ALMETA DAVIS
CONTRIBUTOR
fdavis@franklinva.com

FRANKLIN
The Mid-Eastern Athletic Association held its annual basketball tournament on March 7-12 at the Norfolk Scope Arena.

Thirteen Division 1 Historically Black Colleges and Universities from across the Atlantic coast compose the conference, which has been in existence for 46 years.

The winners of both the men and women’s tournament get an automatic bid into the National Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament.

The conference championship game pitted the Hampton Pirates and the South Carolina State Bulldogs.

It had been the hopes by many locals that the Norfolk State Spartans would make it to the title game.

The Spartans fell in the semifinal to South Carolina State, 67-65, however.

Hampton won the MEAC title, 81-69, to advance to the NCAA Tournament.

Awaiting them was top-seeded Virginia, who won the first-round game, 81-45.

It was a happy day for one alumnus of Hampton University, Franklin’s own Larry “Chuck” Rose, who serves as the coordinator of men’s basketball Officials on the administrative staff of MEACRose

“I have the confidence of my officials that they will make the right call,” Rose said. “For each game, I watch the game just as a coach would to observe if the right call was made.”

On the women’s side, the North Carolina A&T Aggies defeated the Coppin State Eagles, 65-46.