This occasional series will highlight Black coaches at all levels of sport.
This week and next: The coaches of the HBCU Athletic Conference.
First of two parts
The HBCU Athletic Conference (HBCUAC) is the NAIA’s only all-Black conference. At its recent post-season tournament in Tuscaloosa, Al, we talked to a head women’s basketball coach and this year’s assistant basketball coach of the year winners.
Fisk coach says HBCUs exceptional, needed
Fisk (TN) University Head Women’s Basketball Coach Victoria Crawford was honored with the Community Impact Award for her support of the community, one of several Black women who were honored at this year’s tournament for their leadership and excellence.
Crawford, a Birmingham, AL native, has quite a distinguished basketball career both as a player (where she led the state of Alabama in scoring with a 27-point average as a high school senior), University of Memphis (where she was the 2004 Conference USA Sixth Player of the Year), and professionally overseas (2005 to 2010). And now as a veteran coach.
She was the associate head coach at Miles College, and Southern Mississippi assistant coach, before getting her first head coaching opportunity at Lawson State (AL) Community College in her hometown. Her second opportunity came at now-defunct Lincoln (IL) College.
Fisk offered Crawford her third HC opportunity when she was hired in May 2022, and she just completed her third season at the Black college.
“This is a true conference tournament,” Crawford told us after her team’s first-round victory.
The head coach also is known for her dedication to teaching and coaching females. “My young ladies that I am so privileged to coach, that generation gives me hope,” said Crawford. “They’re future doctors, future lawyers, some are future politicians.
“The HBCU lifestyle is exceptional and needed, and it’s wanted,” said the Fisk coach on the current political climate. “As much as [others] are going to try to do away with it, it is not going anywhere anytime soon.”
Stillman coaches work with team day in, day out
Stillman College Assistant Coaches KaTia May (WBB) and Montego Hoskins (MBB) each were named the HBCUAC Assistant Coach of the Year respectively.
“I wouldn’t say surprising,” May said when asked on winning the award, “simply because of the work that we put in. So, it didn’t surprise me at all.”
Both Tigers teams won the conference’s East Division and both clinched the tournament’s overall No. 1 seed and automatic bids in the NAIA tournament.
The Stillman women this season set a program record for most wins and tops in conference scoring (71.2 ppg) and third in points allowed (57.5 ppg).
The school’s men’s team won a conference title for the first time since 2021. The Tigers held opponents to 69.9 ppg, fourth best in the HBCUAC, and fourth in the conference with a 33.9 rebounding per game average.
“Just working day in, day out with the team,” said Hoskins, who is a former Stillman player (2016-18) and graduated with a health and physical education/fitness degree. “Just preparing them for the next game. Just being able to motivate them and stay on them, and make sure everything has been alright.”
Finally…
The two Stillman squads, Dillard (men) and Philander Smith (women), all are playing this week in NAIA tournament opening round contests.
No. 11 Stillman plays No. 1 Louisiana State University, and No. 15 Dillard plays No. 2 William Woods (Mo.) University on March 14 in the men’s bracket. No. 11 Stillman plays No. 6 University of Rio Grande (Ohio), and No. 16 Philander Smith plays No. 1 Indiana Wesleyan University on March 14.
All four HBCUAC teams are vying for the NAIA finals later this month.
Charles Hallman welcomes reader comments to challman@spokesman-recorder.com.