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Glory Road - 2 Stars (Average)

Basketball Coach Don Haskins does not have to delay for his fairy tale to come about. He is a partaker of the Texas Sports Hall of Fame and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Few nowadays would summon up Don Haskins. He was the trainer at Texas Western in 1966 when his 27-1 troop compete Adolph Rupp's 27-1 University of Kentucky Wildcats for the NCAA heading.

Nothing too interesting give or take a few that, not including that Haskins would go the firstborn handler in NCAA yesteryear to inauguration an all-African American card when the Miners square off antagonistic Rupp's all-white Kentucky unit that conspicuous two players who would turn distinguished 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 protrusive lineup for Texas Western when the Miners won the NCAA title fight antagonistic an all-white Kentucky team, 72-65.

I would graduate from Michigan State University two months after Texas Western won the title, and would not be cognisant of in recent times how past this thing was. My utmost arts school and school administrative district and track teams were incorporate. Kentucky would not even bestow African Americans basketball game scholarships, and nearby were many a opposite colleges and universities which excluded African American players in 1966.

There was a lot of malevolence in the South at that case. Heck, at hand was a lot hatred everywhere, but not in Don Haskins' will to win for Texas Western, prearranged nowadays as UTEP, the University of Texas at El Paso. Haskins was unsighted and simply put the second-best players on the horizontal surface to contest.

Haskins recruited the most select players, null other mattered. Not even the crappy management and alteration bullying some Haskins and his players accepted from die-hard, ignorant, intolerant Texas Western boosters and donors. They trill a opposite air in Texas today, peculiarly at the University of Texas.

Glory Road in 2006 retold the narration of Don Haskins and Texas Western. Josh Lucas vie the role of Don Haskins, Derek Luke compete Bobby Joe Hill and John Voight compete Adolph Rupp. It is not one of the world-class cinema of all time made, but the tale of Texas Western is on par near some other wonderful victories in sports history, together with the 1980 U. S. Hockey troop winning the Gold Medal in the Olympics. Contrary to the moving picture version, the caption winter sport was not as big an alarm as was delineated. Texas Western had an supreme team, as evidenced by its No. 3 top-ranking the terminal place that yr. Haskins was not the first manager to kick up your heels African Americans, Texas Western had African American players on its listing until that time Haskins arrived.

Haskins was the firstborn to inauguration an all-African American roster in the NCAA nickname game, and it is too true that Texas Western was the firstborn academy in a Southern put across to bring together its good at sport teams. Good for Texas Western.

Glory Road had a dutiful statement of hope for African Americans. At lowest one handler had the backbone to tragedy the champion. Do not guess for a moment that this was Don Haskins' one second of glory, and that he was bold but not an unparalleled basketball game instructor.

Since Glory Road was not as more than more or less Don Haskins as one exceedingly talented, highly accommodating and extremely fearless Texas Western players, let it be well-known that Don Haskins:

1) Played iii years at Oklahoma A&M under Hall of Fame coach Hank Iba and was Team Captain.

2) Was trussed for 4th situation among the NCAA's supreme triumphant influential coaches when he inactive beside 719 wins and 353 losings.

3) Had 33 triumphant seasons at UTEP in 38 time of life of employment.

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

5) Changed body basketball in perpetuity by protrusive an all-African American squad opposed to an all-white Kentucky team in the NCAA contest and champion the banner.

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

Glory Road is a pic for every hoops supporter. It has a marvellous statement and represents a acute trice in the evolution of basketball as we know and savor it present.

Copyright © 2007 Ed Bagley