Randall Barnes Articles - Page 37

The Minnesota Lynx’s 18-point comeback attempt was successful after a wild four-point play by Courtney Williams put them up 84-83 in the closing seconds of Game One of the WNBA Finals. The Lynx struggled early out the gate and appeared to be on their way to an opening series loss as the Liberty looked more […]

WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert announce the big changes to the structure for the playoffs ahead of game, one of the WNBA Finals. Starting in the 2025 season the first round of the playoffs will be a best-of-three format where both teams get a home game.  Perhaps the most significant change is to the WNBA Finals, […]

An explosive report published by ESPN on Thursday afternoon details Jerry West’s regrets about his time with the Los Angeles Lakers. West was a dedicated basketball ambassador, even serving as inspiration for the silhouette of the NBA logo that was introduced in 1969. The article details that West pondered about his time in the sport […]

Cam Newton is joining Stephen A. Smith on First Take on a permanent basis. The former Carolina Panthers star and the host of the popular 4th & 1 podcast is joining First Take’s rotating crew of contributors that features Shannon Sharpe, Ryan Clark, and Chris “Mad Dog” Russo. ESPN announced the hiring of Newton on Thursday […]

As USC star Juju Watkins gears up for her second season in College Basketball, she has landed a huge NIL deal with Gatorade that puts her in the company of Paige Bueckers and Caitlin Clark per a report by On3. Watkins’ move is noteworthy as she will collaborate with Gatorade to engage with the next […]

Colorado Buffaloes two-way star Travis Hunter has a close relationship with Deion Sanders. Hunter has cited several times how he looks up to the Pro Football Hall of Famer and immediately took the opportunity to play for him while he was still the coach of Jackson State. But, the relationship between the two is deeper […]

Former NFL MVP and host of the 4th & 1 podcast Cam Newton is set to join Stephen A. Smith and Shannon Sharpe on the campus of Tennessee State University on Friday’s edition of First Take. The popular ESPN morning show is continuing it’s most recent HBCU tour in the Land of Golden Sunshine as the Tigers […]

The Pelicans have a new offensive approach coming into the new season, per comments by Zion Williamson to The Athletic. New Orleans head coach Willie Green emphasized in training camp the need to increase the volume of three-pointers that the team is taking, in hopes of upping their scoring efficiency as they look to contend […]

Journalist and Howard University alumnus Jim Trotter’s lawsuit against the NFL received a major update on Wednesday afternoon. Trotter took to his X account to announce that both he and the NFL have agreed to settle the lawsuit, with the league pledging to donate to Trotter’s scholarship for HBCU students. “The NFL and I have […]

The pivotal matchup between Jackson State and Florida A&M that could possibly determine the next HBCU football champion is getting a huge broadcasting boost from ESPN. The game is slated to be broadcast on ESPNU after originally being announced as an ESPN+ broadcast before the season. The matchup between the two programs has generated significant […]

Shams Charania dropped his own news bomb today when he announced that he was joining ESPN as their Senior NBA Insider, replacing Adrian Wojnarowski. Charania was rumored to be in contention for the open position as he staked his claim as one of the top news breakers in the industry and was locked into a […]

Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia’s massive game got high praise from Deion Sanders Jr. Sanders, the owner of Well Off Media and the brother of presumptive 2025 first-round NFL draft pick Shedeur Sanders, knows a lot about great QB play but his X post about Pavia, who was almost an HBCU star at Jackson State University […]

Vanderbilt pulled off a huge 40-35 upset over top-ranked Alabama on Saturday evening and Commodores alumnus Skip Bayless was ecstatic with the outcome. Bayless is known as a huge sports fan who is very supportive of the teams he roots for. Bayless took to his X account to speak about his happiness behind the shocking Vandy […]

LeBron James is definitely a fan of the WNBA as he’s consistently shown this season with players such as Caitlin Clark and A’ja Wilson. Now, he’s showing love to another phenomenal player: Napheesa Collier of the Minnesota Lynx. Collier and the Lynx are a game away from birth in the WNBA Finals after a 90-81 […]

The Atlanta Falcons pulled off a miraculous 36-30 victory over Tampa Bay Buccaneers off of a game-sealing touchdown reception by former HBCU standout KhaDarel Hodge. Falcons QB Kirk Cousins, who had a record-setting night, found Hodge for a 45-yard reception in the Falcons opening overtime drive to secure the victory over their NFC South rival. […]

The Kamala Harris campaign has announced an HBCU tour, coinciding with the start of homecoming season around the nation per an exclusive report by Ebony Magazine. The tour is expected to feature celebrities and elected officials campaigning in support of Harris and her candidacy for president. “Vice President Harris has been very clear: she is […]

The Knicks trading for Karl Anthony-Towns shocked the entire NBA world on Friday night. Towns, a key piece of the Timberwolves’s ascension to contenders in the West, is now heading East as the Knicks look to become the primary challenger to the dominance of the defending champion Boston Celtics. There are mixed feeling about the […]

Jayson Tatum has brought the Boston Celtics immense success, and his leadership of the team has placed him in conversations with NBA legend Larry Bird. Tatum shares a couple of team records with Bird and both of them brought championships to the organization, so the conversations involving Bird and Tatum. “Larry Bird is the best […]

FCS contender Sacramento State is looking to make a leap to the FBS as the Pac-12 looks to further reinvent itself in the new wave of realignment. Per reporting by Yahoo Sports’s Ross Dellenger, Sacramento State is making the first moves towards expansion by announcing that the institution will be building a new multi-use football […]

