CBS Sports Caps Final Four Weekend With Three-Hour Block Highlighting HBCUs And Their Impact On College Basketball
(CBS Local)- After the Final Four plays out on Saturday, CBS Sports will be airing a special block of programming highlighting the history and culture of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and their impact on the sport on Sunday. The three-hour block of original programming features a pair of documentaries and a one-hour special hosted by Earl "The Pearl" Monroe.
The programming begins at 3 p.m. Eastern Time on Sunday with the documentary on Monroe and his impact at his alma mater Winston Salem State entitled Big House, The Pearl & The Triumph of Winston-Salem State. The documentary highlights the Philly native Monroe's career for Winston-Salem State, which culminated in the program becoming the first HBCU in history to win a NCAA championship in any sport.
Following that documentary will be another, directed by Michelle Major, which focuses on the pioneer and civil rights leader John McLendon. Called Soul of the Game: The John McLendon Story, the doc features interviews with Allan Houston, Steve Kerr and current college coaches LeVelle Moton, Mike Krzyzewski, John Calipari and others.
Finally, the one-hour special, hosted by Monroe, titled HBCUs: Elevating The Game will take the audience through the history of the universities both on the hardwood and off it. Just a few of the stories featured in the hour are hip-hop superstar and former Alabama State men's basketball player 2 Chainz, women's basketball legend Yolanda Laney and two-time NBA Champion Lindsey Hunter.
The day of programming is the beginning of the partnership between CBS Sports and HBCU All-Stars LLC which was announced earlier this year and includes the beginning of a new college basketball showcase featuring the best men's HBCU basketball players each year in the host city of the Final Four.