NEW YORK, NY (WTKR)- All good things must come to an end, as the saying goes. HBCUnited was just hoping it would end with $1 million.
The team of HBCU alumni was eliminated from The Basketball Tournament on Wednesday night, falling to Americana For Autism, 67-63, in the Rucker Park Regional final.
It was quite a run for the squad, though. After winning it's opener, fourth seeded HBCUnited took down the region's top seed in YGC, 66-59. The HBCU team held a lead for much of the first half and a good portion of the third quarter on Wednesday night before Americana moved in front.
Norfolk State head coach Robert Jones served as the team's head coach and had some players on the roster that many basketball fans in Hampton Roads might recognize. Former Spartans Devante Carter, Derrik Jamerson and Steven Whitley all suited up for the squad as well as former Hampton players Malique Trent, Jermaine Marrow and Amir Smith.
2021 saw HBCUnited shown the door in the first round so this summer proved to be a significant step.
The Basketball Tournament is in its ninth year and awards $1 million to the winning team. This marks the first year a regional was held at Rucker Park. A 64 team field began the tournament which will be trimmed down to eight by next week. TBT Championship Week begins Thursday, July 28, at the University of Dayton.
