Congratulations are in order to Kendrick Pittman Jr. for his athleticism in winning the Bank$hot $20,000 HBCU Classic virtual basketball tournament. On Friday October 30, 2020 the Winston-Salem State University Basketball student beat out 5 other HBCU students from Bowie State University, Howard University, Fayetteville State University, Virginia State University, and Norfolk State University to take the crown.
HBCU students from all over the country stepped up to compete in the tournament for the hefty cash prize. For the past month, the company Bank$hot has had HBCU students compete for the crown each Friday in a unique virtual basketball tournament. Students could compete solo from the comfort of home or a nearby park or school. They just needed a standard hoop to take shots at. The tournament was a H-O-R-S-E style virtual competition, where athletes had to recreate creative court shots, and would be eliminated if they missed.
As a winner Pittman is particularly fitting for this award. He is also a model student on his campus, serving as the 47th Mister Winston-Salem State University. “First, I want to thank God for this ability and blessing, said Pittman.“ This opportunity was one like no other and I’m truly grateful. Big shout out to Bank$hot for having me! I never thought I would compete in the first virtual intercollegiate basketball horse game in the middle of a pandemic. You guys were creative, professional, and integral during competition and I appreciate it. The competition was very real, and you all gave me ‘a run for my money.’ This definitely means a lot for me, but more importantly my SGA. Thank you all again!”
Pittman will take home $10,000 for himself, and the remaining $10,000 will be sent to Winston-Salem State University’s SGA! That is a monumental investment considering that we are in the middle of a pandemic!
The game was recorded on Zoom and broadcasted on the popular gamer platform Twitch. We look forward to seeing Bank$hot’s next creative way to invest in our HBCUs. You can watch Kendrick’s winning shot on Twitch by clicking here.
