WASHINGTON (January 13, 2023) - The eyes of the nation will be trained on Burr Gymnasium when the Howard University men's basketball team hosts Morehouse College in the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. (MLK) Classic, sponsored by Nuna and Jordan Brand, Monday (Jan. 16) night at 7 p.m.
The game will be nationally televised on FS1 and tickets are still available. Visit www.howard.universitytickets.com to purchase tickets for the game.
This will be the fifth time Howard honors Dr. King's Celebration of Excellence by hosting nonconference contests with iconic, historical institutions. HU has greeted Ivy League perennials Harvard (2016 & 2019), Yale (2020), and Notre Dame (2022) at The Burr.
Last year's contest against Notre Dame was sold out and nationally televised on FOX.
"It's an honor to play on the MLK Day," said Howard men's basketball head coach Kenneth Blakeney, who will be coaching in his third MLK Day Classic. "Among some of the things he stood for were perseverance, resiliency and pride. some of the same ingredients that are critical at succeeding in the classroom and in life. This is a special game and we're fortunate to be on national television. It's also critical to understand the sacrifices he made for our country."
The evening will feature more than basketball.
Using the platform, provided by their MLK Day game vs Morehouse College, the team will formally kick off their volunteer efforts around Black maternal health by partnering with Mamatoto Village in their Day of Service event Sunday (Jan. 15). The Bison will package pregnancy care kits for the organization.
Mamatoto Village is devoted to serving Black women through the creation of career pathways in maternal health and providing accessible perinatal support services to expectant Black mothers. They are an organization run by Black women for Black women, and an ideal partner for the team's Day of Service.
The Social Justice Project and Day of Service has been widely tweeted about and covered by Jaime Harrison, Chairman of the Democratic National Committee, Stan Van Gundy, NBA on TNT commentator, long-time NBA coach, and outspoken advocate for Social Justice, Bakari Sellers, CNN Political Commentator, Antjuan Seawright, CBS Political Commentator & Senior Advisor to the DNC, Alicia Jessop, Founder of Ruling Sports and The NBA Social Justice Coalition.
Other activities during Monday's game include a halftime performance by Mistah F.A.B., plenty of free giveaways, an appearance by the Howard Gospel Choir of Howard University and a post-game panel featuring Blakeney, Andre Igoudala (Golden State Warriors), and Johnny Davis (Washington Wizards) among others.
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.
