Cabral Huff spoke of intention when he was introduced as Edward Waters University’s new men’s basketball coach.
“My intent is to not just compete for a SIAC championship but for an NCAA Division II national championship,” Huff said after being introduced by Tigers athletic director Dr. Ivana Rich. “I don’t want to hear that it will be tough because we’re an HBCU – why not us? If we know anything about being at an HBCU, it’s we know how to make a way.”
Huff, a Morehouse graduate, was previously the head coach at Voorhees University, who finished 14-16 in 2022-23 and had multiple players earn post-season honors. Huff fit the bill of what both Rich and university president A. Zachary Faison Jr. were looking for in a leader for the men’s basketball program.
“I entrusted Dr. Rich with finding us someone who will make our program a winner,” Faison said in his introductory remarks. “We wanted someone who will help us win on the court, in the classroom, and in the community.”
“We took our time with this process,” Rich added in her introduction of Huff. “We looked around our campus and saw the student-athletes working hard, and we wanted someone to lead our basketball program with hard work.”
Huff believes that Edward Waters has a unique quality that makes them stand out in a crowded Florida landscape.
“We are the only NCAA Division II HBCU in Florida, so we are rare,” he said. “I will say this a lot while I’m here – we are here, we are Duval and that means we’re a hard-hat, get down to business type of community, and that is how we will turn the AJC into ‘The Jungle’ for any opponent that steps in here.”
The Tigers finished the 2022-23 season 10-19 overall and 7-14 in SIAC play, losing to eventual conference champion Miles College 71-52 in the tournament quarterfinals. Expected to return for Edward Waters are leading scorer Tavares Oliver (15.9 points per game) and point guard Cahlib Edwards (10 points and 3 assists per game).
