Newspapers / Black Ink (Black Student … / April 1, 1975, edition 1 / Page 13
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A & T State University April, 1975 THE BLACK INK Page 13 Nowhere to go, No one to play It used to be that we picked the cotton and the white people got the money. Now we shoot the basketballs and the white schools get the money. — Reverend Jesse Jackson The North Carolina A and T State University Aggies subdued powerful Morgan State 70-65 in the finals of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament to capture their third title in four years. The Aggies' season closed at that point. Despite an 18-7 record, a talented cast of players, and a huge following of students and alumni, coupled with the NCAA Tournament's Invitational Tournoment, the Aggies saw post-season action only on their television sets. The irony is compounded when the fact Is considered that the National Invitational Tournament once again bypassed A and T in favor of such "powerhouses” as Manhattan, 13-11; Pittsburgh, 17-10; Connecticut, 18-9; and St. Peter's, 15-11. Aggie players remained in Greensboro during the first portion of spring break hoping that, by some chance, a late invitation would arrive. No word was received and the players departed for home. Last season the University of Maryland-Eastern Shore became the first all-black school in history to be invited to the 16-team NIT. And UMES performed well, tripping an embarrassed Manhattan squod in the first round and later dropping a heartbreaker in the quarter finals. UMES, In fact, was probably one of the most exciting teams in the tournament. Yet, the NIT selection committee which, incidentally, is all white, appears reluctant to, invite another all-black school. This is precisely the reason that Jesse Jackson, Director of Operation PUSH, urged all blacks to boycott the NIT, a basketball event with "93 percent black players" and no black schools represented. "The truth of the matter," writes black Greensboro journalist Ralph Vaughn," is that all the best ball players like D.T. (David Thompson) are co-opted by the larger universities and almost made amateur immortals with the occasional visits on the ACC Game of the Week." In the meantime, players who elect to attend block schools ore faced with little television exposure and are further frustrated by larger white universities who refuse to play their teams. ""I think we could match up well with Carolina^' "I think we could match up with Carolina, State, or any of those teams," says A and T Head Coach Warren Reynolds, “but they don't want to play us." White sports columnist Larry Keech of the GREENSBORO RECORD attempts to refute Reynold's statement by contending that State and Caroline will not ploy A and T because the Aggies do not offer legitimate competition. "Reynolds hurt his own credibility when he said his team could match up with Carolina or State," Keech argues. "Carolina and A and T shared one common opponent this year—MEAC member Howard. The Tor Heels beat Howard by 42 points, 109-67 at Chapel Hill. The Aggies struggled to beat Howard by four points on three different occasions." Keech's argument holds very little credibility. He, first of all, fails to mention that Howard matched Carolina basket for basket until star player Vodnoy Cotton became saddled with foul trouble. He also foils to mention that Carolina Coach Dean Smith played his storting lineup 0 Photo Coiiitesy ot A & T Regnler Aggie Allen Sprueill scores on o lay-up in a contest against Delaware State. for virtually the entire game. He fails to mention that Howard had no player on its roster over 6-6 and that Smith exploited this weakness by inserting 6-9 Mitch Kupchak, 6-10 Ed Stahl, and 6-10 Tommy LaGarde in the lineup at the same time. And he foils to mention that comparing scores with common opponents-is a pitifully unreliable means of rating teams. It, in fact, such a system works, then Carolina hod absolutely no business winning the ACC Tournament. After all, the Tarheels struggled to beat Duke on two occasions and were beaten by the Blue Devils on o third occasion. N.C. State thrashed Duke twice. How in the world, then, could the Tarheels manage to beat State once, let ojone twice in one season? The only truly reliable means of determining how two teams stock up against one another is to watch them ploy, heod-to-head. If Carolina is so much better than A and T, why won't they prove it on the playing court? Beneath The Surface Why are ACC schools so reluctant to schedule block competition? The answer is simple: white universities know that playing block schools will threaten their monoply on block high school talent. Blockirecruits go to white institutions for exposure. They know that they'll have a chance to be seen on national television, the ACC Gome of the Week, the Norm Sloan Show or the Dean Smith Show. They know who gets top priority on those big, fat Sunday sports sections. If, however, block schools were able to schedule ACC competition, they would be provided with an extra recruiting pitch. "Come to A and T, son," a recruiter could say. "We got strong tradition and good, solid team. AND you can help us beat Stole and Carolina." Black players would no longer HAVE to go to ACC schools to receive due recognition. All they'd have to do is go to Central, Howard, or A and T, beat N.C. State or Corolino, and the recognrtion would be guaronteed. Phofo Courtesy AAT Re9>sfer A and T's Sinclair Colbert launches a jumper against a Fayetteville State defender. The ACC could help black schools Take block players awoy from the ACC and what do you have? Take David Thompson, Kenny Carr, ond Moe Rivers from State and whot hove you got? Take John Lucas, Moe Howard and Owen Brown from Maryland and try to win o notional championship. Take Phil Ford ond Wolter Davis from Corolino and see if you con beat N.C. State. ACC officials reolize that the success of their schools relies on a block foundotion. And they know that ploying black schools would give these teams on equol chance at block talent and, in turn, jeopardize thot crucial foundotion. The answer is painfully obvious. Hurts the Players Thus, the A and T basketball teom has only its MEAC title to cherish ond o myriad of unfulfilled "whot if's " to bitterly remember. "Somehow it just isn't right," said Coach Reynolds in a GREENSBORO DAILY NEWS interview. "1 don't think the NIT field is all that impressive. 1 feel we would hove represented ourselves well. "We ore the only MEAC champions who hove yet to be invited to one of the prestigious tournaments. "It's absolutely ridiculous. I'm not personally hurt, but its the players that I'm mostly concerned about. They looked forward to playing in one of the tournaments. Concurrently, the MEAC remains in limbo, stuck in its transition from small college to major college stotus. Although five of its members—A and T, South Carolina State, Delaware State, Howard, and Maryland Eastern Shore—have attoined major college stotus. North Corolino Central and Morgan Stole have yet to do so. The road to major college status has been o rocky one and the ACC could make that path smoother. If it wanted to. For a closer look ... For a closer look at the issue of white schools shunning basketball competition with Black counterparts, read the upcoming premiere issue of the "New Carolinian" magazine, a publication to be distributed soon under the auspices of "The Daily Tar Heel." The "Carolinian" article will examine the subject from a dual perspective, investigating the point of views expressed by Carolina and A & T players and coaches. Readers are urged to voice their opinions on the concept and content of "Sports Artalysis" and other articles in the "Btodc Ink
Black Ink (Black Student Movement, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
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April 1, 1975, edition 1
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