As part of Howard University’s Homecoming, Club 520 partnered with Project 68 and the Cathy Hughes School of Communications (CHSOC) to host a live podcast recording.
Club 520 is a sports podcast hosted by former NBA All-Star and 12-year pro Jeff Teague, Darren “DJ” Wells and Brandon “B Hen” Hendricks.
Project 68 is a Black-led, culture-first, civic organization reimagining how people connect to civic life through various initiatives such as voter awareness.
The live show at Howard Theatre on Oct. 15 started with a brief message by the CHSOC dean, Kimberly Moffitt, Ph.D., where she highlighted 2026 marking the 55th year of the school.
Moffitt also acknowledged the history of Howard and sports communications alumni, including Jim Trotter, a retired NFL sports writer, Gus Johnson, a play-by-play announcer for Fox Sports and Stan Verrett, a former ESPN Sportscenter anchor and current anchor on NFL Network.
“We know that this is an area that we thrive in not just on the court and on the field but also behind the scenes,” Moffitt said.
To start the show, the first guest was Kenny Blakeney, Howard’s men’s basketball head coach.
Club 520 interviewed Blakeney about his tenure playing basketball for Duke University under Coach Mike Krzyzewski from 1991 to 1995 as well as his current coaching stint at Howard. Blakeney also shared his thoughts on Howard sports programs when he was a player coming up and how that culture has shifted over the years.
He said when he was a young player, he felt that Howard was not as attractive as other schools for athletes at the time. Now with the recent success and the shift in culture, “Howard became a destination [for players],” Blakeney said.
The next guests on the show were 11-year NBA vet, Robert Covington and Nolan Smith, a former Duke basketball player and current Tennessee State University (TSU) head basketball coach.
They focused heavily on the contrast of their two college careers.
Covington discussed his journey through college and his unusual recruiting process.
Covington said the man that began showing interest in him did not have a recruiting job at first, but said whenever he got a position at any school, he promised an offer to Covington. The recruiter fulfilled his promise a month before Covington graduated and offered him to come play for TSU.
“Dude sat up and recruited me and didn’t have a job,” Covington said.
On the flip side, Smith looked back on his choice of Duke, stating,
“I chose Duke so I could play against the best,” he said.
This segment of the show concluded with an announcement that TSU will be battling against Howard in the NBA’s HBCU Classic on Feb. 20, 2027 at the Phoenix Convention Center.
The last guest on the show was retired NBA All-Star, 11-year vet and president of basketball operations of Howard’s Men’s basketball team, John Wall.
While Wall highlighted the skills as an analyst that he displays on Amazon Prime for the NBA, he also showcased his playful side. Most of Wall’s segment was him having banter with the three co-hosts, particularly Hendricks. They did not mention his new position as president of basketball operations at Howard.
The show concluded after Wall’s segment, but that didn’t conclude Club 520’s visit at Howard.
The next morning, Club 520 visited Christine McWhorter, Ph.D.’s 9:40 a.m. broadcast journalism class.
They talked more personally about how they got started in the podcast space.
Wells was already in the media as he went to Butler University for journalism, freelancing and doing digital content management.
Teague was already friends with the two, but originally said he would only do guest appearances. Now he works with them full-time.
Additionally, Teague said he was never one for fan interaction during his NBA career, so now all of the fans and supporters coming to him feels different.
“I never had any relationships with the fans…meeting people — never thought I’d be able to do that,” Teague said.
Wells’ overall message for those wanting to get into the podcasting space was to stay consistent and be passionate about it.
“Gotta stay locked in. You have to want to do it whether there’s 100 people or two people [watching],” Wells said.
Copy edited by Daryl R. Thomas Jr.
