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. […]
Charles Hallman
Charles Hallman is a contributing reporter and award-winning sports columnist at the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder.
Posted inOdds and Ends
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 & […]
Posted inSports
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 […]
Posted inOdds and Ends
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.” […]
Posted inAnother View
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 […]
Posted inOdds and Ends
‘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 […]
Posted inAnother View
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 […]
Posted inOdds and Ends
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 […]
Posted inSports
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 […]
Posted inAnother View
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.
Posted inSports
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 […]
Posted inAnother View
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 […]
Posted inNews
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 […]
Posted inSports
What we lost with the Negro Leagues
MLBbro.com, founded by veteran journalist and NABJ HOF Rob Parker, regularly spotlights Black and brown pro baseball players. The MSR does its best to keep pace with a similar emphasis on U.S.-born Black players at Minnesota Twins home games. The Twins this season had four Black players — position players Byron Buxton and Royce Lewis, […]
Posted inNews
Ceremony honors legacy of Harry and Clementine Robinson
“They were there at a time when protests were underway to push Black residents out of South Minneapolis.”
Posted inAnother View
Underrated Summit League shows impressive coaching diversity
The Summit League has five Black head basketball coaches, which is more than the Big Ten and equals the Big East, and is underrated according to Denver WBB Coach Doshia Woods.
Posted inSports
Morgan State coach sees his main job as preparing players for what comes next
Kevin Broadus, a former player and assistant coach, has spent nearly 30 years coaching, including two stints at Georgetown and a current position as head coach at Morgan State, where he is focused on mentoring young Black men and preparing them for life beyond basketball.
Posted inSports
‘Money games’ help HBCUs pay the bills
HBCUs play money games against larger schools for a guaranteed price, which serves as a necessary funding source for their athletic departments, but often results in lopsided scores and six-figure paychecks for the losing team.
Posted inAnother View
The future of women’s sports is looking bright
Women’s sports are experiencing unprecedented growth and popularity, with the WNBA, NWSL, and PWHL expanding and investing in infrastructure, and the future of women’s sports is bright as more people are paying attention and investing in the movement.
Posted inBlack College Sports Weekly
HBCUAC unveils innovative championship logos, honors outstanding individuals
The Historically Black Colleges and Universities Athletic Conference (HBCUAC) has launched new championship logos designed by Phoenix Design Works, and several individuals from HBCUAC member schools and Commissioner Dr. Kiki Baker Barnes have received national recognition.