By BASN News Wire

DETROIT — The HBCU Black College Basketball Hall of Fame board of directors announced its inaugural class on Friday, February 24th of 12 inductees from Historically Black Colleges and Universities. The inaugural class is made up of HBCU basketball royalty.     

The founder of the HBCU Black College Basketball Hall of Fame, LaMont “ShowBoat” Robinson a former HBCU player at Central State University, said this has been long overdue to honor the HBCU basketball history both from a standpoint of an annual induction ceremony and a world-class facility.  

Many great players and coaches and teams from HBCUs have been forgotten and have never gotten their RESPECT, are the media coverage it deserves. Robinson went on to say he hopes that the HBCU Black College Basketball Hall of Fame will bring that much-needed recognition for the players and coaches past, present, and in the future, because everyone is not going to be inducted into the National College Basketball Hall of Fame or the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Robinson added that he and his staff have contacted Historically Black Colleges and Universities to offer this one-of-kind project to come to HBCU cities as well as to host the annual induction ceremony every year in the month of February to help celebrate Black History Month. 

2023 HBCU BLACK COLLEGE BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME INAUGURAL CLASS: 

Dick Barnett – Player – Tennessee State College 

John Chaney- Player – Bethune Cookman University

Clarence “Big House” Gaines – Coach – Winston Salem State 

Cleo Hill – Player – Winston Salem State University 

Sam Jones – Player – North Carolina Central University 

Pee Wee Kirkland – Player – Norfolk State University 

Yolanda Laney – Player – Cheyney State University  

Earl Lloyd – Player – West Virginia State University  

John McClendon – Coach – Tennessee State College  

Earl “The Pearl” Monroe – Player – Winston Salem State  

Willis Reed – Player – Gambling State University   

Vivian Stringer – Coach – Cheyney State University      

For more information, log on to www.hbcubasketballhof.com