The University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) Athletics Department announced plans to host the first “Virgin Islands HBCU Basketball Classic” tournament this November at the UVI Sports & Fitness Center on the Orville E. Kean Campus on St. Thomas. The VI HBCU Basketball Classic is a men’s and women’s basketball tournament that will feature five National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) programs and 12 competitions (six men’s games and six women’s games) over the course of three days from November 3rd to the 5th. The tournament will serve as the main event for the Buccaneers’ 2021 Homecoming, tipping off the return to intercollegiate athletics after the Covid-19 pandemic led to the cancellation of winter and spring sports last season.
“UVI Athletics is thrilled to offer the first Virgin Islands HBCU Classic which we expect will create a lasting tradition of competition, community engagement, cultural and institutional pride as well as education to further foster the support of HBCUs,” said Dr. Jerel Drew, Director of Athletics at UVI. “We anticipate an exciting Homecoming Week filled with festivities for all ages.”
Tournament participants will include teams from Arkansas Baptist College, Hutson-Tillotson University, Warner University, Wilberforce University and UVI. All the schools except for Warner University, are Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
“We are excited for our basketball programs to be selected for this event, said Dr. Monique Carroll, Director of Athletics at Hutson-Tillotson. “This will be a phenomenal experience for our student-athletes and a great way to return to action against a field of teams who will be excited to compete as well.”
More information is available in a news release on the Media Section of the UVI Website-www.uvi.edu/ - and from this direct link.