Harris hears boos at March Madness recreation, faces ridicule for speech to Howard gamers after loss

Vice President Kamala Harris, sadly, witnessed her alma mater, Howard University, lose to the defending NCAA males’s basketball nationwide champion Kansas on Thursday, 96-68.

Howard and Kansas performed on the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa, and when Harris appeared on the video board, she obtained an icy reception. According to a number of reviews, the boos outweighed the cheers from the followers.

After the sport, the vice chairman bought an opportunity to provide downtrodden Bison gamers a pep speak of their locker room after their loss.

Howard’s Elijah Hawkins, #3, tries to get previous Kansas’s Okay.J. Adams Jr. through the second half of a first-round faculty basketball recreation within the NCAA Tournament Thursday, March 16, 2023, in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

“You performed laborious. You performed to the final second. You made all us Bisons proud,” she stated. “You are good. You are disciplined. You put all the pieces you had into the sport. You guys didn’t cease, and that’s so inspiring. So you retain enjoying with chin up and shoulders again since you confirmed the world who Bison are.

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Kansas guard Dajuan Harris Jr. loses the ball out of bounds in entrance of Howard guard Bryce Harris, #34, within the second half of a first-round faculty basketball recreation within the NCAA Tournament, Thursday, March 16, 2023, in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

“So I do know you will not be feeling nice proper now, OK, however know who you might be. You are excellence. You are laborious work. You are highly effective, and you might be winners.”

Harris’ speech, nevertheless, didn’t actually resonate with the remainder of social media.

Howard was simply of their third NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament look in program historical past. It was the second time the workforce was chosen as a No. 16 seed. The Bison had been a No. 12 seed in 1981.

Vice President Kamala Harris and husband Douglas Emhoff watch through the second half of a first-round faculty basketball recreation between Howard and Kansas within the NCAA Tournament Thursday, March 16, 2023, in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

This season, Howard coach Kenneth Blakeney led the workforce to a 22-12 – his greatest report but as the top coach. It was solely three years in the past when Howard solely had 4 wins.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.