Earle
Well-Known Member
Are SWAC athletic facilities comparable to MEAC and other FCS schools? DeWayne Wade, on a recent television sports show, shared, in response to the 5-star basketball recruit choosing Howard, that Howard's small arena which seats only about 2700 would be problematic for him. He went on to say that hbcu facilities were in the "dirt" and that these schools would first need to get their facilities out of the dirt, if they expect these type athletes to show interest. I do know that Wade participated in a benefit game a few years ago at WSSU sponsored by a Chris Paul foundation. At that time the WSSU basketball facility where the game was played, although packed out, looked more like a small high school gymnasium in need of a facelift than a college arena. This could have contributed to Wade's attitude about the quality of hbcu facilities. I have not seen all SWAC stadiums and arenas recently, but I would think SWAC basketball and football facilities would rank favorably among peer institutions. There is not a single basketball arena in SWAC that is as small as Howard's. AAMU has announced plans to build a new arena with a hotel and other amenities, while FAMU enters with a nice arena already, and I am not sure about BCU. Most SWAC football stadiums seat at least 15,000, larger than most MEAC, BS, and SLC schools, and have nice artificially-turfed playing surfaces. What do you think?
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