Grow the Game was founded on the belief that student managers are the backbone of college basketball programs. While much of their work gets done behind the scenes, and often for little or no pay, managers play a crucial role in team success. No program in America has a larger student manager contingent than Howard University Men’s Basketball. Out of the 100 student managers, over 80% are female. Having such a strong female presence is a rarity in such a male-dominated profession. 

 At Howard, Coach Kenny Blakeney challenges his teams to choose a social justice project to honor the legacy of activism at the university. During the 2022-23 season, alarmed by the drastic disparities in birthing outcomes between Black women and women of other races, and alongside the passing of laws that limit access to essential care for Black women, the team chose “Black Maternal Health” advocacy as their issue. Once the players identified this issue, student managers Ta’Niyah Smith and Ashley Foston got to work planning and executing every aspect of the project, including a Day of Service with Mamatoto Village and raising campus awareness on the issue.

 When the team pinpointed this issue, Aniya Majors-Rivera was a sophomore at Howard and 9 months pregnant. She reached out to Freshman student-athlete, Shy Odom, asking how the team’s mission could help her afford to stay in school. Odom shared the message with the coaching staff. Two weeks later, Aniya was surprised with a scholarship at the team’s MLK Day game. Generosity from the Golden State Warriors and Washington Wizards allowed her to remain in school, just three days before her scheduled C-Section. 

Now, a rising senior, Aniya’s scholarship funds have run out and she faces close to a $5,000 deficit to re-enroll at Howard for her Senior Year. Grow the Game is proud to partner with the Howard University student manager team to help raise money allowing Aniya to finish her degree in biology and pursue a career in medicine.