Bridging the Gap: SLU vs TSU MBB Recap
Chaifetz Arena was full of color Wednesday night as Saint Louis University (6-2), a private research university in St. Louis, Missouri, took on Tennessee State University (4-3), an HBCU in Nashville, Tennessee, in celebration of D9 Night. D9 refers to the "Divine 9" historically Black pan-hellenic fraternities and sororities represented across the world.
With TSU being an HBCU known for its Black greek life, this was an excellent theme for Wednesday's night game.
While SLU held the lead a majority of the 1st half, the game remained closed for a majority of this time until about 2 minutes to play, when a 15-4 run left the Tigers down 36-26 going into halftime.
In the second half, the Tigers ultimately got beat from a number of possessions of untimely ball-watching as well as facing persistently aggressive post play from the Billikens. However, the Tigers certainly did not allow this lead to diminish their effort on the court. One player in particular, Justin Williams—a sophomore from Los Angeles— played with great heart and grit as he played stepped up to play clean and effective defense against Yuri Collins, a junior from St. Louis.
The St. Louis native managed to not only set a personal record, but also a school record of 20 assists in the Billikens’ 80-63 victory last night. This hometown hero showed exactly what it meant to share the ball and make a difference in a way that got all of his teammates involved.
TSU’s head coach Penny Collins, a Nashville native, remained extremely active on the sidelines throughout the game despite the deficit going into and lasting throughout the second half. His persistent coaching represents how much Coach Collins cares about his players beyond the court.
In June, Coach Collins and Nashville legend Penny Hardaway joined forces to host the First Annual Deserve2Win Celebrity Basketball game whose proceeds benefited the TSU men’s and women’s basketball programs. Coach Collin’s dedication to the program and developing its players is evident in all of what he does.
The increasing efforts towards providing more funding and attention to HBCUs in order to support Black students and athletes are more important than ever. HBCU coaches such as Deion Sanders, Jackson State University’s head football coach, have been huge proponents of bringing more Black students to HBCUs while also ensuring they are getting the most support during their experiences.
Things certainly are not where they need to be funding and attention wise, but having events like D9 Night like SLU did, which spreads awareness about HBCUs and their culture, while also having people like Deion Sanders and Coach Collins who are dedicated to improving conditions where they are is a step in the right direction.
TSU faces Austin Peay on Saturday while SLU takes on Southern Illinois University to start off their December seasons.