Latest news with #KentuckyState
Miami Herald
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
Charles Barkley and Shaq have awkward moment over HBCU legend
Former Kentucky State and HBCU basketball star Billy Ray Bates was mentioned during a recent 'Inside the NBA' episode highlighting a famous playoff performance from his days as a Portland Trail Blazer. But the conversation quickly turned awkward thanks to Charles Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal. The incident occurred on Sunday during a discussion about notable playoff debuts, where Bates' impressive 29-point performance off the bench in 1980 was highlighted. Co-host Charles Barkley questioned whether Bates was still alive, to which Shaquille O'Neal incorrectly asserted that Bates had passed away.? The following night, Johnson addressed the mistake on-air, stating, 'We would like to issue a correction and an apology for something that happened last night on 'Inside the NBA.' We were talking about Billy Ray Bates… In the course of our discussion, we passed on some bad information that Billy Ray Bates had passed away. While it was inadvertent, it was also inaccurate, and insensitive, and inexcusable. In short, we screwed up. And we apologize to Billy Ray Bates and his family.' The show faced criticism for not verifying the information before broadcasting it, especially given that such facts can be easily confirmed. Bates, now 68, had a brief but impactful NBA career, primarily with the Portland Trail Blazers, and also played for the Washington Bullets … the Los Angeles Lakers. He averaged an impressive 26.7 points per game in six playoff appearances, solidifying his place in NBA history.? Billy Ray Bates was drafted in the third round of the 1978 NBA Draft by the Houston Rockets but didn't make his NBA debut until 1980. Bates, who held the nickname 'Black Superman' had a stellar collegiate career at Kentucky State University from 1974 to 1978. Over 107 games, he scored 1,723 points, averaging 16.1 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. His breakout came during the 1976–77 season, when he posted 22.9 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. Bates showcased impressive efficiency, shooting 56% from the field and nearly 78% from the free-throw line throughout his college years. Known for his explosive scoring and athleticism, he steadily improved each season, becoming a dominant force by his junior and senior years. Bates' collegiate legacy remains one of Kentucky State's finest. This incident serves as a reminder of the importance of fact-checking, particularly when discussing individuals' lives on public platforms. The post Charles Barkley and Shaq have awkward moment over HBCU legend appeared first on HBCU Gameday. Copyright HBCU Gameday 2012-2025
Miami Herald
19-04-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
HBCU schedule features Classics in NFL stadium and Puerto Rico
FRANKFORT, Ky. – Kentucky State Football has announced its schedule for the 2025 HBCU football regular season, which will begin with the Detroit Football Classic against Central State on Aug. 30 and conclude on Nov. 8 at Thorobreds will have one matchup against a Division I opponent, Grambling State, two classics-the Detroit Football Classic and the Puerto Rico Bowl-along with eight contests against members of the SIAC. 2025 Kentucky State Football Schedule Kentucky State Football will open the 2025 season with a Labor Day Weekend Matchup at Detroit Football Classic against Central State. The two programs will play on Saturday, August 30, at Ford Field, home of the Detroit their season opener in Detroit, the Thorobreds will face Fort Valley State in the home opener on September 6. Kentucky State will begin its four-game road trip at Division I opponent Grambling State on September 13 in Grambling, Louisiana. The Thorobreds will then head to Atlanta, Georgia, to meet SIAC opponent Morehouse on September 20 and continue road play in Savannah, Georgia, against the Savannah State Tigers on September 27. Before returning to the Bluegrass state, the Thorobreds will close out their stint of road games at Miles on October 4. The Thorobreds will return home to host the Edward Waters Tigers in an exciting Homecoming matchup on October 11. Following an exciting Homecoming, the HBCU will compete outside of the continental United States in an exciting classic contest against Franklin Pierce on October 18. Kentucky State will celebrate its seniors and close out the home schedule against Clark Atlanta on November 2025 season will conclude on the road against conference foe Lane on November 8 in Jackson, Tennessee. The post HBCU schedule features Classics in NFL stadium and Puerto Rico appeared first on HBCU Gameday. Copyright HBCU Gameday 2012-2025
CBS News
28-03-2025
- CBS News
Chicago Public Schools inspired after spending part of spring break making college visits
