Today we’d like to introduce you to Haywoode Workman.
Hi Haywoode, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
The HBCU Hoops Invitational (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) began long before tipoff—its roots trace back to the summer of 1984. I was a three-sport athlete at Myers Park High School in Charlotte, N.C., named Southwest 4A Player of the Year in basketball, All-State in track, and an All-State quarterback who played in the NC/SC Shrine Bowl at Charlotte Memorial Stadium. That fall, I chose Winston-Salem State University, answering the call of an HBCU that felt like home.
At WSSU I lived in Brown Hall, split time as a freshman backup quarterback and the starting point guard, and reached CIAA championship play in both sports. That basketball season, we earned an NAIA Tournament bid and upset the nation’s only undefeated team—Virginia Union with Charles Oakley—51–50. Even then, I felt a pull to focus on basketball. After months of back-and-forth, I took my first plane ride to visit Oral Roberts University and saw a vision I couldn’t ignore: a rebuilt program, 24/7 gym access, training table in the dorms, 17 televised games, and the chance to help recruit other talent.
Under Coach Ted Owens, ORU brought in several Charlotte standouts. We redshirted, retooled, and set our sights on cracking the Top-25. Those years forged lifelong relationships and a belief in what intentional investment can do for young athletes.
In 1989, the Atlanta Hawks drafted me 49th overall. I spent eight seasons in the NBA with the Hawks, Bullets (Wizards), Pacers, Bucks, and Raptors, and continued abroad in Italy and Israel—winning the Italian Cup with Scavolini and reaching multiple league finals. When my playing career ended, I shifted to the whistle. I began officiating in 2003 (CBA, then the D-League) and became an NBA official from 2008 to 2021, where I had the honor of officiating Kobe Bryant’s final game.
Those moments shaped me. They also reminded me that there are far more hard-working student-athletes than superstars—more Haywoode Workman’s than Michael Jordans, Kobes, Shaqs, or LeBrons. My question became simple: how do we uplift those kids?
When I hung up my whistle, retirement brought clarity. I’d lived every angle of the game—player, pro, international competitor, and NBA referee—and I still didn’t see a platform built with the intentionality HBCU athletes deserve. I knew where the next chapter had to start: back at an HBCU.
Even though I spent only a year at Winston-Salem, my time there lit a lifelong calling: give back to the game that gave so much to me.
That’s why the HBCU Hoops Invitational exists. It harnesses the excitement of college basketball to create real outcomes: visibility for HBCU programs, enrollment growth by showcasing value and legacy, and wraparound support for scholar-athletes through academics and scholarships. It builds career pathways—internships, leadership development, and job readiness—and strengthens a pipeline for youth through education, sport, and mentorship.
From Brown Hall to Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports, this is a full-circle commitment: an independent, national platform with the emphasis, intentionality, and support to turn potential into opportunity—and to give HBCU culture something powerful to rally around.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It hasn’t been a smooth road. My first and most persistent obstacle was procrastination—delay that cost me time and opportunity. I still fight it every day. Looking back, the path would have been easier had I started sooner and moved faster.
That lesson stays with me.
Another defining challenge came at Oral Roberts University. After Coach Ted Owens was dismissed, the new head coach, Ken Trickey, told me I wasn’t his kind of player. I had a choice: accept the label or rewrite it. I chose the latter—refocused, channeled my frustration into work, and let my play speak. That mindset turned a negative into momentum, culminating in the 1989 NBA Draft, 49th pick in the second round.
Don’t let circumstances—or anyone—tell you what you can’t be. Let your actions prove what you are.
My biggest test came later, when a knee injury hit my career and my ego. I’d climbed from the 15th man on the roster to starting in the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals. Two years later I was back to third string. In the fourth game of the next season, I was restored to the starting lineup and that’s when I blew my knee out. I refused to let it end me. I’d watched Bernard King return from something similar; I believed I could, too.
It took two years to fully recover. I made it back and played two more seasons before it was time to step away from playing and transition to another side of the game I love: officiating.
Today, my wife and I are building the vision that grew from every one of those lessons—the HBCU Hoops Invitational. Like any startup, it has faced its share of headwinds. But when God gives you a vision, you build—brick by brick—no matter who doubts it. After four and a half years, the vision is real. This December, the world will “See What We See.”
My journey is proof that setbacks can become setups. Start sooner. Work harder. Believe deeper. And when the door opens, step through.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Basketball—and sports—are my foundation. They taught me discipline, teamwork, and how to compete with purpose. Today, the work is turning that foundation into impact: a vision we’re building to give back, especially to those with fewer resources but limitless potential.
I’m proud that this vision translates into scholarships, academic achievement, leadership development, career readiness, and real workforce opportunities for HBCU students.
What sets us apart is the blend of a world-class event experience at the ESPN Wide World of Sports stage, and measurable outcomes for scholar-athletes—on the court and beyond it. That’s the promise and the standard we hold ourselves to.
Our campaign says it best: “See What We See.”
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
Most people don’t know that I am “DJ Help Me Out,” the DJ’s DJ. I bring the vibe by introducing and sharing other DJ’s from various platforms.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.HBCUHoops.org
- Instagram: HBCUHoopsInvitational
- Facebook: HBCUHoopsInvitational
- LinkedIn: HBCU Hoops Global
