HBCU Education
A new Morehouse man surprises his mom and aunt
High school senior announces his college admission with Christmas gifts of personalized T-shirts
2:32 PMOn Christmas Day, Barrington Lincoln surprised his mother and aunt with personalized T-shirts from Morehouse College.
“You know what this means,” he says in a video of the moment. “I got in.”
The two most influential women in his life were now the mother and aunt of a Morehouse College student. His mom, Lisa McDonald, falls back onto the couch in joyful hysterics.
“You been holdin’ out on us?!” exclaims his aunt, Shirley Gray, as Lincoln lets out a belly laugh.
I surprised my mom and my aunt with my acceptance to Morehouse for Christmas! #morehouse22 and don’t mind my voice, I’m a little sick pic.twitter.com/oz6Wn84Hnk
— Barrington Lincoln (@MVO_323) December 26, 2017
This is a story of a kid who grew up in the same town outside of St. Louis where a white policeman shot and killed a black teenager in 2014; where the street demonstrations of Black Lives Matter first gained national resonance; where Lincoln’s brother, a Walmart employee at the time, risked life and limb the night the store was looted and ransacked.
Ferguson, Missouri — the home of the tragedy of Michael Brown.
And now the home of the triumph of Barrington Lincoln.
“It’s where I’m from, what I know,” Lincoln, Lutheran High School North’s 2018 class president, told The Undefeated on Wednesday morning. “The most depressing thing was seeing the cameras leave after all the demonstrations and coverage. Because the moment that happened, everyone else left and Ferguson went back to what it was. I want to change that. I want to show people from this area you don’t have to be [NBA players] Jayson Tatum or Bradley Beal to find a way out.”
When his mother was pregnant with him, he had been diagnosed with a genetic disorder that would lead to severe growth delays and major intellectual disabilities. He got his name when his parents heard the news and drove through the tony St. Louis suburb of Barrington Downs.
“I wish we could live in a neighborhood like this,” she said. His father replied, “If you can wish for that, wish for our baby to be healthy and normal and able to live a good, prosperous life.”
But the diagnosis was wrong, and Barrington (which means destiny, prosperity and wealth) came into the world without any physical or mental challenges. “Before I was born, society tried to define who I would become,” he writes in his personal “mission statement.”
When he was 15, Barrington’s father, James Lincoln, was diagnosed with leukemia. Barrington donated his bone marrow to his father in March 2015. By August, James had died at 51. “At least I got a couple of more months with him,” he said.
Now? “My goal is to reach back into the community and show the younger generation that they can be successful without relying on the talents of playing anything ending in the suffix ‘-ball.’ ”
“I will go on to attend a world-renowned four-year university.
“I will continue further and graduate from a top-10 business school in the country.
“I will fulfill my destiny to ultimately become the commissioner of the National Basketball Association.”
Like a blue-chip guard confidently telling Steph Curry he will one day break his records, Barrington Lincoln, the pride of Ferguson, Missouri, just put Adam Silver on notice.
Basketball
Flight attendant makes a blanket statement about G League players
Memphis Hustle players booted from plane after theft accusation, ensuing argument
8:10 AMTwo G League basketball players had a Christmas Eve they will never forget after being kicked off a plane over a blanket.
The incident took place after Memphis Hustle guard Marquis Teague and forward Trahson Burrell boarded American Airlines Flight 3756 operated by Envoy from Dallas to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, on Sunday. Two first-class passengers gave Teague, a former NBA player, and Burrell their blankets as a kind gesture as they headed to their seats. When Teague and Burrell arrived in coach, a flight attendant accused them of stealing the blankets, a source said, which led to an argument.
The flight attendant said he wouldn’t fly unless Teague and Burrell were off the plane after Burrell offered some threatening words. To keep the flight from being delayed, Teague and Burrell were asked to get off the plane. American Airlines ended up putting Teague, Burrell and a Hustle assistant coach on a later flight to Sioux Falls (first class), but they missed a team holiday dinner.
An American Airlines spokesman said an official apologized to the players after the incident and the company plans to apologize again. The team and the airline also plan to investigate the incident further.