More than 100 Chicago Public Schools students spent their spring break this week on a road trip visiting college campuses — many of them for the first time ever. After their four-day tour of colleges, the students returned to Chicago knowing there is a whole other world outside their city blocks. "Like HBCU college, I'm definitely interested in," said Darius Townsel. Townsel is a CPS junior, who spent the week with 120 other students visiting six Midwest colleges and universities — including Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Townsel took three college hats home with him — including one for Wabash University. "These are my top colleges—Wabash, it's an all-boys college…. They definitely got some great things. They keep you on track because there are no females there." Jamir McBeath was impressed with Kentucky State. "Kentucky State — it was real fun. I really enjoyed it," he said. "The food was great too, the food was — oh my God." Each of the students is either with Youth Guidance's Becoming a Man or The Fellowship Initiative . This was the first time the two groups have done the trip together. For the last decade, the groups have put on the annual trip to show students opportunities that lie ahead, such as a college degree. Many of them come from underserved communities. "A lot of them, it was the first time being in a hotel," said Rai Mungong of Youth Guidance. "It's the first time a lot of them have left Chicago, so it's a great sign of trust for the program, and the parents, to let their kids even go on this," said college tour director Josh Hurley. The students met with admissions teams, learned about different majors, and walked the campuses to get a taste of daily life. "It really helps students like prepare for their future and prepare to see like where life is going to take them," said high school junior Bryan Adasiak. "When I first entered high school, I had no plans for college. I was just thinking, OK, I'll just get my diploma and just get a job," said Diego Lineras. "But here I am now in my junior year thanks to TFI, and I'm finally dreaming of going to, getting into engineering or law. And I'm finally thinking I can go big and make my family proud."
The Guardian
27-02-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
An uncertain future for agricultural students at Black colleges after Trump cuts: ‘a clear attack'
Dr Marcus Bernard was shocked to learn last week that the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) had suspended the 1890 National Scholars program that funds undergraduate students' education in agriculture or related fields at about 20 historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Bernard is dean of the college of agriculture, health and natural resources at one of those institutions, Kentucky State University. At Kentucky State, close to 40 of the scholars have enrolled since the project's inception in 1992. Nationwide, the program has supported more than 800 students, according to the USDA. The 1890 scholarships have created a pipeline for rural and underrepresented students to pursue studies in fields such as animal science, botany, horticulture, nutrition and forestry. Upon graduation, they're placed in USDA positions around the nation. The news of the program's suspension – explained in a single sentence that briefly sat atop the program's USDA page – sparked a flurry of inquiries at Kentucky State. Bernard said the university had been notified that incoming fall 2025 scholarship selectees would not be funded. Without the federal funds, Kentucky State couldn't pay for those students' education or continue current students' scholarships. Bernard, anxious students and families got some small relief late Monday when the program reopened – a change noted on the website. It said that applications for the scholarship, which gives full rides to the institutions created from federal lands, would be accepted until 15 March. However, the future of the scholarship remains unclear as much of the funding that supports the students' research and fieldwork has been halted. The reopening of the scholarship program also does not necessarily mean it will be funded, said a USDA representative who requested anonymity. The newly reopened application period was 'probably something to appease the public from all the fires that have been lit in the last week', the official said. The move to suspend the scholarships drew criticism from various sources, including the 1890 Foundation, the Association of 1890 Research Directors and the Association of Public Land-Grant Universities. In a statement, the representative Alma Adams of North Carolina called the suspension 'a clear attack on an invaluable program that makes higher education accessible for everybody, and provides opportunities for students to work at USDA, especially in the critical fields of food safety, agriculture, and natural resources that Americans rely on every single day. This program is a correction to a long history of racial discrimination within the land-grant system, not an example of it. I demand USDA immediately rescind this targeted and mean-spirited suspension and reinstate the 1890 Scholars Program.' The participating universities had been founded as part of the second Morrill Act that in 1890 gave federal lands to establish historically Black colleges that specialized in agricultural and vocational education. Alvin Lumpkin was an 1890 South Carolina State University scholar who graduated in 2012. He started as an education major but switched during his sophomore year to study family and consumer studies under the department of agriculture and environmental sciences. He then became eligible to participate in the 1890 program. While he had various experiences as a scholar, one of his most memorable experiences was being a student firefighter. The 1890 Land Grant Institution Wildland Fire Consortium convened students from across the land-grant universities to obtain basic firefighting training skills and were placed in small towns across the south. 