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We rank the top 5 men’s and women’s basketball players at HBCUs
If you haven’t heard of players such as Jermaine Marrow and Shakyla Hill, you will

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)

Niya Mitchell
- No. 4: Ashley Bates, guard, Hampton (fourth nationally in steals, second in Big South scoring)
Ashley Bates
- No. 3: Jayla Thornton, guard, Howard (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference’s (MEAC) leader in 3-point percentage and 3-pointers made)
Jayla Thornton
- No. 2: NaJai Pollard, forward, Delaware State (leads MEAC in scoring, 22.7 points per game)
NaJai Pollard
- No. 1: Shakyla Hill, guard, Grambling State (leads SWAC in scoring, assists and steals)
Shakyla Hill
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)
Trayvon Reed
Ray Carlin-USA TODAY Sports
- No. 4: Martaveous McKnight, guard, Arkansas-Pine Bluff (leads SWAC in scoring, 23.1 PPG)
Martaveous McKnight
By Douglas Stringer/Icon Sportswire
- No. 3: RJ Cole, guard, Howard (leads MEAC in scoring, 20.6 PPG, and assists, 6.3 per game)
RJ Cole
Brad Mills/USA TODAY Sports
- No. 2: Amir Hinton, guard, Shaw (leads Division II in scoring at 31.9 PPG)
Amir Hinton
By Rick Crank Photography
- No. 1: Jermaine Marrow, guard, Hampton (10th nationally in scoring; shooting 43 percent from 3-point range)
Jermaine Marrow
On the bubble: Bethune-Cookman’s Cletrell Pope and North Carolina A&T’s Terry Harris