For the second straight season, Stillman College will host the HBCU Athletic Conference Basketball Championships at Birthright Alumni Hall.
This year will be a little different, as the Tigers are now members of the conference. In 2024, the school paired with Visit Tuscaloosa to put on the event and was rewarded with a two-year contract for the right to host the conference basketball tournament in 2025 and 2026. The tournament will start on Feb. 25, 2025 and end with championship games on March 2.
“Tuscaloosa is honored to continue our partnership with the HBCU Athletic Conference,” said Kelsey Rush, President & CEO of Visit Tuscaloosa. “While hosting this first-class championship experience will bring economic benefits to our community, it also aligns with our desire to partner with local organizations and institutions such as Stillman College to showcase our dynamic community.”
Last year, even without Stillman in the tournament, the event brought $750,000 of economic impact to the city. Visit Tuscaloosa expects the number to rise now. Stillman was one three teams to join the conference, which rebranded from Gulf Coast Athletic Conference on July 1, the same day Stillman joined. The Tigers were previously in the Southern States Athletic Conference.
“After successfully hosting the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Basketball Championships in 2024, we are excited to extend our host bid and now be able to showcase our Stillman Tigers in the event as first-year members of the newly branded HBCU Athletic Conference,” said Terrance Whittle, Stillman College director of athletics. “Our community thrives on events that bring people together, and we are committed to offering an outstanding experience for all participants and spectators. We invite the Tuscaloosa community and West Alabama to join us in Birthright Alumni Hall throughout the tournament to experience a full week of competitive basketball.”
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The winners of the HBCU Athletic Conference tournaments will earn auto-bids into the NAIA National Tournament, a place that the Tigers are very familiar with. The men’s team has made the tournament in five of the last seven seasons.
For men’s basketball coach John Teasley being able to win a trophy at home is a special opportunity.
“I’m very excited that the HBCU Athletic Conference Tournament will be hosted at Stillman College. This is big for us, not just as an athletic department, but for the entire community. It gives us an opportunity to showcase our beautiful campus and all the things that make Stillman College and the city of Tuscaloosa a special place. It gives our players an opportunity to be a part of history to compete for a championship in Birthright Alumni Hall and an opportunity for all our students, faculty, staff to be a part of it. I’m looking forward to it, and I know our students are as well,” Teasley said.
This article originally appeared on The Gadsden Times: Stillman College to host HBCU Athletic Conference basketball tournament in 2025
