The inaugural HBCU Hoops Invitational was scheduled to pit FAMU against Barber-Scotia, non-NCAA HBCU in the opening round. Florida A&M released a statement on Friday announcing that Barber-Scotia had forfeit the game.
However, immediately, Barber-Scotia players and coaches contested the forfeit, stating that the team was ready to play. The team traveled from Concord, NC to Orlando, FL by bus.
HBCU Gameday reached out to Barber-Scotia men’s basketball staff and head coach, Jonathan Hevia, confirmed the team is in Orlando at the HBCU Hoops Invitational and ready to compete. We made attempts to connect with the President, Chris Rey, as well as Athletic Director, Joel Williams.
Barber-Scotia has been fighting for institutional survival, clawing its way back after losing accreditation nearly 20 years ago. The invitational was expected to be an opportunity to spotlight its resilience. Instead, it became a test of visibility – whether a small HBCU can defend its truth against the weight of a larger institution like FAMU. Fans online are demanding to know why a team that showed up in Orlando ready to play was publicly labeled as having a forfeit.
HBCU Gameday also reached out to the coaching staff at Florida A&M University with no response, as well as Michael Smith, interim A.D. Smith said he had no statement out of the one posted online and to reach out to the promoter of the invitational. HBCU Gameday reached out to Haywoode Workman, listed as the Visionary, on the HBCU Hoops Invitational webpage, as well as A.G. Stepney, listed as the Chief Development Officer. We received no response.
Inaugural HBCU Hoops Invitational silent
The tournament itself made no statement across social platforms, nor on the website was it amended as a forfeit.
An event that states to be a “prestigious national basketball invitational designed to illuminate and elevate Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU’s) through the lens of competitive athletics, education and cultural celebration. Instead, the forfeit controversy has become a spectacle of confusion and conflicting narratives. The news of the forfeit should have been straightforward, but it ignited backlash from fans accusing the university and tournament of misrepresenting events. It also raises deeper questions about transparency and whether the smaller school is being unfairly positioned.
Barber-Scotia is a HBCU that lost accreditation for almost 20 years and is working to get back. That is precisely why it matters. A program fighting for its place in college athletics cannot afford to be misrepresented on a national stage. The invitational was supposed to present progress – a place where all programs, big and small.