Texas Southern sophomore guard Aylasia Fantroy had heard all about Hump Days on the yard when she transferred in this fall from Ohio University.
Hump Days are like an on-campus day party on Wednesdays where the fraternities are stepping and sororities are strolling and a good time is definitely being had. The only problem for Fantroy is the 12 to 2 p.m. festivities were in direct conflict with basketball practice each day.
But then she got introduced to Hump Nights when the turn-up is even livelier. It was night and day from Athens, Ohio where Baker Student Center was much more sterile and parties took place on the weekend, if at all.
“I was like, I ain’t leaving,” Fantroy said with a thousand-watt smile while pondering Hump Nights. “This is it.”
The cultural shift for Fantroy isn’t that much different from other student-athletes who make the transition from predominantly white institutions (PWIs) to HBCUs. Moving from being part of a small minority to being a member of the overwhelming majority represents a seismic change in culture and environment that most embrace.
“Definitely, I will say seeing the campus itself and how clean the campus is and how well-kept it is. Also the football games, the marching band and the football games in general, the dancers and things like that are really exciting.”
– Ja’Naiya Thomas, Prairie View softball player
“It’s definitely different. It’s rowdy over here, it’s fun—everything is just fun over here–at the MSC (Memorial Student Center) and Homecoming for sure,” said Prairie View softball player Ja’Naiya Thomas, who transferred from the University of Houston last summer. “It’s a lot of fun. Everybody needs to experience this at least once, whether it’s like a Homecoming, an event or a pep rally. Everything about this place is just fun.”
Prairie View senior defensive end CJ Pressley, who is from the Philadelphia area, initially played at nearby Villanova for two seasons before moving across the country to Texas. He says the transition was easy and a welcomed change.
“I’m always going to be myself wherever I’m at,” Pressley said. “I’m from Germantown and that was my biggest culture shock. Then I came here and I was at home. I can relate to so many people and so many people can relate to me. I’m with the guys doing what I love and I can’t ask for anything better than that. I really can’t.”
Student-athletes are taking advantage of the NCAA Transfer Portal to change schools without having to sit out for a year or lose any eligibility. While student-athletes from FBS schools have long been able to shift to FCS and lower schools without losing eligibility or sitting out, having a chance for a cultural change has become a reason why kids are moving more now.
The changes used to be solely for more playing time in the past.
“I just felt like after that year, it was time for a new scenery, a new place, a new home,” said TSU senior post player Kenny Hunter, who transferred from Louisiana Tech last year after a successful run. “I had all of the other offers like Arkansas, LSU, BYU and Murray State. I had a lot of different offers but when I came here, it just felt like family. Getting a lot of love coming to an HBCU. Texas Southern basketball has a lot of history of winning and they hang a lot of banners. So when Coach Johnny (Jones) reached out to me, I was all ears and ready to go.”
Prairie View softball coach Vernon Bland says the student-athlete transfers he has had over the years seem to appreciate that they mean more to the school and the coaching staff than their athletic ability.
“It’s about more than softball with me and (assistant coach Joseph Lane),” Bland said. “We talk to them about life.
“That HBCU experience is just something different. You have to experience to understand it.”
There are some relatable cultural differences that Black students can have at an HBCU, which might cause them to fall out of favor at PWIs where chances are the coaches are white and don’t understand how to connect.
Bland, who has four daughters, can understand the mood swings of his players whereas his white counterparts might not.
“I hate to talk about another program but we care about them more than players,” he said. “One of the things with Black young ladies is a lot of the coaches don’t know how to deal with Black girls. Just because a Black girl isn’t smiling or happy all of the time, doesn’t mean that she has an attitude or doesn’t mean that she is mad.
“I have four daughters so I have seen that for the last 25 years.”
But sometimes student-athletes leave a PWI for an HBCU only to return to a PWI once they have established themselves and had some success. Defensive end Keelan Cox was excited to play for TSU this past football season after not logging in game tape in previous stops at the University of Alabama and Wyoming.
Cox had a breakout season with the Tigers in the fall, earning second-team All-SWAC honors after starting 11 games and accumulating 37 tackles, nine tackles for loss, six sacks, two forced fumbles and an interception. He has since moved on to Sam Houston State where he will play this fall.
“This is breath-taking, honestly,” Cox said of TSU prior to his decision to leave for Sam Houston State. “It’s more family-oriented than the other schools I’ve been at. We play for each other here. It’s not about the politics, the big money, the cameras or the lights. It’s just us and being a family and working hard for each other.
“It’s more of a real feeling.”
Thomas said the family feeling both on the Panthers’ team and around campus is what sold her to come finish up her college career on The Hill.
“The difference between here and UH is it feels like a family out here,” Thomas said. “Even though you might not know a lot of people, everybody is more welcoming here.”