'It was students from Alcorn [State University], Fort Valley [State University], South Carolina [State University], and we all went down to [Florida A&M University]. And it was just a beautiful thing to have people from all different fields of study come together and train together,' said Lumpkin. Lumpkin worked for a month with the National Forest Service in Mount Rogers national recreation area. He gained skills in water sampling and treatment; rescue efforts; and strategic field burns, an Indigenous practice of controlled, intentional fire. 'We were on four-wheelers and torched sides of the mountain to burn vegetation so that when lightning strikes, it would not cause a fire,' said Lumpkin. For Kermit Shockley, being an 1890 scholar at Florida A&M broadened his understanding of what was possible for him. As an engineering major, he prepared trails and bridges across the Appalachian Trail during his summers. Alongside Lumpkin, he learned how to lay gravel, clear paths, administer first aid and patrol the forest to act as the first eyes for law enforcement. Lumpkin and Shockley responded to natural disasters such as the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the largest accidental marine-based spill in history. 'It was not a 'stand back and watch' moment. It was a 'let me show you, make your mistakes, and let me teach you,'' said Shockley. With the recent mass termination of thousands of National Forest Service and National Park Service workers, 1890 scholars may be relied upon again to help fill the gaps. Both men went into public-service careers. After graduation, Shockley went to work for the Department of Defense at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, decommissioning buildings used to enrich uranium during the second world war. Lumpkin's exposure to law enforcement as an 1890 scholar led him to become an officer with the South Carolina department of juvenile justice. He is now an assistant principal in the Sumter, South Carolina, school district. Lumpkin stressed that the impact on the larger 1890 ecosystem will be profound. 'There's so many programs that are going to be affected by not having 1890 scholars doing research in these communities,' he said. Other education programs have been affected by cuts. Across the 19 land-grant universities, agricultural research and urban agriculture grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and workforce training funding from the USDA's Next Generation of Agriculturalists (NextGen) program have been paused. 'All of this is going to be affected until grants have been unfrozen or until we know whether the grants will be cut completely,' said the USDA official. Aside from the scholarship program, Kentucky State is grappling with another huge loss. Last month, the university was awarded a $1.2m research grant from the 1890 Foundation with funding through the National Forest Service to launch a comprehensive project to increase the tree canopy across Louisville to reduce the impacts of urban heat stress. The funding also prompted the university to launch a robust urban-forestry program. Last week, the university was officially notified that the grant had been terminated. Defunding the 1890 National Scholars program stands to hurt Kentucky and the larger southern region, where most land-grant universities are located, said Bernard: 'We are in communities across the state doing programs that are helping farmers, helping our rural communities, and providing assistance to disaster victims and more.'
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Kentucky State completes comeback to defeat Spring Hill
FRANKFORT, Ky. (FOX 56) — The Kentucky State Men's basketball team defeated Spring Hill 105-95 Tuesday in its final home game of the regular season. After trailing by as many as 19 points just before the first half under-12 media timeout, the Thorobreds completed an epic comeback to spit the season series with the Badgers. Kentucky State completes comeback to defeat Spring Hill Preserving horse racing's colorful past: Georgetown honors Black blacksmiths Eagles player declines actor's offer to pay Super Bowl fine — but offers alternative KSU had four players score in double figures, including 28 points from junior forward Gregory Melvin and a team-high 30 points from senior guard Lavar Miller Jr. It was a career game for Melvin; the Virginia Beach native notched new career highs in points (28), minutes (38), field goals made (9), three-point field goals made (3), free throws made (7), and blocks (2). With Tuesday night's win, the Thorobreds now record sits at 12-10 overall and 9-8 in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Up next for Kentucky State is a match-up with rivals Central State on Feb. 22. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
