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It used to not be a unicorn-level event, of course, for Black players from HBCUs to make it big in the NBA. Earl Monroe, Sam Jones, Willis Reed, Bob Dandridge — all Hall of Famers — played at HBCUs. Monroe was the second pick of the 1967 draft after leading Division II in scoring at Winston-Salem State. Today, only Robert Covington, who played at Tennessee State, is an HBCU alum. But, more NBA players are making real outreach to HBCU programs. Famously, former NBA player J.R. Smith is playing golf at North Carolina A&T. And, more quietly, real relationships are being built. Chris Paul has championed HBCU investment for the last several years, partnering with the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame to create the four-team Chris Paul HBCU Kick-Off in Connecticut. He’s getting his bachelor’s at Winston-Salem. Stephen Curry is funding the golf programs at Howard for six years, raising $3 million for the program’s endowment in 2021 at a charity golf tournament and auction at Pebble Beach. Both Paul and Curry met with Howard’s and Morgan’s players before Saturday’s game.
The four-year standout at Tennessee State, is the only player in the NBA playoffs who attended an HBCU. It’s something Covington doesn’t take for granted. “It’s a blessing to be the only guy in the playoffs, let alone the league,” Covington said Wednesday as the Blazers prepare for Game 3 vs. the Nuggets. “We don’t get too many guys out of HBCUs anymore that have an impact, let alone stick around in the league.”
From Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton to Sam Jones to Willis Reed to Earl “The Pearl” Monroe to Bob Love to Anthony Mason to Charles Oakley to Ben Wallace, it used to be commonplace to see players from historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the NBA All-Star Game. But today, it’s rare to see an HBCU player in the NBA at all. There is only one HBCU player left among the 30 teams: Portland Trail Blazers forward Robert Covington, who starred at Tennessee State. “That’s a little disturbing,” Wallace told The Undefeated. “Most of us HBCUs, we’re scorers or specialists. The league has shifted to shooters and that has weeded out a lot of the HBCU players.”
Houston Rockets forward Rob Covington is paying it forward to his alma mater Tennessee State University and announced today he would fund a major project on the campus. The 2013 TSU graduate says the University played a major role in his personal and professional development, and now he will play a pivotal role in helping to develop its future basketball program at the “Covington Pavilion”. His gift is the largest of this magnitude to an HBCU by a former athlete that was a product of its program. “I want to thank the city of Nashville for embracing me, Coach Brian “Penny” Collins, Dr. Mikki Allen, President Glover and the University for giving me the opportunity to do something special like this,” Covington said. “I love my alma mater, I’m not donating a new practice facility for the recognition or because I NEED to – I am doing it because I truly WANT to."
"I know what the school didn’t have when I was here as a student and I want future generations of kids to have the best resources available to them, to build their futures both on and off the court. I want them to step on this campus and feel like their dreams can come true here, because mine really did.” Covington will fund the project, with construction slated to begin late spring in 2021. The facility will have two practice courts, locker rooms and offices for the men’s and women’s basketball programs. “We are extremely proud of Mr. Robert Covington’s success and are grateful for his contributions to the University,” said TSU President Glenda Glover. “Most importantly, his success on and off the court speaks volumes about the caliber of students TSU and other HBCUs produce. We thank him, his family and the Allergic To Failure Foundation for this generous gift.”
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The Jump: Inspiration for funding new practice facility at Tennessee State University? "For me, just being able to give back, it's time. It's a big thing. Now is my time to give back" - @Robert Covington #NBA #NBATwitter #TheJump #OneMission pic.twitter.com/ZN0g0E4wj3
Mark Berman: #Rockets forward Robert Covington (@Robert Covington) is giving back to his alma mater. Tennessee State (@TSU_Tigers) announced plans for Covington to build a $1 million practice facility for the basketball teams at Tennessee State that will be called Covington Pavilion. pic.twitter.com/GNOp3doPzN
What did HBCUs mean to you before you went to Tennessee State University? Robert Covington: Before I got there I didn’t know too much about them at all. But I made some of the best memories that I will ever have at my HBCU. Go to a bigger school? Nah. I wouldn’t change that because the people who've had the most significant impact on my life, they wouldn’t be in my life. To be at the forefront of something that can spark a major change as far as kids going to an HBCU and learning about our history and learning about our culture and learning about our ancestors, where we came from. That’s a big thing, that’s a really big thing.
Covington was eligible for the 2013 NBA Draft following a standout four-year career at Tennessee State. He earned Second Team All-Ohio Valley Conference honors as a senior and a sophomore and First Team distinction as a junior. In a related move, the Sixers waived Chris Johnson.
Today's includes the third player from the University of Detroit Mercy known to have worked out for the Pistons, with Ray McCallum and Doug Anderson the others. It's heavy in forwards, but it ends with a guard who led his team in both scoring and assists. And it begins with a Southfield native: A'ustin Calhoun, PF, 6-7, 232, Bowling Green Robert Covington, SF, 6-7, 210, Tennessee State
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