“I believe we can be a top 50 division 1 volleyball program,” exclaimed Howard Head Coach Shaun Kupferberg. “The combination of our academics joined with what we are building athletically is making this a place many of the top African-American playing volleyball players will take a hard look at.” There are many positive check marks when you consider the culture aspect coined with the network available. 

“We preach to our recruits and players, you are not making a 4 year decision but a 40 year decision with what Howard offers and the network that exists around the world,” stated Kupferberg. “We will never match the nutrition bars and decked out lounges but the kids coming to Howard are coming for a different experience and one we are happy to provide.” 

The television show A Different World was an introduction to many to the world of Historically Black Colleges and University in the 80’s and 90’s. The fictional college “Hilman” created a visual on the television screen that inspired many black families. A college where you can find students who look like them. A college where students share similar backgrounds and experiences was vital during this time span. The volleyball program at Howard can be equally inspiring to young black girls. 

“We feel very strong about using our platform to grow the game in the African-American community,” shared Kupferberg. “The younger girls are excited to see girls who look like them being successful in the sport and our girls really find pride in that.” The Howard volleyball camps have sold out for the last three years and end up with a waiting list of over a hundred kids. “It’s unfortunate we have to turn kids away due to space limitations but it goes to show how excited kids and their families are about our program,” added the Bison Head Coach.

The program has grown leaps and bounds since Kupferberg took over in 2012. He is mindful the first couple of teams were crucial. “I stated it would take one group of athletes to make the difference and that would lead to the direction of this program. They laid a foundation and now it’s expected the next group takes the reign in not only creating a successful volleyball program but also successful careers.

“Our main goal is to ensure our young ladies are put in the position to be successful and have opportunities to do whatever they want…that’s the Howard way,” chimed Kupferberg. “If they want to play volleyball, great! We’ve had Jessica Young go to USNT tryouts and Tamia (Dockery) just returned from this year's tryouts.”

If they don’t want to play volleyball after college, success still awaits them. You will find 2017 MEAC player of the year Khaila Donaldson working in Manhattan for J.P. Morgan Chase as a Global Treasury Management Analyst, after graduating Summa Cum Laude last spring. You can also look at Johnson and Johnson and find 2016 graduate and former volleyball player Jaleeza Stoudemire working as a research engineer. 
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“We are excited about our program and what we have to offer,” Kupferberg started. “Our volleyball team has been successful. Our players have been successful once they graduated. These two ingredients give us much to look forward to in the future of Howard Volleyball.

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“Our budget typically allows us to only send one coach to any qualifier (USAV National Qualifiers) but we choose wisely which qualifiers those are,” shared Kupferberg. In an era in which if you glanced at University Athlete (database used by schools and athletes for recruitment) and the tournaments listed on a given weekend you will find numerous colleges and universities listed. It doesn’t come as a surprise to see two or three coaches from a school at some tournaments. You may even have tournaments going on in different cities at the same time in which coaches divide and conquer. This is rarely the case at Howard. “We have to recruit a little differently considering some of the limitations that exist,” Kupferberg added. “We believe in what we have to offer but we are in a numbers game as well.  We also are attempting to educate club coaches and directors on what makes Howard special.”

Howard will send a coach to specific qualifiers or tournaments that allows them to see a large population of athletes who fit their demographics. The recruitment budget was small when Kupferberg arrived at Howard, however one of his first requests was the flexibility to move some budget allotments to recruitment. “It was very important for us to be able to get out and find the athletes who would help make Howard the program we envisioned,” said Kupferberg. 

The largest volleyball playing population for African-Americans appears to be Texas, so Texas qualifiers and tournaments are promising for the Bison. The program early on also found success in Louisiana. “Of course we are evaluating talents and athleticism as quick as possible to determine if these young ladies would be a good fit for our program,” shared Kupferberg. There is another important piece that comes into play when discussing Howard and volleyball; the large academic component. 

As mentioned in the first feature, the university is one of the top 100 academic universities in the country. “It’s a numbers game we are playing”, started Kupferberg. “Not only is the percentages small for the girls who will be able to go from playing high school to college, we are also targeting the top 5 to 10% academically African-American players so the percentage goes down to about 2-3%.” 

Howard is a private, selective university so there are academic realities which include getting accepted to the institution. That is where much of the education comes into play. “We have to convey and introduce to many the Howard experience; from explaining what a HBCU is, to the prestige of our alumni, to the success our volleyball program has achieved,” mentioned Kupferberg. 

