UCSD Athletics and the BRC Celebrate Black History Month

News2, Sports — By Buddy Sampson on February 24, 2018 at 9:51 pm

By Buddy Sampson

SAN DIEGO, CA- February 22, 2018- The University of California San Diego (UCSD) Intercollegiate Athletics, in conjunction with the Black Resource Center (BRC), also of UCSD, in celebration of Black History Month, sponsored an event that took place in the Recreational IntraMural and Athletic Complex (RIMAC) Arena Skybox. The event, an annual celebration, also in support of games between the UCSD Men and Women’s Basketball teams against Cal State Dominguez Hills, was a superb display of community and camaraderie between the two departments of the University. “It’s one of our celebrations for Black History Month,” said Porsia Curry, M.S. Director, Black Resource Center. “A lot of times during Black History Month we try to collaborate with different departments and units on campus, so that everyone has an opportunity to celebrate and this is a good opportunity, not only for us to celebrate Black History Month, but also to support our athletes.”

Megan, a Diversity and Inclusion Department intern at UCSD, feels that community at UCSD is important for cooperation between the many departments at the University. “It shows community at UCSD and that different entities can come together and make a special event for students and faculty and staff,” she said. “It shows that athletics and our community centers have a good relationship and it’s a two-way street for us. We have them come here and they can use our facilities and have a good time and we can use their resources and it’s a mutual relationship.” Wendy Taylor May, Deputy Director of Athletics, UCSD, maintains that community is an important part of the college experience. “I think it’s important that we try as an Athletics Department to bring people together and create the sense that we’re all Tritons,” said May. “So, for us it’s about inclusion and connection as Tritons and to be able to build that community through that connection.”

In the booth, attendees enjoyed free food and refreshments, as well as giveaways, which included sunglasses, BRC wristbands and more. In the Skybox, music was played throughout the game. Fans were also treated to the UCSD band, which played several songs from the 80s, which included songs such as “Word Up,” by R&B and Funk Band Cameo, in addition to rock hits from the 60s such as “Louie, Louie,” by The Kingsmen. The UCSD Dance Team also entertained fans on timeouts and at halftime. The guests and fans of UCSD Women’s basketball were treated to an entertaining game in which the UCSD women’s basketball game trounced the Cal State Dominguez Hills Toros 90-63.

The women’s team, which shot at a sizzling 73.3 percent, were led by Mikayla Williams, who played 31 minutes, scoring 21 points. Women’s Basketball Coach Heidi VanDerveer, delighted after the win, underlined the importance of diversity and inclusion. “Athletics can be a bridge to different organizations on campus,” said VanDerveer. “We’re very excited about the Black Resource Center and teaming with them during Black History Month. This is an important time in our nation and to have an understanding of what it means for our kids and for the University as a whole.” VanDerveer encourages students of all backgrounds to attend and support the UCSD Women’s Basketball Team.

“I think coming to watch us play would be a great place to start,” she said. “We play an exciting brand of basketball, we’re up tempo, we’re very unselfish, we work very hard and offer the casual basketball fan or a person looking for something to do on a Thursday or Saturday night or even next Tuesday, specifically (the quarterfinals) to come to RIMAC.”The Men’s Basketball Team treated its fans and guest to a thriller of a game, an entertaining game that had many lead changes. Unfortunately, The Tritons lost to the Cal State Dominguez Hills Toros 77-76 in a buzzer beater. Although fans were disappointed, they were treated to an extremely exciting contest. “We just couldn’tcome up with enough stops,” said UCSD Men’s Basketball Coach Eric Olen. “We did force some tough shots, but we let a lot of good players get going.”

However, the significance and importance of the game was not lost on Coach Olen. When asked about the celebration of Black History Month and UCSD Athletics, Olen had a candid response. “I think it’s terrific,” said Olen. “It’s a diverse place and we certainly want to celebrate that. I think it’s a great time, it’s Black History Month and as a basketball coach in a sport where there’s a lot of Black athletes, we certainly want to make sure that we recognize that and we’re really proud to be associated with the Black Resource Center and do that on this night. We obviously wanted to get a different result, but those things are important to us and we want to support it.”

Scott Flanders, Assistant Athletics Director of Communications, UCSD, maintains that sense of community, which involves diversity and inclusion is important in today’s society. “It goes back to creating a campus community and keeping everyone in the loop with athletics and hopefully, getting everyone excited to come here,” said Flanders.“That’s what we try to do, get ourselves out in the campus community and try to unite everybody.”