People, Locations, Episodes

Black History and American College Basketball 🏀, a story

*With March Madness beginning on this date, we affirm Blacks and the history of American college basketball.

Basketball is a team competition transformed by African Americans' presence. It has been an important lightning rod of cultural, political, and social change in the United States for more than 100 years. In December 1891, Canadian-American physical education teacher James Naismith of the School for Christian Workers (now Springfield College) in Springfield, Massachusetts, was asked to invent a new game to entertain the school’s athletes during the winter season.

Naismith assembled his class of 18 young men with an ordinary soccer ball, appointed captains of two nine-player teams, and introduced them to the game of Basket Ball (then two words). The game has also become as important as style: the logos of American college basketball teams can be found on the clothing of children in all corners of the world.  But although the grace and power of Black athleticism have now attained the respect and admiration of the world, for years, it was forced to sit on the bench as Jim Crow segregation split America along racial lines.

In 1905, after being exposed to the game over the summer at Harvard University, Coach Edwin B. Henderson introduced basketball to a physical education class at Howard University in Washington, D. C. By 1910, basketball was one of the most popular sports among young Blacks.  The game could be played on almost any surface, requiring little or no equipment. It was promoted largely in the Young Men’s Christian Associations (YMCA's) in Black neighborhoods, on basketball courts indoors and outdoors, at parks, and on playgrounds.

By 1915, African Americans played basketball in high school physical education classes, on college and university squads, and on club teams representing major urban cities. Some of the first predominantly Black universities to form basketball squads include Hampton University in Virginia, Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, Wilberforce University in Ohio, and Virginia Union in Richmond. In 1916, the all-Black Central Interscholastic Athletic Association (CIAA) was formed, uniting Virginia Union, Shaw University (Raleigh, North Carolina), Lincoln, and Howard in competition.

Four years later, the all-Black Southeastern Athletic Conference was established, and by 1928, there were four all-Black regional conferences. The regional competition produced excitement as teams battled on college campuses, in city parks, and on high school varsity teams. In several states, tournaments allowed high school teams to compete for the title of state champion.  Black athletes such as Paul Robeson at Rutgers University, Wilbur Woods at Nebraska, and Charles Drew at Amherst College became basketball stars.  Several college basketball programs stood out.  Xavier University won 67 games and lost only two between 1934 and 1938.  Alabama State, Lincoln University in Missouri, Morgan State in Maryland, and Wiley College in Texas all produced exceptional basketball programs.

The success of professionals and the strength of the American Civil Rights Movement opened new doors for young Black athletes as predominantly white schools rushed to attract the best high school stars.  Soon, young Black men were being recruited from inner-city high schools in New York, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. In 1960, James Cash became the first Black player at Texas Christian University, and Perry Wallace was the first Black to be recruited by the Southeast Conference. Billy Jones followed Wallace, integrating the Atlantic Coast Conference.

The University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) won ten national titles from 1964 to 1975, largely because of Black players such as Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar). Alcindor, standing more than 7 feet tall, was so dominant at UCLA that league officials had to outlaw the slam dunk while he was in school.  In 1965, Texas Western University, coached by Don Haskins, with a team exclusively of Black players, won the Division I NCAA Championship. It was the first time an all-Black team played an all-white team in an NCAA title game.

Today, college basketball is a major representative for young Black men seeking to escape racial and class hardships. However, more and more players elect not to attend college and thus become professionals immediately after high school. Many insist that professional, collegiate, and high school basketball programs exploit African American athletes for their athletic prowess.

Basketball is also about wearing the latest shoes and having the nicest haircut, whether Short or curly blowout, dreds, beards or braids, Mohawk or Textured High Top. It is about playing the game above the rim and using all of the backboards. Also, it is not just whether or not points are scored but how they are scored and how the game is played. The presence of Blacks has transformed College basketball and indicates the cultural, political, and social changes in the United States.

Some argue that the concentration on Black athleticism continues a racist institution that only stresses the motor skills of Blacks. Others suggest that the enormous salaries of today’s professional athletes send the wrong signal to young people about the value of sports.  One former college player who spoke to The Registry who made it to the NBA said most college coaches stress academics for players to stay 'eligible' and not to graduate.

Still, others disagree, including Black basketball coaches who argue that basketball should be seen as a legitimate and viable vehicle for young, underprivileged Blacks seeking a better life. A coach can play a major role in young basketball players' athletic and personal development, ensuring the desire for a professional sports career is sensibly balanced with the need for education. Some Black coaches have worked to teach young players the value of education and the importance of becoming well-rounded, including one of the most respected coaches in basketball, Clarence "Big House" Gaines.

Gaines was a coach at Winton-Salem State University and has the most victories in NCAA Division II history. Other outstanding African American College coaches include John Thompson, John Chaney, K. C. Jones, George Raveling, and Nolan Richardson.

As of 2021, Division I basketball has approximately 353 head coaching jobs.  Of the 75 programs in college basketball’s six major conferences, only 12 have a Black head coach (18.7. If the count is limited to the so-called Power Five leagues, eliminating the Big East and its five Black head coaches, that number dips to 13.8%.  As of 2021, the Black representation in major American college programs is the list below.