The renaming of the Westside Recreation Center as The Don Haskins Recreation
Center shows how wide and deep the love of the former UTEP basketball coach
extends. It cuts through young and old, all cultures, all social standings.
Efren Lopez, a 20-year-old Hispanic student at El Paso Community College, came
up with the renaming idea and started rounding up 500 signatures to present to
the El Paso Parks and Recreation Department and the El Paso City Council.
Recreation Center director Nanette Smejkal, who is white, and marketing and
public relations director Wayne Thornton, an African-American, got fully behind
it. And, of course, the city council, including Westside city representative Ann
Lilly, quickly approved it.
CEREMONIES for the name change were held on May 26. It was too late for my last
column but it’s never too late to write about something so special.
Everyone in attendance seemed as thrilled as my wife, Helen, and I. Brent
Haskins, one of The Bear’s sons, said with smiling eyes, “This is so cool.”
The Bear’s wife, Mary, and their other son, Steve, echoed the sentiment in
different words but with the same joy. So did Togo Railey (a member of the 1966
NCAA championship team), former Miner Jim Bowden, UTEP athletic director Bob
Stull, Miners boosters Jim Paul and Joe Gomez and the dozens of others in
attendance. The recreation center’s new name will help keep Don Haskins’ memory close to our
hearts. That, too, is, in Brent Haskins’ words, so cool.
TRIVIA QUESTION: Who is the only player to lead the Major Leagues in both
homeruns and earned run average? Answer at end.
SAD NEWS. Word is that Hyundai Sun Bowl media relations director Trent Hilburn
is leaving to become assistant communications director at Texas Tech.
Hilburn is one of the hardest working, most reliable media relations directors
the Sun Bowl has ever had. He has also done extensive research of past Sun Bowl
games and brought many new facts and records up to date. He’ll be sorely missed.
HAVE YOU been watching the NBA playoffs? I’ve seen more choking by players than
patrons in a smoke-filled bar. I mean, these are professional basketball
players, yet when it came down to the nitty-gritty at the end of the deciding
games, the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Chicago Bulls looked as scared as kids
at a Friday the 13th movie. They walked down the court like long-legged zombies, launched ridiculously long
shots that had little chance of going in, and missed free throws.
And the coaches sat on the bench as if hypnotized and let it all happen.
So the marvelous Dallas Mavericks and the brilliant Miami Heat wound up playing
for the championship.
I WONDER IF Sunland Park Racetrack and Casino is jealous. The opening of Ruidoso
Downs Racetrack more than 100 miles away from El Paso seems to have gotten more
and bigger coverage in the El Paso Times this year than Sunland, just next door
to El Paso, gets for its openings. Anyone who knows the sport will tell you that Sunland is a much bigger and more
highly regarded track in the world of horse racing. It’ll be interesting to see how the Times covers the next opening of the
live season at Sunland in December.
AND READER Tom Hussmann every now and then sends some interesting tidbits. Like this quote from Notre Dame coach
Knute Rockne when he was asked after a game why the Irish lost: “I won’t know until I see my barber on Monday.”
ANSWER to trivia question: Babe Ruth.
Veteran sports journalist and author Ray Sanchez welcomes suggestions for his column.
Ray Sanchez