Alabama A and M is the only HBCU on the Gopher women’s basketball schedule this season, and they are bringing a proven winner to The Barn. Head Coach Dawn E. Thornton, a Jackson State alum and accomplished recruiter, led the Bulldogs to a 21 and 11 record and a WNIT berth in her first season. Picked second in the SWAC, Alabama A and M features preseason SWAC Player of the Year Kalia Walker and a core of double digit scorers, giving local fans a rare chance to see a strong HBCU program and a Black woman head coach on the Williams Arena sidelines.
Charles Hallman
Charles Hallman is a contributing reporter and award-winning sports columnist at the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder.
Posted inAnother View
No respect for HBCUs among local media
Minnesota will host two HBCU opponents this month, but local mainstream media are unlikely to give the games meaningful coverage. HBCU advocates say this pattern fits decades of inequitable sports reporting, making Black owned media outlets like the MSR critical for visibility, respect, and fair representation.
Posted inAnother View
Black athletes too often dehumanized, commodified
At United Theological Seminary in St. Paul, first time author and newly tenured professor Dr. Gary F. Green introduced his book “Playing the Game” with a panel that included Minnesota Vikings fullback CJ Ham, scholar Dr. Lakisha R. Lockhart Rusch and United student Tamice Spencer Helms. Together they explored how terms like “beast” and coded commentary about “natural talent” versus “intelligence” shape the way Black athletes are seen, valued and limited, and how Green’s work offers a powerful challenge to those narratives.
Posted inOdds and Ends
Families and coaching draw transfers to Tommies
After college journeys that took them around the country, Minnesota standouts Savannah McGowan and Jada Hood returned home to join St. Thomas. The two starters have quickly built chemistry, crediting Coach Ruth Sinn for believing in them since high school and celebrating the chance to play in front of family again. With strong academic plans and dreams of pro careers, both players are embracing this new chapter.
Posted inSports
The pain and insult of rewritten history
Maya Washington has spent years fighting inaccurate portrayals of her father, Gene Washington, and the pioneering Black athletes of Michigan State. Now she is calling for stronger NIL protections for legacy athletes whose names and images sit in archives with little oversight. Washington warns that if institutions can mishandle the legacy of a Hall of Famer, younger athletes could face even bigger risks in the new NIL landscape.
Posted inCoaching while Black
St. Thomas boasts college hockey’s only Black assistant coach
St. Thomas assistant coach Leon Hayward reflects on his 20-year coaching journey and his status as the only Black assistant coach in college hockey, helping lead the Tommies through a successful DI transition.
Posted inOdds and Ends
New Tommies digs crowns DI status
St. Thomas opens its first Division I season with the debut of Lee & Penny Anderson Arena, a new 253,000-square-foot complex for basketball and hockey that also promises community access and renewed focus on diversity in athletics.
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Lynx’s Collier says the WNBA has ‘the worst leadership in the world’
Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier blasted WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert for what she called dismissive leadership, prompting league-wide debate and player support. Engelbert disputed Collier’s account. With the CBA deadline near, questions about leadership, player treatment, and accountability are front and center.
Posted inSports
Growing diversity in volleyball an encouraging sight
The Big Life Series took more than 150 Big Ten student athletes and staff plus HBCU participants to Selma, Tuskegee, and Montgomery to learn Black history and build community. Minnesota and Rutgers players say the experience and growing on court diversity are reshaping volleyball culture.
Posted inOdds and Ends
What’s worth spending a weekend away from sports?
The 23rd Twin Cities Black Film Festival runs Oct. 10–12, with screenings at the Capri Theatre and Hotel Indigo. Founder Natalie Morrow spotlights a packed slate of Black filmmakers and says this year doubles as a crucial fundraiser to power the festival’s future.
Posted inAnother View, Sports
Cost of early training may limit volleyball diversity
Kansas City’s visit to St. Thomas put Summit League volleyball diversity in focus. With five Black players, the Roos far outpaced most conference teams—while athletes like Kailee Deffebaugh and Ryanne Wattree emphasized why cost, access, and technical training still limit broader participation.
Posted inOdds and Ends
Gopher outfielders focused on academics as well as softball
Gopher outfielders focused on academics as well as softball
Minnesota’s fall softball schedule is halfway done. The Gophers host Concordia-Saint Paul Friday night at Jane Sage Cowles Stadium on campus.
This also is senior centerfielder Breezy Burnett’s final fall campaign. We have followed her throughout her time in Minnesota since her freshman year.
