Clem Haskins, left, and Merion Haskins. (Larry Vaught Photo)
Taylor County had two legendary fans in Rupp Arena Wednesday night when it lost 73-64 to Grayson County in the UK HealthCare Boys’ Basketball Sweet 16®.
Brothers Clem and Merion Haskins were decked out in their Taylor County red sitting on the second row and it was obvious both Campbellsville natives had seen Taylor play several times.
Merion scored 1,761 points — fifth on Taylor’s all-time scoring list — before going on to play 86 games at Kentucky from 1973-77. Merion and teammate Larry Johnson were the second and third African American players recruited by UK coach Joe B. Hall and were on the 1975 team that lost to UCLA in the national championship game.
Clem was the first African-American student at Taylor County High School and led the school’s basketball team to the state tournament before playing at Western Kentucky University (he also played basketball at Western). He was a three-time All-American and got Western to the 1966 NCAA Tournament. He went on to play in the NBA for nine years and scored 8,743 points before retiring in 1976 due to knee injuries.
He became Western’s first African-American head coach in 1980 after spending three years there as an assistant. In 1986 he became the head coach at the University of Minnesota and got Minnesota to the 1997 Final Four.
Clem told me to watch Bryten Close, a 6-foot-6, 300-pound center on the basketball team who is a Louisville football offensive line signee. He’s a three-star football recruit and top 10 player in Kentucky in the 2026 recruiting class. He played both ways for Taylor — 7-4 last year — and had 31 tackles on defense and helped the Cardinals rush for 2,200 yards in 2025.
“Watch his footwork,” Clem Haskins said. “He can really handle himself for a big guy. I think he has the potential to play in the NFL if he does not get hurt because of the athleticism and agility he has.”
Close had 13 points on 6-for-11 shooting, nine rebounds, four assists and one block in 27 minutes. He finessed his way to the basket at times and at other times powered his way to the hoop just as Clem Haskins suggested he would.
Merion Haskins told me to watch sophomore guard Cooper Stone, who had 25 points on 9-for-19 shooting from the field and 5-for-5 at the foul line. He also had five rebounds, one assist and one steal.
“He is a really good player. I think he is a future Division I player,” Merion Haskins said. “He can really shoot the ball and he’s smart. Just keep an eye on what this kid is going to do.”
