Hide Article Text (OCR)
• ■I i »» ikLi i iivirru if i iiu i iivw’i uvivmHeart coach Tim Ftoyd Kisses Maty Haskins. v*ife of Don Haskins, in the pregame celebratnn.The FVo^peetcrForty-five minutes and history was saluted.In front of a nationally televised audience, the honoring of the 50th anniversary of the 1966 championship and other festivities added pressure on the men's basketball team to find the 1 ight in such a flickeri ng sea.son.Before the game we told each other, i f we are notgoi ng to do i t for anybody, if we are not goi ng to play hard for us, let's do it for the 1966 team, said guard Earvin Morris. They did it once and they came out to see us. We can't just go out here and let them down.However, it looked as if the men were going to disappoint in the Don Haski ns Center on Saturday, Feb. 6, as they trailed Western Kentucky 70-51 with 6:47 left in the game. But, when the game seemed out of reach, a fuse ignited within the Miners, who wore Texas Western uniforms to honor the '66 tea. m.Lee Moore initially sparked the fuse. He, along with the Miners, went on a. 26-7 run against the H ill toppers. Moore added 15 of the 26 points, in-cludi ng a. 3-point play to tie the game at 77.The sold-out crowd responded with intense energy due to the best comeback of the Miners' sea.son. They nearly tore the roof down when Moore was fouled after making a basket, which tied the game. They repeatedly chanted defense when Western Kentucky drove the ball down the court for the last shot in regulation. They rejoiced as Aaron Crosby's shot missed, sending the game into overtime.During the extra, time, Morris nailed seven unanswered points, lifting UTEP to a. comfortable lead. All the Miners had to do was kill time, and they finished stealing the game, 93-69.We just played inspired and a. lot of it stemmed from the energy in this building, head coach Tim Floyd said. 1 thought the energy of the weekend,ypyrt'rn C'X FKa ununl w i rYisic Texas Western white jerseys and were given customised Nike ha.sket-ba.ll shoes, courtesy of Phil Knight, founder of Nike.To take a unique twist to the usual pregame lineups, the Miners invited the starting five of the legendary '66 team to accompany the starters of the 2015 -16 team onto the court. Accom -panyingthe present-day starters were Tina. Hill (wife of Bobby Joe Hill), Orsten Artis, Harry Flournoy’s sister, David Lattin and Willie Worsley. Mary Haskins, wife of Haskins, was presented during the pregame alongside head coach Tim Floyd. Haskins' assistant coach, Moe Iba, was also credited in the prega.me 1 i neup.Celebrations throughout the game At the half all the '66 players who came were honored i ndividually, wi th the president of the NCAA, Dr. Mark Emmert, present.Throughout the game, ex-affiliates, fans and supporters of the 1966 team gave testimonies about the legacy the squad left throughout the world. Videos from President Barack Obama, Nike, Jerry Bruckheimer, Mike Krayzewski, Dick Vitale and former UTEP coaches Billy Gill is pie, Doc Sadler and Tony Barbee, all served as a. very important focus for the game as well.By becoming the first team to win a. NCAA title with five black starters, the Miners weren't just champs on the court, they helped change the rules off the court, Obama said in his video testimony. They didn't know it at the time, but their contribution to civil rights was as important as any other.Return of the 'cardiac kids’Throughout the 1965-66 season, the Texas Western Miners were a. part of three games that went into
Newspaper Details
El Paso Prospector
El Paso, Texas, US
Tue, Feb 09, 2016
Page 4
Full Page
Clipped by
Canton S.
OK, USA 31 Jan 2020
Other Publications Near El Paso, Texas
El Paso Times
Psycho Fax and Revelations
El Paso Herarld Post
El Paso Handbill
El Paso Herald Post
