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Glory Road - 2 Stars (Average)

Basketball Coach Don Haskins does not have to pause for his saga to crop up. He is a applicant of the Texas Sports Hall of Fame and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Few present would remember Don Haskins. He was the coach at Texas Western in 1966 when his 27-1 squad contend Adolph Rupp's 27-1 University of Kentucky Wildcats for the NCAA banner.

Nothing too uncharacteristic nearly that, object that Haskins would become the prime teacher in NCAA times of yore to initiate an all-African American card when the Miners square off against Rupp's all-white Kentucky squad that conspicuous two players who would get famed in the NBA pro league: Pat Riley and Louie Dampier.

Remember these names: Bobby Joe Hill, David Lattin, Orsten Artis, Willie Worsley and Harry Flournoy during February, Black History Month. They were the starting roster for Texas Western when the Miners won the NCAA contest hostile an all-white Kentucky team, 72-65.

I would high from Michigan State University two months after Texas Western won the title, and would not be aware of purely how historic this occurrence was. My exalted arts school and academy territorial division and path teams were incorporated. Kentucky would not even volunteer African Americans basketball game scholarships, and nearby were umteen some other colleges and universities which excluded African American players in 1966.

There was a lot of loathing in the South at that circumstance. Heck, nearby was a lot emotion everywhere, but not in Don Haskins' will to win for Texas Western, particular today as UTEP, the University of Texas at El Paso. Haskins was blind and simply put the unsurpassable players on the flooring to rival.

Haskins recruited the top players, zilch other mattered. Not even the stinky physiotherapy and departure terrorization some Haskins and his players normative from die-hard, ignorant, intolerant Texas Western amplifier and donors. They intone a conflicting melody in Texas today, particularly at the University of Texas.

Glory Road in 2006 retold the fiction of Don Haskins and Texas Western. Josh Lucas compete the part of Don Haskins, Derek Luke vie Bobby Joe Hill and John Voight vie Adolph Rupp. It is not one of the first cinema ever made, but the yarn of Texas Western is on par near separate terrible victories in sports history, as well as the 1980 U. S. Hockey squad victorious the Gold Medal in the Olympics. Contrary to the big screen version, the header team game was not as big an agitate as was represented. Texas Western had an top team, as proven by its No. 3 superior the definitive position that period. Haskins was not the initial trainer to kick up your heels African Americans, Texas Western had African American players on its list previously Haskins arrived.

Haskins was the primary to inauguration an all-African American batting order in the NCAA header game, and it is too faithful that Texas Western was the most primitive institute in a Southern itemize to reconcile its muscular teams. Good for Texas Western.

Glory Road had a goodish communication of expectancy for African Americans. At lowest possible one instructor had the support to dramatic work the first. Do not judge for a instant that this was Don Haskins' one mo of glory, and that he was valorous but not an without equal basketball game manager.

Since Glory Road was not as substantially going on for Don Haskins as some severely talented, very compliant and severely valiant Texas Western players, let it be renowned that Don Haskins:

1) Played iii old age at Oklahoma A&M beneath Hall of Fame trainer Hank Iba and was Team Captain.

2) Was trussed for 4th leave among the NCAA's most successful helpful coaches when he inactive with 719 wins and 353 losings.

3) Had 33 triumphant seasons at UTEP in 38 eld of coaching job.

4) Led UTEP to no little than 17 20-win-seasons, an NCAA statute title in 1966, 7 Western Athletic Conference (WAC) championships, 4 WAC tourney titles, and 21 postseason trips (14 to the NCAA playoffs and 7 NIT-National Invitational Tournament-appearances).

5) Changed school basketball game for all time by starting an all-African American social unit antagonistic an all-white Kentucky unit in the NCAA tournament and unbeaten the rubric.

6) Coached Hall of Famer Nate "Tiny" Archibald, NBA All-Star Tim Hardaway, and Antonio Davis, and mentored approaching coaches Nolan Richardson and Tim Floyd.

Glory Road is a show for all basketball game friend. It has a remarkable announcement and represents a very good short while in the development of basketball as we cognize and relish it today.

Copyright © 2007 Ed Bagley