Charles Hallman

Minneapolis

Staff Writer at Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder

I am staff writer at the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder in Minneapolis. I am a longtime Black journalist who works hard at what I do. 2022 USBWA HOF inductee

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Articles

Auburn welcomes Larry Vickers as new women's basketball coach

2 weeks ago | spokesman-recorder.com | Charles Hallman

Larry Vickers is the latest example that if you can do it at a Black college, you can ultimately get a chance to do it at a bigger school. Vickers spent nearly two decades at one HBCU, Norfolk State, first as a player, then a men’s assistant, then interim head women’s coach to full-time, where he created a dynasty.
Rance Brown: A Black coach making waves in college tennis

2 weeks ago | spokesman-recorder.com | Charles Hallman

While on the UCLA campus during a reporting trip in late January, we ran into a Black man standing outside the school’s tennis courts. After asking for directions to Pauley Pavilion, he introduced himself. UCLA Associate Head Women’s Tennis Coach Rance Brown joined the Bruins coaching staff in 1996, and was promoted to his present position in 2008.
Twin Cities Senior Expo: A platform for high school basketball players

3 weeks ago | spokesman-recorder.com | Charles Hallman

Each year there are plenty of uncommitted local boys’ high school basketball players looking for their next place to continue their studies and playing. This is one of the primary reasons why the Twin Cities Senior Expo was put together shortly after the high school season ends.
Black coaches absence in University of Minnesota search

3 weeks ago | spokesman-recorder.com | Charles Hallman

If the local and national mainstream media — the self-appointed search committee — are sadly correct, the University of Minnesota Gophers’ next men’s basketball coach will not be Black. Since former coach Ben Johnson’s dismissal was announced March 13, the PWM — primarily white media — have suggested only white candidates.
Joshua Strong: From college athlete to law school graduate

3 weeks ago | spokesman-recorder.com | Charles Hallman

Two seasons after graduating from Minnesota Duluth, Joshua Strong became the only Division I basketball player also attending Howard Law School at the same time. That also made him a footnote rarely achieved in college sports these days. “It’s always good to see something that hasn’t been done before,” said Strong after his last collegiate basketball game at the MEAC tournament earlier this month.
Racial equity in sports: ABIS Black coaches watch list

4 weeks ago | spokesman-recorder.com | Charles Hallman

This occasional series will highlight Black coaches at all levels of sport. This week: The 4th annual ABIS Black coaches watchlist. According to the NCAA, the number of Black head coaches has grown by 31% in the past decade, with the largest growth in Division III (48%) during this time. Yet in Division I, where there’s barely over 1,000 Black head coaches, 15% of all DI coaches — it doesn’t appear that progress has been widely achieved.
NCAA NET ratings questioned for Black college teams

1 month ago | spokesman-recorder.com | Charles Hallman

NORFOLK, VA. – The NCAA selection committee since 2019 has used the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) ratings for determining the teams. There are 10 criteria used in the decision-making; they include bad losses, common opponents, competitiveness in losses, early performances vs. late performances, head-to-head competition, watching teams in action, overall records, regional rankings, significant wins and strength of schedule.
Black coaches' journey to leadership in Virgin Islands and Wilberforce

1 month ago | spokesman-recorder.com | Charles Hallman

Second of two partsStephanie Cooper and Rachel Naughton completed their respective first years as head coaches at the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) and Wilberforce (Ohio) University, two HBCU Athletic Conference (HBCUAC) member schools. Both veteran coaches chatted reflectively in separate interviews with the MSR on their just-completed seasons at their schools.
Hope Credit Union sponsors HBCU sports as financial literacy advocate

1 month ago | spokesman-recorder.com | Charles Hallman

The understanding of the importance of being financially literate, especially for Black students, is part of the mission of Holly Cooper. Cooper is the senior vice president of marketing and communications at Hope Credit Union, the nation’s largest Black and woman-owned financial institution, with locations in five Southern states: Louisiana, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi and Arkansas.
HBCUAC Basketball Championships: A Celebration of Southern Hospitality

1 month ago | spokesman-recorder.com | Charles Hallman

Second of two partsSouthern hospitality is not a myth or imaginary notion but a time honored practice still in effect. It’s been a couple of weeks since we spent a refreshing, interesting and memorable week for the first time watching good hoops at an all-Black tournament with Black folk all around in Tuscaloosa. Here are some of the people we spent some time with during the 2025 Hope Credit Union HBCUAC Basketball Championships. “I attended from ’84 to ’88.