March 6, 2026
The first player to have his number retired as he leading his team in their current playoff run
The Tuskegee University basketball team started the playoffs as the No. 1 seed in the SIAC (Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) West Division, capping a great school year that had senior Kusamae Draper ending the season as the SIAC Men’s Basketball Player of the Week. Draper ended the regular season by also being named the SIAC Player of the Year, and the school honored him by retiring his number WHILE he was still playing.
According to HBCU Gameday, Draper is the first basketball player in Tuskegee history to have his jersey retired. He is also a First Team All-SIAC player, leading his team to the playoffs, looking to take home the championship. His teammate, Khalil Genwright, was honored as a Second Team All-SIAC selection, and the team’s head coach, Benjy Taylor, was named SIAC Coach of the Year.
“It meant a lot getting my jersey retired, it was senior night, a lot of my family was there, and it was unexpected,” Draper expressed to HBCU Gameday. “It was something that made me feel really proud of myself because not only my accomplishments personally, but how people around me see me and how my coach (Benjy Taylor) viewed me.”
Draper also performed well academically during his four years at the institution. He will be graduating with a 3.5 GPA in Construction Science, setting excellence off the basketball court as well.
“In today’s era, I just thought it was important that we recognize a young man who has done it a different way!” Taylor said. “Came here as a freshman, worked his way into the best player in the league. So some 1,400 points and 700 rebounds later, all for Tuskegee University, it was a no-brainer (to retire his jersey).”
The senior averaged 16.3 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.4 assists a game, starting all 26 games this season for Tuskegee.
“To be at Tuskegee all four years was a blessing,” Draper said. “Staying there was the best for my future; it was home and family.”
Tuskegee, with a 21-6 overall record (19-5 SIAC), opened the postseason Division II tournament with a convincing 70-53 victory over Benedict College. The next contest is against Clark Atlanta, which beat LeMoyne-Owen, 59-54. The two teams will match up on March 6.
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