Four Cities, No Sleep: Inside Howard’s whirlwind First Four journey

It’s the most wonderful time of the year!

To kick off the men’s NCAA tournament, we’re hosting a bracket challenge with Extra Points, thanks to our pals at Short Courts.

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Good luck!

— Kyle

Planes, Buses and Brackets.

Ever wonder about the logistics and whirlwind adventure First Four teams experience? How one goes from campus to Dayton to somewhere else, all while tying to scout multiple opponents, in a matter of days?

The Howard men’s basketball team has spent the night in four different cities since Saturday — Norfolk, Washington, D.C., Dayton and Buffalo. It’s meant sleepless nights for general manager Daniel Marks, director of basketball operations Talin Lewis and the team’s managers. But WE SLEEP IN MAY! 

“It’s just been a lot of moving and trying to get the guys as hydrated and recovered as possible,” an out-of-breath Marks said while jogging on a treadmill in his Dayton hotel. “The adrenaline helps. You’re just running on fumes. But it’s so exciting because this is what you play for.”

The coordination for all of this actually began back in February. In an effort to streamline the travel and logistics process, the NCAA requires every Division I program to complete a series of forms a month before the tournament. The real chaos began after the Bison won the MEAC championship on Saturday afternoon. After cutting down the nets, the team decided to stay and watch the women’s team play for its own title. They won, too.

Then came the hard part.

By Sunday morning, it was back to business. The team ate breakfast at 9 a.m. before boarding a bus to D.C. at 10. They arrived on campus at 1:30 p.m., giving players four hours to do laundry, pack and decompress. Then it was back to the Burr Gymnasium to learn their postseason fate.

The staff thought a 16 seed and a trip Dayton were a possibility. Soon, it was confirmed. Their flight confirmation didn’t arrive until 10 p.m. The team had a short meeting, did media interviews and stayed at a D.C. hotel to simplify the next morning’s 10:15 a.m. departure from Dulles.

“The NCAA does a great job of making things as smooth as possible, but there are so many moving parts,” Marks said. “You’re trying to put out as many fires and prevent as many fires as possible, while also trying to focus on the big picture of using this moment to elevate the program, elevate NIL and elevate our opportunity to fundraise.”

While players rested, Marks and staff talked with NCAA reps to finalize travel and hotel logistics in Dayton. They coordinated meals, organized uniforms and equipment and built rooming lists. At the same time, they mapped out contingency plans for a possible trip to Buffalo if Howard beat UMBC.

Marks was rallying support for Howard’s “3 for 4 Campaign,” a fundraising push tied to the program’s third NCAA tournament appearance in four seasons. Since the end of the regular season, Howard has raised more than $40,000.

Howard’s reach extends beyond that of a typical HBCU program. The team’s newsletter has 4,000 subscribers, and high-profile supporters – including Wizards GM Will Dawkins and Commanders part-owner Mark Ein – spent time with the team Sunday. In recent years, the program has been featured in Sports Illustrated, The Washington Post, Time and Extra Points!

“We’ve been really intentional,” Marks said. “Coach [Kenny Blakeney] knows we have a unique story to tell.”

Monday came early. Coaches were up until 2:30 a.m. scouting UMBC. Marks woke at 6:45 a.m., sent another fundraising email and drafted a travel letter to excuse managers from class. The team landed in Dayton at 11:16 a.m. Lunch followed shortly after.

The afternoon was a blur of donor outreach, messaging and media coordination. Howard’s social media team captured content from practices and interviews, pushing it out to a growing audience across platforms – a combined 32,000 followers on X and Instagram. 

Tuesday offered a bit of relief: shootaround, walkthrough and meals. The Bison arrived at UD Arena a couple of hours ahead of their 6:40 p.m. tipoff. Howard led for nearly all 40 minutes, holding off a late UMBC rally to secure the program’s first NCAA tournament win.

“It’s enormous,” Marks said. “Having this spotlight allows us to amplify (the program) to people who may be tangentially familiar or may not be familiar at all with everything the program stands for. High school recruits, potential portal targets we can’t talk to can see what’s going on. They see we’re playing. You can get the platform, and the exposure, and the opportunity at Howard that you can get anywhere else in the country.”

Even with another flight and another city awaiting, the staff made sure not to rush the moment. Players, family members and traveling supporters lingered in Dayton, soaking it in.

“It was surreal,” Marks said. “It just all hits you. It was so, so cool.”

Eventually, it was back in the air. Howard departed Dayton International Airport at 11:34 p.m. and landed 60 minutes later in Buffalo. An hour after that, the team reached its hotel. Marks finally went to bed around 3 a.m., but not before sending one more email to donors. He was back up by 7:30.

“I’ve been hitting the pavement ever since,” he said.

By Wednesday, things finally slowed. The Bison held a shootaround at the KeyBank Center and handled more media obligations. Their next game — 7:10 p.m. Thursday against No. 1 seed Michigan — offered something they hadn’t had much of all week: time to rest.