everything I thought it would be and more.
“I always love being around people, especially people of color who are from a similar background, and learning about people as well,” said Lankford-Johnson.
DJ Joose does gospel
During halftime of Thursday’s fourth and final tournament game of the day, gospel music was played and virtually an impromptu church service broke out among the spectators at Stillman’s Birthright Alumni Hall.
“Stillman is a Christian school. I wanted to pay respect to the good God above,” admitted Stillman Assistant WBB Coach Harold Ingram, who also is known on campus as DJ Joose. He had the place jumping like nothing I had ever seen at a basketball game.
“I wanted to do something different. I knew Kirk Franklin would be a hit and build off it…and we had a nice little praise break at the end.
“The more they wanted to sing, the more I wanted to play,” said Ingram. “You don’t have to praise God [only] on Sunday. They really enjoyed it.”
Next week – More of our first-ever experience at an all-Black postseason tournament.
Charles Hallman welcomes reader comments to challman@spokesman-recorder.com.