Second of two parts
Southern hospitality is not a myth or imaginary notion but a time honored practice still in effect. It’s been a couple of weeks since we spent a refreshing, interesting and memorable week for the first time watching good hoops at an all-Black tournament with Black folk all around in Tuscaloosa.
Here are some of the people we spent some time with during the 2025 Hope Credit Union HBCUAC Basketball Championships.
“I attended from ’84 to ’88. I graduated in ’88 and left for about a year,” said Stillman College grad Daphne Hood, who during her three-decades-plus time at the small Black college has worked as a switchboard operator, account payable director, and now as administrative assistant to the athletic director.
“I came back and started working in November of ’89.” Hood also sells concessions at games at Birthright Alumni Hall.
Hood said of hosting the six-day hoops tournament for the second consecutive year, “It is very important for us because it brings recognition for the college. The tournament being here is bringing a lot of awareness to the institution, which is great.”
“The overall experience was really good for the players,” said Virgin Islands WBB Coach Stephanie Cooper. She and her team, along with the UVI men’s team, traveled nearly a day from St. Thomas to Tuscaloosa — over 1,000 air miles — for the games.
“It’s tough to really enjoy after you lose in the first round,” she told us after her team’s defeat to end their season. “But we are going to make the most out of the experience.”
“The experience was honestly amazing,” added Kendallyn McCoy, a Talladega (AL) College sophomore guard. “Of course, I would have hoped for a different result, but I couldn’t ask anything more of my team because of how hard we fought and the season overall.”
“I think the city is doing a great job trying to entertain us and provide different things for the conference,” Charlene Johnson, the Voorhees (S.C.) University athletic director, pointed out.
Hope Credit Union, the nation’s largest Black and woman-owned financial institution located in five Southern states, is a major sponsor for the HBCUAC post season tourney. “It was a no-brainer for us,” admitted Hope CU Vice-President of Marketing and Communications Holly Cooper on the partnership with the HBCUAC, which began in 2022 and was extended last year for two more years.
“This is a true partnership without a doubt. [We’re] not a title sponsor who just writes a check. No, we’re very hands on. We support each other outside of just the conference [tournament] time. It’s throughout the year.”
Talladega College Interim President Dr. Walter Kimbrough said of the HBCU Athletic Conference, the only all-Black league in the NAIA, “It has always been a real strong basketball conference. It’s almost like the old Big East back in the day. You will always get high quality competition.”
Dr. Kiki Baker Barnes has been in charge of the HBCUAC, first as interim commissioner, then given the job full time in 2022. She is the conference’s first Black woman to lead the conference and the only Black woman commissioner in the NAIA.
Baker Barnes’ leadership has received rave reviews, which has included conference expansion (now at 13 schools — Stillman and University of the Virgin Islands are the latest members) and name changing from the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference to its present name last year.
“What I’m getting in terms of feedback from the coaches and the athletes is it’s good,” said the commissioner of the recent event in Tuscaloosa. “The Visit Tuscaloosa team and Stillman College are the ultimate hosts. They have done a fantastic job in organizing this and making it a top quality event and experience for all involved.”
Charles Hallman welcomes reader comments to challman@spokesman-recorder.com.