Basketball Today

The 1965-66 Texas Western basketball team made a lasting impact on NCAA basketball. In a timespan of 53 years, the percentage of black males playing NCAA basketball has risen from 11% to 45%. In the years following the 1966 Texas Western title, college coaches started aggressively recruiting black players, or should we say, they started recruiting the most talented players, regardless of race. When asked in our interview, what recruiting would be like today without the 1966 Texas Western Championship, David Lattin replied with, ''Now kids don't have to worry about it because we won the game. Now we recruit on skill.” This is a pretty powerful statement made by Lattin, but it's a statement that makes it pretty clear that a barrier was definitely broken - the barrier of race in NCAA men's basketball.