The Howard experience can be important and powerful for these young ladies. For most, they are often the only young lady of color on their teams in both club and high school. Not only at Howard will they find fourteen or fifteen girls who play volleyball and look like them but other young adults who look like them that are pursuing careers in medicine, law, or business to name a few of their highly recognized programs. 

Like almost all programs a key is getting prospective prospects to campus. Once they get there it really does a good job of selling itself. “It’s powerful for a recruit to see kids who look like them walking around in lab coats or in a business suit heading to an internship. There is a sense of empowerment you will find on the campus from the accomplishments of an enormous alumni base from presidential candidate Kamala Harris, actor of the hit television show Blackish Anthony Anderson, and music and fashion mogul Sean Combs.

The volleyball program is able to offer twelve scholarships. That is in line with Division 1 volleyball and being a headcount sport. This was not always the case at Howard and something that’s progressed over time and again shows the progression of the program and support of the administration.
Howard’s budget does allow for official visits but they have to be a little pickier on how to utilize those compared to some schools due to budget but they understand the importance of getting athletes on campus to see it for themselves. The beauty of Howard is the amount of learning you can obtain off of campus by just being in the nation’s capital. 

“We’ve done well in recruitment over the years and get young ladies from many different states,” said Kupferberg. “Of course, winning games and getting to the NCAA tournament has helped us. The opportunity to go on an international trip is appealing. The fact with us being a HBCU and hosting teams like Stanford, Penn State, and others make people more aware of what we are doing,” he added. “The true beauty is we find kids on the main courts, we find kids playing in the basements and far corners at qualifiers. These are girls from the smaller teams and clubs some may never have heard of but we find the perfect kids for Howard University and once they arrive they begin the path to a successful future.”
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Howard Bison 2018 roster by state
Texas – 6
Michigan – 2
California - 1
Nevada – 1
Colorado – 1
Minnesota – 1
Georgia – 1
Florida – 1
South Carolina – 1
North Carolina – 1
New Jersey – 1

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The athletes of PTE battled through another long day at this weekends Team Believe Developmental Meet. After a long delay with technical difficulties the athletes performed well. In the field events numerous athletes earn personal best led by Kolby Heinerikson in the shot put and discuss. Konnor Miles putted his longest throw of the year. Lanicia Parker wins her 4th long jump meet in as many tries again clearing 11 feet. One age up, Katelynn Young leaped to a new personal best. Kristen Birmingham remained steady winning another high jump competition clearing 4 feet 10 inches.

In the running events, Logan Arrelano continues to shine winning the 400m going away along with the 200m. Hannah Graves showed continued strides in the 80m Hurdles with a strong 2nd place finish.  Jayden Henry won a close race in the 9 year old 100m dash. Anderson Dial ran a great 800m race to finish second.

PTE returns to action this weekend with a split squad. Athletes will compete in three different locations, Saturday in Grandview, Sunday in Omaha, and Monday in Garden Plains, KS.

The Pure Talent Elite Track and Field team had a great showing in their second meet last weekend at Ruskin High School. The meet, hosted by Stride Ryte Track Club was very competitive with over 500 athletes in attendance. Numerous athletes earned personal best and many others took home medals. Some of the highlights of the day include Augustine Morgan winning three golds in the 14 year old 1500m, 800m, and Triple Jump. Orion Bowers won the 100m, 200m, and 400m. Lanicia Parker won her second consecutive long jump competition in the early season. Hannah Graves would win the 12 year old 400. Shelby Birmingham took home gold in the 13 year old 200m. All three 4x100m relays would take home first place in their respective races.

2015 Team Captain Caleia Johnson enters her 3rd season with Pure Talent Elite. Another one of the original members of the club she displays a tremendous work ethic. As a 6th grader at Plaza Middle School, she participates in long sprints and mid distance and plans to add the long jump to her list of events. A three time Junior Olympic participant she qualified last season in the 800, 4x400m relay, and the 4x800m relay. She expects a big season from herself in 2015!


* Fun Fact: Caleia's father, Clay Johnson was a member of the 1982 World Champion Los Angeles Lakers.

2015 team captain Kolby Heinerikson begins his 3rd season with Pure Talent Elite Track and Field. Kolby is one of the most decorated athletes in the short history of PTE, being named All-American 5 times. Kolby participates in the multi-events, currently being the Pentathlon (100m Hurdles, Shot Put, High Jump, Long Jump, 1500m). His primary expertise lies in the throws arena where he has thrown the javelin, discus and the shot put. At the 2014 Junior Olympics Heinerikson captured medals in the pentathlon and javelin. He looks forward to continuing his success in 2015.