The CIAA Tournament 2024 was held at the CFG Bank Arena in Baltimore, February 26 – March 3, 2024. We wanted to find out how Johnson C. Smith University President, Dr. Valerie Kinloch and Chairman Steven Boyd reflected on the experience this year.
1.How long have you been attending the CIAA Basketball Tournament? How would you describe your CIAA experience this year?
President Valerie Kinloch
This year—this February 2024—was my very first CIAA experience. Although I graduated from an HBCU, I did not have the opportunity to attend a CIAA tournament then, but now that I have returned to my undergraduate alma mater as the 15th President, I thoroughly enjoyed my very first experience. It was rich, right, and rewarding. It was engaging, energetic, and exciting. And it was full of Black excellence, joy, and love.
Chairman Steven Boyd
I have been attending the CIAA Basketball Tournament for over 15 years. It always has been a time of reunion, networking, and competitive basketball. This year was no different. The atmosphere in the arena, especially during the later rounds, was electric. The school spirit demonstrated by all 13 member institutions – win or lose - is the shining example of what it means to attend an HBCU.
2.What do you want to say to our players who competed on the court this year and to the student leaders who represented the Gold and the Blue in Baltimore?
President Valerie Kinloch
To our JCSU players who competed in the CIAA Basketball Tournament, I want to say what I have said all season after our games, and that is this: You are already winners on and off the basketball court. To have witnessed your journey from the regular season to the CIAA tournament was spectacular. Your individual and collective drive, determination, and perseverance were all so visible as you played the game and it remains visible now, as you process what it meant to play in Baltimore. Thank you for inviting me into your space and for making me feel part of the teams. There is no question that you wear the Gold and Blue with pride and dignity and for that, I am honored that you represent our Women’s and Men’s Basketball Teams at JCSU.
Chairman Steven Boyd
Your undergraduate years will be remembered as some of the most significant developmental years of your life. The friends you make last a lifetime. The experiences you share will be the topic of discussion, the reason for laughter and the connection to a time that you will cherish as some of the best years of your life. This CIAA tournament experience was not just five days in Baltimore but one of the building blocks for a lifetime of memories. The details of the wins and losses will fade but the emotions you shared with your teammates and classmates will live on forever.
3.The CIAA Basketball Tournament has two focal points: basketball and academics (Education Day). Why is it so important for our HBCU institutions to focus on both?
President Valerie Kinloch
It is important for HBCUs to focus on both academics and athletics because our universities cultivate well-rounded students who understand the value of critical learning and critical engagement across multiple spaces. Our JCSU athletes are student-athletes, and, thus, it is necessary that the CIAA Basketball Tournament remains committed to nurturing student-athletes who can enter into the larger world ready to be change agents on and off the court.
Chairman Steven Boyd
This is simply about the numbers. HBCU’s have produced exponentially more doctors, lawyers, educators, business leaders, community leaders, social workers, scientists, law enforcement officers and individual who have made significant contribution to mankind than we… or any other institution of higher will ever produce professional athletes. It is our responsibility to create that balance and establish education as THE priority. We all love sports and hold them high, but the numbers tell the story.
4. How effectively does the CIAA Basketball Tournament bring together current JCSU students and alumni?
President Valerie Kinloch
The CIAA Basketball Tournament provides a crucial and much-needed opportunity for students to connect, collaborate, and learn with and from each other. Our JCSU students and alumni gathered at multiple events sponsored by CIAA and also by our University. Gathering together is important because it allows deeper connections to be made with players, other current students, staff, and alumni of the University. In doing so, we all experience what it means to be a Golden Bull and how we can rely on our larger family. No one here is alone.
Chairman Steven Boyd
The CIAA Basketball Tournament is a time to wear your colors, wave your flag, represent the pride and passion you have in JCSU. The young hear the elongated stories of how great it was in the past as the experienced alum look in awe at the talent, confidence and enthusiasm of the current JCSU students. They share stories and compare notes and experiences and keep each other accountable for holding high the Gold and Blue.
5. What is your hope for next year's CIAA?
President Valerie Kinloch
For next year, I hope to build on the momentum that I experienced at this year’s tournament—from bringing more alumni together to focus on how we can continue to collectively elevate our University to seeing how our students, staff, and alumni bond over the love of our “dear ol’ JCSU.” Also, I want to be involved, again, in the CIAA Education Day, which was wonderful this year, and I want to see more JCSU representation across every single aspect of CIAA and the host City.
Chairman Steven Boyd
That is simple…play on Saturday! I will take the outcome whatever it may be but let’s have both the men and women play on Saturday.