HOUSTON -- Nathaniel Pollard Jr. of Maryland-Eastern Shore earned MVP honors after leading his team to victory in the second annual HBCU All-Star Game, played Sunday as part of the Final Four weekend's festivities.
Pollard had 10 points and 13 rebounds to lead Team Barnett over Team Reed 113-99. The game was played on the campus of Houston's Texas Southern University to highlight players from historically Black colleges and universities.
There were 12 players on each team, which were named after HBCU legends. Team Reed was named for the late Willis Reed, the Hall of Famer who played at Grambling State before leading the New York Knicks to two NBA championships.
Team Barnett was to honor Dick Barnett, a former Tennessee State player and teammate of Reed's in New York during his long professional career.
Team Reed got 26 points from Joirdon Karl Nicholas from Texas Southern.
There were nine players from the Southwestern Athletic Conference in the game to lead all leagues. Texas Southern and Norfolk State were the only schools boasting multiple players in the game. John Walker III joined Nicholas to represent Texas Southern, and Joe Bryant Jr. and Kris Bankston are both from Norfolk State.
