“We were poor,” are not the words you expect to hear from the head coach of an elite basketball program, but that was the reality for Vivian Stringer and the 1984 Cheney State women’s basketball team. So how could a team so successful be so poor at the same time?
It was because Cheney State was an HBCU, and like many other HBCUs, they were underfunded and couldn’t afford things that many other top basketball programs could. So there were times when the team had to compromise.
The team had no locker room and instead had to change in the school dormitories. They even had to wash their own uniforms. But they made up for what they didn’t have financially on the court.
That team would go on to be the only HBCU basketball team to make it to the NCAA Final Four and Championship game. But it begs the question: what if HBCUs had proper funding?
If HBCUs had better funding, there’s a greater chance Cheney State wouldn’t be the only HBCU team to dominate in NCAA basketball. So whether it’s through donating, getting actively involved in education, or attending an HBCU, we must support these schools so that their athletes and all other students have the proper resources.