Front Row L-R – Ruben Little Head Jr., President Dr. Ferlin Clark, Ice Cube, Daice Marshall, Les Wahsise Jr., Coach Ruben Little Head. Back Row L-R- Corbain Lonebear, Stephen Moore, Bernadine Fisher, Cayden Pawpa, Derek Factor, Jacob Scroggins, Blaine Baldridge, Kenneth Keahna. Attendees not pictured: Bacone Women’s Head Coach Tera Cuny-Baker, women’s player Malia Jacobs
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – July 25, 2021
Bacone College was invited as a special guest to Ice Cube’s Big 3 tournament, a 3-on-3 basketball league featuring World Champions, All-Stars, and Hall of Famers, held in Las Vegas on Saturday.
The anonymous donor who generously sponsored Bacone’s trip said he wanted to inspire Bacone College students to pursue their dreams and refuse to allow anything to hold them back.
The donor told the 13 basketball players who were able to attend that “this isn’t about me and it’s not about your coaches, or even about these famous people you’ve been around all day. It’s about you. And this can belong to you. All of it. You go out there and get it by working hard.”
President of Bacone College, Dr. Ferlin Clark, said the invitation was a blessing for the students and the historic college.
“We were to be invited as special guests of Ice Cube and grateful for the love shown to our students,” he said. “We’re also excited about the news we received before we came home that bigger things are in the works for us. What an incredible experience for our athletes.” .
Men’s Head Basketball Coach Ruben Little Head said the impromptu trip was a great opportunity to get to know his team better, and for them to build comradery as well.
“This experience has definitely motivated my players and inspired them to believe that opportunity and success is attainable no matter what background you come from,” Little Head said. “It was inspirational for me too. Thank you to our sponsor, and to Ice Cube and the Big 3 Tournament for having us.”