Don Haskins has another gym named after him.
Benjamin High, the Texas school where Haskins began his Hall of Fame coaching career, christened its new facility the Don Haskins Gym. In a ceremony last Thursday, former UTEP players Nevil Shed, Tony Harper and Steve Tredennick, as well as Don’s son Steve, were in attendance for a ceremony honoring the naming.
It becomes the second gym named after Haskins, along with the Don Haskins Center on the UTEP campus. This comes a year and a half after a statue of Haskins in front of the Don Haskins Center was unveiled.
After coaching for two years at Benjamin, Haskins went on to coach at Hedley and Dumas before being named head coach at Texas Western in 1961. His 38-year career at UTEP included winning the national championship in 1966, the first NCAA team to accomplish that with an all-Black starting lineup.
Benjamin is a Class 1A school located halfway between Wichita Falls and Lubbock. The town of Benjamin has a population of 196, according to the 2020 census.
Bret Bloomquist can be reached at bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com; @Bretbloomquist on X.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Coach Don Haskins honored with second gym bearing his name in Texas
Reporting by Bret Bloomquist, El Paso Times / El Paso Times
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