Maker's Major Decision

On Thursday, July 2^nd class of 2020 five-star basketball recruit Makur Maker announced he will be going to Howard University. This was a huge announcement since he was not only the ranked 16^th in the ESPN 100 but also because he chose Howard University, which a Historical Black College University (HBCU), over basketball powerhouse UCLA. The decision was surprising because many of the top players especially when it comes to basketball and football usually opt to go to big-name schools such as Duke, Kentucky, and UCLA. These are sometimes referred to as predominately white institutions (PWI). This decision can be the start of a trend where the top athletes decide to go to HBCU’s for sports which would help many of these universities finically. With HBCU’s the annual enrollment year to year is declining which affects funding that the universities receive, also due to finical struggles many non-revenue generating sports are cut by the universities.

One of the drawbacks some say about playing sports at an HBCU is the lack of exposure for players who have hopes of going pro. I believe this to be a myth because if you can play, they will find you especially today where there is video everywhere you look. In addition, If the top players go to an HBCU the networks will follow which more money for the schools which can help to improve facilities, so they are on par with the big PWIs. If Zion Williamson went to South Carolina State last year we would have seen his games on TV. We see the top high school basketball teams on TV all the time. This decision feels historic as though it has the chance to create the same ripple effects that were created Brandon Jennings chose to play overseas instead of going to college.

Many great athletes have gone to HBCU’s notably Jerry Rice, Doug Williams, and Shannon Sharpe to name a few. This shows if your great they will find you.   It will be interesting to see if others follow Makur’s lead.  HBCU’s were created because African Americans were allowed to attend universities with white counter parts. With the current social climate today why not pay it forward and help bring back athletic prominence to the institutions that were established to help educate people that look like you.