Stillman College (Ala.) has been added as the thirteenth member of the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference per a release by the conference starting from July 1, 2024. The GCAC Council unanimously approved the decision of the Presidents. In addition, Visit Tuscaloosa has been chosen to host the 2024 Hope Credit Union Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships, scheduled to take place at Stillman’s Birthright Alumni Hall from February 28 to March 3, 2024. This announcement was made by GCAC Commissioner Dr. Kiki Baker Barnes.

“This is an exciting week for the GCAC,” Dr. Barnes said in the statement. “Expanding our conference has been at the forefront of our organization’s goals, and adding Stillman is a major step forward for us. We are grateful for President Page and Athletic Director Whittle for leading the charge to join our conference.”

Joining Voorhees University and Wilberforce University, who were recently announced as new members, Stillman College’s move to the GCAC marks a return to an HBCU conference. Previously, the college had intermittently competed in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) from 1978 to 2016. Since 2016, Stillman has been competing in the NAIA and has been part of the Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) since 2018.

The Gulf Coast Athletic Conference, founded in 1981, is the only conference within the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) exclusively comprised of HBCUs. With the addition of Stillman College, the GCAC will have at least 10 teams in women’s volleyball, women’s basketball, men’s basketball, and baseball, earning two automatic berths for each sport in the NAIA Championships.

Terrance Whittle, the Director of Athletics at Stillman College, expressed excitement about the college’s inclusion in the GCAC for the 2024-25 academic year. The Tigers are looking forward to becoming the newest member of the conference.

The GCAC 2024 Hope Credit Union Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships will be hosted by Stillman College in early 2024. This prestigious tournament is a collaboration between the college and Visit Tuscaloosa, the local tourism destination marketing organization. It is worth noting that the GCAC Hope Credit Union Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships will be broadcast on HBCU+, the livestream platform of the GCAC’s media rights partner, Urban Edge Network. The 2023 championships garnered significant attention, with over three-quarters of a million views during the broadcasts, including thrilling one-point title games on both the women’s and men’s sides.