| If someone were to tell you that basketball was | | | | Disciplined defense |
| created for white athletes and black players were | | | | One thing that distinguished Haskin's coaching from |
| both unable to understand the game or play well you | | | | other colleges was his stress on discipline and defense. |
| would not only think that person is a racist, you would | | | | When you look at a film of the 1966 championship |
| think they were absolutely insane. The thought that | | | | game, you think that it would be exciting and full of |
| any race would be unable to play a sport is based on | | | | offense. In fact, one of the stereotypes of black |
| racial stereotypes and not founded in any sort of | | | | players was what they had no patience or control to |
| educational or real-life understanding. | | | | manage the game and had to be balanced out with |
| However, in the 1960s, college basketball was | | | | white players to keep focus. Not only was that |
| dominated by such thoughts. Teams had black players | | | | categorically untrue, but Haskin's emphasis was not on |
| on the roster, but usually only played one or two per | | | | scoring as many points as you can before the buzzer. |
| game. All this changed in 1966, when small Texas | | | | The team went on to the court to play a defensive |
| Western College from El Paso, Texas won an NCAA | | | | game. His five-man defense kept most opponents |
| championship. What made that team so special? Don | | | | down to a limited number of points scored against |
| Haskins, coach of Texas Western, started five black | | | | them. Texas Western's wins were never high-scoring |
| players and used them throughout the game. His | | | | games, but his defense changed the way that NCAA |
| all-black team managing to beat powerhouse | | | | basketball teams played the game. |
| Kentucky, changed the game of basketball forever. | | | | Independence |
| Race relations | | | | Years later, Texas Western College went on to |
| Don Haskins continually maintains that he did not look | | | | become the University of Texas at El Paso and |
| for five black players, but looked for five good players | | | | incorporated into the Texas university system. In 1966 |
| to start his basketball team in the NCAA championship. | | | | Texas Western was an independent college of the |
| It was a marker in time, because previously no team | | | | mines. It certainly should have been no match for a |
| had ever played an all-black starting lineup in a | | | | powerhouse basketball program like Kentucky. The |
| championship game. In fact, only earlier that year Don | | | | win helped all small schools to realize that a basketball |
| Haskins was the first to play on all-black starting lineup | | | | program was worth investing in. Although the |
| ever. The game marked a turn in time as people | | | | conventional wisdom of the time was the big schools |
| began to understand basketball was about athletic | | | | like Kentucky, Duke and Indiana have a lock on |
| discipline and prowess, not the color of one's skin. It | | | | basketball success, small independent colleges with |
| took a few years for other colleges to catch up, but | | | | dedicated coaches and good players would be able to |
| soon many colleges were recruiting from both black | | | | make the grade. |
| high schools and white high schools. Integration made | | | | Once, basketball was a sport dominated by white |
| its way through college basketball when Texas | | | | coaches, white athletes and outdated racist ideas. |
| Western showed sports had no race. | | | | |