The 61st annual WestStar Don Haskins Basketball Invitational concluded last night, December 22nd 2022. The game featured the Kent State Golden Flashes and University of Texas El Paso (UTEP) Miners who entered with (9-3) and (8-3) records, respectively.
Background of the Tournament
Don Haskins, legendary Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame coach may be gone but his legacy is not forgotten. Haskins is commonly known for his portrayal in the 2006 film Glory Road, which highlighted Haskins’ contributions to ending segregation in 1960’s college basketball.
Don Haskins coached the entirety of his career with UTEP, the institution formerly known as Texas Western University. In honor of Haskins impact to college basketball, teams gather every December to participate in an early season exempt tournament.
Kent State and UTEP are familiar rivals in this setting. The teams matched up exactly eight years ago on December 22nd, 2014, in the championship match of the Haskins Basketball Invitational.
First Half
Early in the first half points came at a premium for both teams. Kent struggled to get things going early on. The Flashes played from behind nearly the entire first half. They trailed by as many as seven points in the final six minutes of the first half. However, they did turn things around in the final minutes of the half, using their defensive prowess as an opportunity to keep them in the game. They finished the final six minutes of the half with a 15-5 run. A run that was capped off with a last second in-bound layup by sophomore forward VonCameron Davis. Davis last second shot gave the Flashes a 25-22 lead going into the half.
Second Half
The teams continued trading blows after halftime. For the entire second half the score never extended beyond a one possession lead. As the game moved deeper into the final minutes, fans in attendance as well as those who tuned into the YouTube broadcast, could feel the importance of each possession.
With just over a minute left Kent State clung to a one-point lead. UTEP sophomore forward Kevin Kalu nearly left as the El Paso hero when he recorded a steal with a minute and twenty seconds remaining. The steal gave the Miners a chance to regain the lead in the final minute. After the heroic defensive effort Kalu continued to impress, grabbing two crucial offensive rebounds, and scoring in the paint in what would be UTEP’s penultimate possession.
Kalu’s layup gave the Miners a one-point lead for a score of 46-45 with 50.5 seconds left to play. After a back and forth where neither team managed to maximize a possession, the fate of the match was in the hands of the game’s most exciting player. 2022 MAC player of the year, Sincere Carry was fouled with 18 seconds left to play. Carry hit both free throws, giving the Golden Flashes a one-point lead. With 7 seconds to go UTEP senior point guard Shamar Givance got the ball at the top of the key. Givance drove to his right where he was met by Kent State senior forward Miryne Thomas who blocked the shot and ended the game.
Closing Remarks
A few final notes on the game, Golden Flashes hero of the night Miryne Thomas, who blocked the potentially game winning shot, is a northeast Ohio native. Thomas graduated from Cleveland Central Catholic where he earned a Second Team All-State Selection as a four-year letter winner. Last night’s win marks Kent State’s first WestStar Don Haskins Sun Bowl Invitational Championship title. Lastly, Kent State improves their record to 10-3 as well as finding their first win of the season in a game that was decided by five or less points.
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