“We had something that all these young men wanted, an opportunity to attend college and play basketball,” said Ivi McDaniel, assistant coach for Talladega College’s Junior Varsity Men’s Basketball team.
McDaniel and her colleague Tee Jay Wilson, also an assistant coach, recently hosted the “Recruit, Meet & Greet” event to introduce scholarly athletes to the College and its recruiting staff.
Twenty-seven young men from Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Georgia, Texas, Michigan, and Mississippi came in as strangers but left as Degans; all attendees signed with Talladega College.
“This event introduced the College to people who might not have known anything about it,” said McDaniel. “Our hopes were once they saw the campus, they would fall in love with it.”
Most of the players were recruited by way of Twitter. The coaches were searching for players that were not only talented but also served as a good fit for the institution.
“People want to connect with their heritage, and Talladega College is a place for that to happen,” said McDaniel. “HBCUs have become a big thing among African American students; they are looking for that experience and environment.”
“Everyone talks about saving ‘this generation,’ and what better way to do it than by introducing them to college.
