The University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) is excited to announce the 2nd annual University of the Virgin Islands HBCU Basketball Classic to be held on the Orville E. Kean Campus on St. Thomas.
The event, scheduled the first weekend in November, coincides with the university’s Homecoming festivities throughout the week. The event opens with three games on Thursday, Nov. 3, four additional games on Friday, Nov. 4, and four games on Saturday, Nov. 5.
“UVI Athletics is excited for the 2nd annual University of the Virgin Islands HBCU Basketball Classic which we expect to be grander than before,” said Dr. Jerel Drew, Director of Athletics at UVI. “We anticipate a great showcase of basketball with a Homecoming Week filled with festivities for all ages.”
UVI’s games during the event are the Buccaneers’ 2022-23 basketball home openers. The UVI women will tip off at 5 p.m., with the UVI men to follow on each of the three days of the event.
The event will open with Buc Night on Thursday, Nov. 3. Friday, Nov. 4, will be USVI High School Senior Night & Greek Night. All USVI high school seniors will be admitted to that day’s slate of games for free when they submit a university application to UVI or any of the other five institutions with a team playing at the HBCU Classic. Students who are not seniors will pay a reduced entry fee of $5.00.
Saturday, Nov. 5, will be the UVI Athletics Hall of Fame Night where UVI will celebrate and welcome all members of the Athletics Hall of Fame.
Four women’s teams and four men’s teams will participate in the 2022 edition of the HBCU Classic. UVI and Southern University at New Orleans (SUNO) will be represented by both their men’s and women’s basketball teams. The women’s basketball team from Philander Smith College will also participate. Both SUNO and Philander Smith are members of the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference.
The basketball teams from Warner University and St. Thomas University (Fla.), both member programs of the Sun Conference, will round out the field at the men’s portion of the event. The Florida National University women’s team will also make the trip to the V.I.