Former HBCU star Javonte Cook is getting a shot to join a Western Conference contender in the NBA. The former Winston-Salem State standout is expected to sign an Exhibit 10 contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Per Yahoo Sports, an Exhibit 10 contract is a one-year agreement with a minimum salary that is not guaranteed. […]

From HBCU standout to NBA legend, Ben Wallace’s story is one for the ages. Undrafted in ’96, he defied the odds with grit and determination. Ben Wallace’s basketball journey began with a chance encounter with NBA legend Charles Oakley. Wallace hadn’t fully committed to playing basketball as he was a standout football player. However saved […]

Tom Brady had high praise for Lamar Jackson’s performance during the Raven’s 28-25 victory over the Cowboys. The game was broadcast on Fox, an unusual location for Jackson and the Ravens as they are AFC contenders. But their visit to AT&T Stadium was covered by Brady, who is only a few games into his emerging […]

Tom Brady has received mixed reviews for his performance in the broadcast booth with Fox but NBA legend and Inside The NBA analyst Shaquille O’Neal isn’t judging Brady too harshly. On the latest episode of The Big Podcast with Shaq, the four-time NBA champion weighed in on Brady in the booth and how he can continue […]

U.S. News & World Report has released their 2023-24 ranking of the top HBCUs in the nation and a couple of new HBCUs have cracked the top 10. The list is published annually and uses several factors to determine the rankings of the HBCUs. The ranking system relies on two fundamental aspects: quantitative and qualitative measures that […]

One of the biggest headlines from the Washington Commanders’ impressive 38-33 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals is Jayden Daniels’s pass to offensive lineman Trent Scott for the first passing touchdown of his career. But, what Scott did after the touchdown has caused a lot of conversation that deserves some context. Jayden Daniels’ first NFL TD […]

Jayden Daniels had a stellar game to lead the Washington Commanders to a resounding 38-33 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. But, who would’ve thought that Daniels would get the first touchdown of his career by throwing to an offensive lineman that also happens to be an HBCU alumnus? Jayden Daniels’ first NFL TD pass goes […]

An HBCU marching band is set to perform alongside WWE Champion Cody Rhodes at WWE’s Bad Blood Premium Live Event in Atlanta, Georgia in October. The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff’s Marching Musical Machine of the Mid-South announced on their social media accounts that they’d be performing at the event. “Oh nothing… just expanding […]

Although the Chicago Sky’s season is over, rookie sensation Angel Reese is guaranteeing a playoff birth for her squad next year. Reese was clearly watching the WNBA Playoffs on yesterday as four games aired on national TV. At the start of the playoff slate, the former LSU forward took a picture of the TV showcasing […]

Former HBCU star Emanuel Wilson made his presence felt as he got his first NFL touchdown in the Green Bay Packers dominant win over the Tennessee Titans. On 2nd and 15 with 8 minutes left in the third quarter, the Packers ran a screen pass play with Wilson as the recipient. Wilson caught the ball […]

Luka Doncic is one of the best players in the NBA and emerged in the world of basketball as a teenage hoops prodigy overseas. His professional experience led him to be selected third overall in the 2018 NBA Draft, a different path from other NBA stars who spent at least a year in college before […]

Clark Atlanta pulled off a huge D1 upset over Bethune-Cookman University, beating their SWAC opponent 38-37. The Panthers, who entered the game 3-0-1  after last week’s matchup against Florida Memorial University was called off due to weather concerns, were dominated in the first half. The Wildcats hopped out to a 28-7 lead in the first […]

Caitlin Clark has officially closed the door on her first regular season in the WNBA and set several records along the way. However, one record puts her ahead of Phoenix Mercury guard and certified hoops legend Diana Taurasi. In the final game of the Fever’s regular season against the Washington Mystics, Clark hit a deep […]

From the football field to the television screen, Michael Strahan’s remarkable journey is nothing short of inspiring. Strahan proved himself to be a special talent on the campus of his HBCU Texas Southern University. The Tigers were engrained in the history of his family, as his uncle played for Texas Southern. It took one season […]

In a recent episode of The Big Podcast With Shaq, Shaquille O’Neal doubled down on his already harsh comments about Rudy Gobert. O’Neal isn’t one to mince words about modern day big man, as he’s made his thoughts known on JaValle McGee, Joel Embiid and even Nikola Jokić as he won his third MVP this past season. […]

Alabama A&M head coach Connell Maynor is one of the most compelling personalities in HBCU football and his latest antic at a recent press conference adds to his legacy of hilarity. During a recent press conference, Maynor’s phone went off with an ESPN notification. Instead of disregarding it, he picked it up and acted as […]

In a heated debate over Deion Sanders’s recent criticism of the media, Paul Finebaum questioned Stephen A. Smith’s defense of the Colorado coach and even suggested he return his HBCU degree. The panel discussed Sanders’s recent remarks at a press conference where he alleged that college football reporters are jealous of players receiving money from […]

During an appearance on the nationally syndicated iHeartRadio show The Breakfast Club, comedian Kevin Hart took a shocking dig at HBCU Delaware State University that might have gone too far. Hart was joined by Florida A&M alumnus Will Packer, who engaged Hampton University alumnus DJ Envy in playful banter about their institutions. DJ Envy brought […]

The talk of Morehouse College moving from Division II to Division I has been an often discussed topic in the HBCU sports space. Morehouse is one of the most recognizable HBCUs in the country, boasting a rigorous educational curriculum and notable alumni who have made their impact throughout history. Because of this, many believe that […]

The Knicks have significantly retooled their roster and they’ve caught the eye of Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green. Green, always one to speak his mind about the happenings around the NBA, took to his podcast The Draymond Green Show to speak about the Knicks as a possible contender in the upcoming season. “I don’t want to […]