By: Tadi Abedje

The Virgin Islands HBCU Basketball tournament will take place at the UVI Sports & Fitness Center in Saint Thomas. It will have a men’s and women’s tournament consisting of 12 games (six for men and six for women) from November 3 to 5.  

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The schools that will be participating in the tournament are Arkansas Baptist College, Hutson-Tillotson University, Warner University, Wilberforce University and the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI). 

According to The St. Thomas Source, the Classic will also serve as a homecoming event for the school as they are gearing up for a return to college athletics. Last season, spring and winter sports were called off due to the raging effect of the coronavirus pandemic. 

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“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,” Dr. Jerel Drew, director of athletics at UVI, said in a statement on the school’s website. “We anticipate an exciting Homecoming Week filled with festivities for all ages.” 

Also, according to the UVI statement, the Arkansas Baptist College’s women’s basketball team will take part in the HBCU Basketball Classic. 

“We are thankful for the invitation and the experience of a lifetime for our student-athletes. We look forward to competing and participating in all the great events planned for the week,” said Arkansas Baptist women’s basketball head coach Marlow Rockwell on the HBCU Sports website.