The 3rd Annual HBCU All-Star Game Showcased Team Wallace's Comeback And A Group Of Talented Basketball Players
HOUSTON — Team Ben Wallace overcame an 11-point deficit to emerge victorious over Team Rick Mahorn at the 3rd Annual HBCU All-Star Game. The thrilling all-star contest had 7,211 fans in attendance at Global Credit Union Arena on Grand Canyon University's campus.
"Real excited for these young men," Team Wallace head coach Johnny Jones commented in his postgame interview. "I thought both teams played extremely hard. I thought it was a great show for the fans. Back to the day. I thought the guys did a much better job of sharing the basketball in the second half, locking in on the defensive end, and taking chance of chance opportunities on the offensive end. I thought it was a big difference in the game."
Bethune-Cookman guard Dhashon Dyson was named the game's MVP with 17 points, connecting five times from beyond the arc. "I felt good actually bringing the HBCU culture to Phoenix, going out there to compete for the SWAC, and finally beating the MEAC. So it was great," Dyson said. "It was special because everybody came and was ready to put on the show. Everybody knew they had to compete, so everything went great. All of us came together during meetings that we wanted to put on the show for the crowd out here."
Founder Travis Williams and his team put on a first-class event with a sold-out crowd at GCU Arena. The game's broadcast competed with the NCAA Women's Championship between South Carolina and Iowa. Despite the competition, it was a complete success.
Texas Southern's coach finished by praising the players and the game. "I couldn't be more excited to have an opportunity to see these guys being performed on this type of platform and get this type of exposure like this. After the day, you got to barely be excited for them. And for them to be able to do it in this style. It looked like an NBA game with so many guys in double figures. It shows what their talent level is and it shows what they're extremely capable of. And Dyson, how about him with the double-double today?"
Coach LeVelle Moton of NCCU had several notable performers from Team Wallace, Jaylen Alson scoring 16 points and Jeremiah Kendall contributing 14. Christian Brown of Team Mahorm scored 21 points, and his teammate Fred Cleveland poured in 20 in the losing effort.
Next year, the game will travel with the NCAA Men's Final Four to San Antonio, Texas, on April 6, 2025. The location and time have yet to be determined.