What does an individual get when they mix family enter¬tainment and youth develop¬ment? Obviously the answer is a Black College Classic. These fun-filled events, such as The Bayou Classic, The Circle City Classic and The Florida Classic feature two black colleges that battle for the ultimate winning title in a sports event.
Dillard University will take part in an upcoming classic known as the Fresh Coast Classic held in Milwaukee. The Fresh Coast Basketball Classic, a November tradition in the making, is a bas¬ketball tournament between four black colleges including Lane College (Tenn.), Vor¬hees College (S.C.), Dillard University (La.) and Cen¬tral State University (Ohio). Held during Thanksgiving Weekend, Nov. 23-24, 2007, Greater Milwaukee will have what others have brought to Indiana, Kentucky, and some Southern States.
The name, fresh coast, was created from a phrase coined by Milwaukee’s Mayor, Tom Barret, in describing Milwau¬kee’s location. The thought came when detailing the West Coast and East Coast, and since Milwaukee sits on freshwater, the mayor came up with the “Fresh” Coast. The event is to bring in peo¬ple and spread the message that Milwaukee is a vibrant city.
There are similar events that have been beneficial in times past to cities and their businesses. For instance, the Black Coaches Association Classic (BCA Classic). This event, which began in 1994, brought 14,000 fans per night for a three-day excerpt tournament, which is hosted by a top NCAA team, help¬ing minorities at all levels of sport on national and inter¬national status. The Fresh Coast Classics may be too young to compare to the BCA Classic and CIAA, but the tournament could be a turn for the best for the Milwau¬kee financial market.
Only the Dillard Univer¬sity men’s basketball team will participate in the tour¬nament. When some of the players were questioned on the event, many were un¬sure how to react to the new tournament. Others did not know too much about it; just that a portion of the team would be traveling north to compete and were confident to come out on top.
Coach Anderson, the men’s basketball team’s head coach said he grew up in Milwau¬kee, and has been friends with some of the other com¬peting coaches since his younger days.
“I think this would be a good opportunity for my players to play against more competi¬tion as well as gain much needed exposure,” said An¬derson. “I also believe that this could be the chance to recruit more students from my home town.”
The Fresh Coast Classic will also have community and family events including a step show, a recruiting fair, a comedy show and an official after party.
Tickets for the tournament can be purchased at Ticket¬master for $20. Games begin at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Fri¬day, Nov. 23, 2007. GRAPHIC FROM www
