Howard University men’s basketball coach Kenny Blakeney has an idea to put the Bison athletic program ahead of the curve in the new era of big business.
According to a Washington Post report by Jesse Dougherty, Blakeney has pitched the idea of selling 33 1/3 percent of the Bison men’s basketball program to private equity firms and wealthy individuals that would reshape the team and Burr Gymnasium.
Blakeney says his proposal was born of whispers that the NCAA basketball tournament could follow the Football Bowl Series format of Power 4 exclusivity and he wants no part of a secondary tournament.
“I don’t want to have a two-tiered system where we’re not able to compete for the NCAA Tournament or the national championship,” he said. “And from what I’m hearing right now, that is a real possibility, that there’s going to be an NCAA Tournament that isn’t going to include everyone else, it’s just going to include those Power Four [conference] universities and maybe the Big East. That’s not what I signed up for.”
Blakeney’s proposal calls for revenue to be split three ways – between the potential owner, the university and the men’s basketball program – as well as collective bargaining with the players. Blakeney recognized that Dartmouth’s men’s basketball team unionizing could lead to many more athletic programs forming unions in the future.
According to Jason Clinkscales of Sportico, Howard spent more than $1 million on men’s basketball in fiscal year 2023. The $100-million price tag would give Howard a chance to upgrade its facilities, establish NIL deals with players and make the Bison an attractive option to other conferences. Blakeney fears no backlash from his modest proposal.
“I don’t care,” he told the Washington Post. “This is what we’re dealing with. And if we’re not going to turn our eye to what’s hitting us in the face, then we’re not looking at this thing the right way.”
