Former Hampton Pirate, Los Angeles Lakers, and overseas professional basketball player, Devin Green, started working on a Rich Heritage Classic (RHC). The RHC will be a high school All-American Invitational geared toward exposing young athletes to HBCU schools. Green also wants to give them a different perspective of what the HBCU experience is all about. 

Bringing More Value to HBCU Sports

In 2016, the vision came to fruition for Green and Ericko Ferrer, Green’s partner on the project. As a friend and a partner, Ferrer wanted to help Green bring his vision to life. Ferrer is an advocate for HBCUs and has many friends that attended HBCU schools. Together they want to bring value to the HBCU space because HBCU schools are small and lack resources but are power-packed with pride and stand on a rich heritage. 

They realized that there weren’t any platforms available that helped younger athletes get exposure to HBCU schools at an early age. Adding a platform within the HBCU space would add to the movement that has been dormant for years, but that is about to change. 

Green and Ferrer have a board set up with influential members within the HBCU community. The board members all bring different experiences to the table and advocate for the young athletes participating in the invitational.

The HBCU experience has been a part of Green’s journey. “As a professional and lover of basketball, I always felt like it was my responsibility to add value to the (HBCU) space, through my unique experience playing all over the world,” Green said. 

The Rich Heritage Classic Invitational

The invitational will feature a men’s and women’s game consisting of the 20 players in each game. Green’s main focus is on players that have already committed to HBCUs.

Green and Ferrer plan to have a panel of industry leaders that will discussion on the sports industry that will take place at the end of weekend. Ambassadors and panelist will arrive Thursday, and players arrive on Friday. The players will practice on Friday and enjoy the weekend’s kickoff activities scheduled for that evening.

The target year for the invitational is 2023. The first five years have been mapped out, and they plan to move the game every year. The inaugural event will take place in the city of Atlanta at Morehouse College’s Forbes Arena.

How to Get Involved With RHC

“One of our missions with the game is to raise capital to help with the restoration of sports facilities on HBCU campuses,” said Green. 

A platform with a growing list of HBCU legends, the Rich Heritage Classic has the making to be something special in terms of exposure for young athletes. The networking with HBCU alumni would help both parties grow the HBCU movement for younger generations. Green wants to make HBCU alumni, HBCU students, student-athletes, and African American culture proud.