Last Wednesday’s Minnesota-Alabama A&M women’s basketball game at Williams Arena was a historical one in nature. All three game officials were Black, the first time at The Barn this season. It was the only WBB game coached by a Black woman — second-year Dawn Thornton. “Even to hear the Negro National Anthem was something that […]
Charles Hallman
Charles Hallman is a contributing reporter and award-winning sports columnist at the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder.
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Reeve on women coaches, racial allyship and advocacy
Cheryl Reeve calls the absence of Black female head coaches in the WNBA a major concern. In a recent St. Thomas conversation, she spoke about women coaches, racial allyship, and the Lynx history of advocacy.
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Wood leads St. Olaf volleyball to historic season
Alicia Wood guided St. Olaf to one of the school’s best volleyball seasons ever, finishing the MIAC regular season undefeated at 11-0 and earning the league’s top seed in last month’s postseason tournament in her second season on the Hill in Northfield, MN. The Oles captured two of the league’s four major awards: Wood was […]
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Cleaning up notebook
A new study shows Timberwolves ticket prices are among the highest in the NBA. This week’s sports roundup also covers brain injury awareness in athletics, congressional delays on the SCORE Act, and Netflix hiring its first full-time sports anchor.
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‘Playing the Game’ calls out stereotyping of Black athletes
United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities in St. Paul will host a new book launch on Wednesday, Nov. 19, of Rev. Dr. Gary F. Green III’s first book, “Playing the Game: Embodied Brilliance beyond the Moral Limits of Race in Sport” (Fortress Press). Green is a pastoral theology and social transformation associate professor and […]
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Augsburg, Hamline bring two Black head coaches to the field
Augsburg’s KiJuan Ware and Hamline’s Chip Taylor made MIAC history as two Black head coaches faced each other for only the second time. Charles Hallman highlights why the moment matters for representation in college sports and shares other key MIAC sports updates.
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Michigan State’s ‘65,’66 Spartans subject of book/film controversy
Former NFL and Michigan State football player and local corporate executive Gene Washington, his family, and other former student-athletes have been battling with Michigan State University officials over a published book and a film project based on it that is full of falsehoods and plagiarism. Washington and his daughter Maya have led the fight against […]
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St. Thomas men poised to excel on national stage
Tommies football Amari Powell recently put on a show for the ages. The senior QB from California in his first start of the season threw for 265 yards and three TDs, and rushed for a score himself, accounting for four of the seven touchdowns St. Thomas scored in its 55-17 victory over Valparaíso Oct. 18. […]
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St. Thomas hockey transfer likes being closer to home
Before the 1970s, hockey uniform numbers typically ranged from 1 to 31 or so, rarely past number 35. Nowadays they are like a Jackie Wilson song: They’ve gone higher and higher. Charlie Schoen wears No. 82, the highest number on St. Thomas men’s hockey team this season. After the team’s first-ever game at Lee & […]
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Former prep standouts come home to local fans
D.J. Jefferson played his first-ever game at The Barn, Williams Arena, last week. The redshirt junior is in his first season at Gardner-Webb, and it was his first time back in town after he attended Minnesota Preparatory Academy (MPA), a local prep school. “For me, I think it was just getting more exposure,” said the […]
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Men’s basketball newbies
Minnesota has 13 new additions on its 2024-25 men’s basketball team. Jaylen Crocker-Johnson played for Niko Medved at Colorado State last season. “I set the tone early for the guys on the glass,” said the 6’8” junior forward from San Antonio, Texas. “I’m just trying to be a good two-way player on defense and offense.” […]
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Gopher hoopsters get new Black coaches
Both U of M basketball teams have coaching additions this season. Corey Green is in his first season as basketball operations director for the women’s basketball team. He formerly spent four seasons at Old Dominion in a similar position, and served on coaching staffs at Memphis (three seasons) and Detroit (two years). He got his […]
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‘25-’26 U basketball players proud to be representing
There are approximately 100 African American and other student-athletes of color this school year at the University of Minnesota. In an occasional series throughout the 2025-26 academic and sports year, the MSR will highlight many of these players. This week: Gopher WBB redshirt junior Niamya Holloway; MBB newcomers soph Nehemiah Turner, junior Jaylen Crocker-Johnson, and […]
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Alcorn State takes on ‘monster challenge’
They play Minnesota Nov. 8 Alcorn State assembled a “monster” non-conference schedule for its 2025-26 season that, according to their coach, will better prepare them for conference play and a tournament run later in the campaign. “I am really excited about the opportunity to come up to Minneapolis to play the Minnesota Gophers,” first-year Head […]
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Cost cited as obstacle to hockey diversity
Colorado College senior goalie Kaiden Mbereko is an established star in the nets. He is one of four team captains on this season’s Tigers squad. “We’re all going to have each other’s backs and obviously have our teammates’ backs,” said the 5’11” Mbereko, a business, economics and sociology major from Aspen, Colo. One of the […]
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Black athletic trainers feel held back by bias, study shows
Athletic trainers (AT) do more than just tape ankles and pass out water to players during practices and games. In essence they are the first responder to the athlete whenever needed. “From a sports perspective, athletic trainers are servants,” explained Dr. Nicolette “Nikki” A. Harris, associate professor and director of student recruitment at A.T. Still […]
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On-air Black sports analysts relish the authenticity
During ESPN’s Oct. 15 NBA media call, Chiney Ogwumike, Malika Andrews, and Kendrick Perkins shared why representation and authenticity matter on air and how their work resonates with young Black fans. The NBA will honor trailblazers Chuck Cooper, Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton, and Earl Lloyd throughout the season.
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Wolves ‘in the mix’ in stacked conference
The Minnesota Timberwolves open their 2025-26 NBA regular season on the road Wednesday, October 22 at Portland. Here’s what some say about the Wolves’ chances this year: CHRIS FINCH, Minnesota Timberwolves HC – “One of the things we know we have to get better at is our second unit or our non-Rudy [Gobert] defense. I […]
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Angel Reese mistreatment is a sport lens on ‘digital misogynoir’
The WNBA ended its decades-long search after the 2024 Draft last year when at last they found their heterosexual great white hope (Caitlin Clark) with whom they could draw new fans. It also begot a convenient Black villain (Angel Reese) who helped conjure up a faux rivalry to keep fans coming — and hating. This […]
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Mankato volleyball standout now a winning Ph.D. coach
It’s been nearly a decade since Jennifer Jacobs left her native St. Paul for her first collegiate head volleyball coaching opportunity. “Can you believe I’m in my ninth season?” asked the Augustana (S.D.) University coach after her Vikings played at Concordia-St. Paul on the first Friday evening of October. “I moved there in ’17; ’18 […]