“It went by so fast,” admitted the 5’7” Florida native after last Friday’s win over St. Cloud State. “It probably won’t hit me until I get deep into the spring.”
Her Gopherland years have been successful both on the diamond and in the classroom: two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree, one of 12 softball players among 159 Gopher athletes so honored this past spring. “For me,” she continued, “it’s a standard to get good grades.”
Burnett last season started all 50 games and led the team in triples, a .982 fielding percentage and just one error. She started 53 games the season before and led Minnesota with 13 stolen bases. She had 41 starts in right field her freshman season, driving in 17 runs and scoring 14 that spring.
As she enters her senior year, her final season as a Gopher, Burnett said she is using the 10-game fall season, which concludes Oct. 10, “to get better, work out the kinks… For me, it’s getting my timing and getting back in the swing of things, especially when we are just starting up,” she pointed out.
“My personal goal is to hit for average, power, steal some bases, and make plays for my pitchers,” stressed Burnett. “And be a good teammate.”
Second-year left fielder Jae Cosgriff is looking to build off her first season as a Gopher. She started 45 of 49 games last spring and had a .968 fielding average with only two errors. She and Burnett currently are starting right alongside each other.
“I chose Minnesota because it’s a great school, great academics,” recalled the California native. “The coaching staff made me feel like going into a friend’s house. They made everything fun. All of it attracted me here.”
Said Burnett of Cosgriff, “She is going to be amazing. She is just a light for the team. Her work ethic is unmatched.”
Cosgriff is going into her sophomore year intending “to play and start all four years, and to get a great degree, hopefully do something in health.” She’s a biological sciences major.
Burnett will graduate with a journalism degree later this fall. “I am going to start my master’s in HR (human relations) hopefully in the spring,” she said.
Softball season normally doesn’t get underway until February, and typically schools such as Minnesota must play their early games in warmer locales that are not dealing with the final weeks of winter at the time. The Gophers’ two Black players both are looking forward to playing and hopefully help lead their team to the heights this season.
Posted inSports
WNBA firing season comes with casualties, opportunities
As Seattle and New York move on from their head coaches and two expansion teams enter the mix, the WNBA’s coaching carousel turns the spotlight on Black women assistants ready to lead. In Minnesota, the Timberwolves set their 2025–26 broadcast lineup with Michael Grady, Jim Petersen, and Lea B. Olsen.
Posted inAnother View
In majors, only Twins and Reds have two Black pitchers
With only nine Black MLB pitchers this season (MLBbro.com), the Twins stand out with two: Simeon Woods Richardson and Taj Bradley. SWR struck out 11 Yankees in a 7–0 win; Bradley’s pitch mix shows big-game upside. Both players—and Rocco Baldelli—weigh in on performance, growth, and representation.
Posted inCoaching while Black
Strength, development coaches mostly work behind the scenes
From custom lift plans to game-day meals, St. Paul Saints strength coach Stephen Hopkins focuses on durability and routines that keep players healthy. Across town, the Lynx’s Sefu Bernard brings a chess-minded, culture-first strategy to player development as Minnesota chases another deep postseason run-two Black leaders shaping performance behind the scenes.
Posted inLynx/WNBA
Lynx favored to prevail in playoffs
As the Lynx head to Phoenix for Game 3 of the WNBA Semifinals, online “hate the best” chatter continues. Alanna Smith’s co-DPOY with A’ja Wilson drew heat, yet her defense helped fuel a league-best 97.5 rating. Analyst Shimmy Miller still has Minnesota as the title favorite and predicts a Lynx vs. Vegas Finals.
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Despite historic designation, Hiawatha Golf redesign goes forward
The Hiawatha Golf Course redesign Minneapolis is advancing toward a 9-hole, flood-resilient concept. The Bronze Foundation’s “Alternative 6” argues for keeping 18 holes and preserving a historic Black gathering place.
Posted inSports
Still no deal between WNBA owners and players
As the playoffs begin, WNBA CBA negotiations 2025 remain tense. Cindy Brunson calls the title race wide open. Lawmakers urge good faith talks. WNBPA leaders push for fair revenue sharing.
Posted inOdds and Ends
New Lynx eager for playoffs
Minnesota Lynx late season additions bring Camryn Taylor and Jaylyn Sherrod into the playoff mix with fresh energy and perspective, plus Cindy Brunson’s summer tour highlights.
Posted inSports
Volleyball sistahs call team diversity inspiring
The USF volleyball diversity Minnesota moment arrived at the Diet Coke Classic. USF brought nine Black players, praised team culture, and drew big family support. The Bulls are picked second in the AAC.