“We apologize for what occurred on this flight,” American Airlines spokesman Joshua Freed told The Undefeated. “We take pride in bringing people together, and we know that on this flight we let some of our customers down. Our team at American, along with Envoy Air, is reviewing what happened and will be reaching out to [the two players and the assistant coach].”
Hustle head coach Glynn Cyprien and assistant coach Darnell Lazare expressed their frustration on Twitter. Lazare tweeted that the players were African-American. The flight attendant also appeared to be African-American, the source said.
“American Airlines needs sensitivity training [for] attendants on flights dealing with humans and blankets,” Cyprien wrote.
Lazare wrote: “It’s 2017 and a flight attendant sees two young black athletes with blankets from first class. His first comments is ‘did you steal them.’ How about you teach people the facts first before jumping to conclusions. #beingblackinamerican.”
The Hustle beat Sioux Falls, 131-115, on Monday to end a three-game losing streak.
“We are obviously disappointed the incident occurred and the way American Airlines chose to handle the situation,” Cyprien said. “Today our focus is on the players affected and our Christmas Day game. I am honored to stand by my players and compete on this special day.”
Domonique Foxworth isn’t mad at Brian Bowen’s dad for taking the money. He’s mad more people don’t
Hear him out!
4:01 PMFriday, the news broke that former Louisville recruit Brian Bowen said he was kept in the dark about the alleged payments his father accepted from Adidas and the school to steer him to Louisville. But it doesn’t matter: According to Domonique Foxworth, if his father accepted the money, it was certainly illegal, but not necessarily wrong.
Click the tweet. Watch the video.
If people offer student-athletes money to go to a school, they should take it. @Foxworth24 explains: https://t.co/n1q7K6b1qN pic.twitter.com/h76nimpXBH
— The Undefeated (@TheUndefeated) December 22, 2017
Music
Cardi B, Lil Wayne, Gucci Mane and more dropped a slew of new music in one night
Hip-hop must’ve caught the holiday spirit
2:15 PMMaybe it’s because Friday is the last business day before Christmas. Or maybe it’s simply hip-hop caught the holiday spirit. Whatever the reason, Thursday night/Friday morning saw a slew of drops from a who’s who kick-started by Quavo and Travis Scott’s joint project “Huncho Jack, Jack Huncho.” But that was only the tip of the iceberg.
The long-awaited Cardi B second single. If there was any question following the overwhelming success of arguably the single of the year in Cardi’s “Bodak Yellow,” the wait is now over. Featuring 21 Savage, Cardi B returns with the next look into her forthcoming solo album. Complete with Offset mentions galore and a Migos-like flow, expect to hear this at any New Year’s Eve party where hip-hop is played. So, like, 95 percent of them.
A new Gucci Mane album. 2017 was the year Gucci became the pop culture star he seemed destined to be when 2009’s “Wasted” dominated airwaves. “This has been the best year of my life,” he told Zane Lowe earlier this year. And while it may have been for reasons far more than music (a book, new $10 million deal with Atlantic Records and a high-profile wedding), Gucci stayed true to the reason for his season. Guwop and his Tupacian work ethic dropped his third album of ’17 with El Gato: The Human Glacier. Happy holidays, from The Wops, indeed.
Nipsey’s next leg of his “Victory Lap.” If there’s one song I’m anticipating listening to in the whip this weekend, it’s Nipsey Hussle and Swizz Beatz’s new cut, “Been Down.” The Crenshaw OG’s new album, Victory Lap, drops Feb. 16, which coincides with the star of NBA All-Star Weekend in his hometown of Los Angeles.
Lil Wayne’s Dedication 6 preview. Set to drop Christmas Day, Weezy dropped off two sneak peeks last night over Jay-Z’s “Story of OJ.” and 21 Savage’s “Bank Account.” Both are strong offerings from the man who for years had a legit claim to “The Best Rapper Alive,” but it’s the latter where Lil Wayne really flexes. It’s one of the better tracks he’s dropped in quite some time. Maybe 2018 is the year when Tha Carter 5 is released from Cash Money purgatory. Maybe.