We rank the top 5 men’s and women’s basketball players at HBCUs

Here are the best players so far this season from historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). You’ll get updates on how these top players and others are doing for the rest of this season.

Here they are, this week’s top five HBCU women’s and men’s hoopers in 2019. You’re welcome!

The women

• No. 5: Niya Mitchell, forward, Texas Southern (Southwestern Athletic Conference’s (SWAC) leading rebounder, fifth-leading scorer)

• No. 4: Ashley Bates, guard, Hampton (fourth nationally in steals, second in Big South scoring)

• No. 3: Jayla Thornton, guard, Howard (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference’s (MEAC) leader in 3-point percentage and 3-pointers made)

• No. 2: NaJai Pollard, forward, Delaware State (leads MEAC in scoring, 22.7 points per game)

• No. 1: Shakyla Hill, guard, Grambling State (leads SWAC in scoring, assists and steals)

  On the bubble: Arkansas-Pine Bluff’s Shawntayla Harris and Jackson State’s Marneisha Hamer

The men

• No. 5: Trayvon Reed, center, Texas Southern (SWAC’s second-leading rebounder, eighth-leading scorer)

• No. 4: Martaveous McKnight, guard, Arkansas-Pine Bluff (leads SWAC in scoring, 23.1 PPG)

• No. 3: RJ Cole, guard, Howard (leads MEAC in scoring, 20.6 PPG, and assists, 6.3 per game)

• No. 2: Amir Hinton, guard, Shaw (leads Division II in scoring at 31.9 PPG)

• No. 1: Jermaine Marrow, guard, Hampton (10th nationally in scoring; shooting 43 percent from 3-point range)

On the bubble: Bethune-Cookman’s Cletrell Pope and North Carolina A&T’s Terry Harris