Four greats ushered in Western's modern era

Jun. 29—The conclusion of the 1953-54 season wrapped up a golden era on the hardwood for coach Ed Diddle and the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers that had begun in 1946.

In those eight seasons, Western went a stunning 202-40 (.835), won six league championships and made six trips to the then-elite National Invitation Tournament in New York City, placing third in 1948 and fourth in 1954.

During that stretch, eight Western players earned various All-American honors, and, famously, the 1947-48 team, which won 28 of 30 games, featured the "All All-Americans" starting five of Odie Spears (1948), Don "Duck" Ray (1948), Dee Gibson (1948), Oran McKinney (1943) and John Oldham (1949). All but McKinney played in the NBA.

Following the departures of All-American forwards Art Spoelstra and Tom Marshall in 1954, a dry period ensued. The Hilltoppers failed to reach the postseason between 1955-59 and featured only one All-American, forward Ralph Crosthwaite, who graduated as the school's all-time leading scorer (2,076 points).

Western lacked broad appeal, however, until the early '60s, which prompted a rapid return to the postseason. Between 1960 and 1971, Western made six trips to the NCAA Tournament and one NIT appearance with the help of four players who would become All-Americans — two of them as first-team selections.

Here's a look at the fantastic foursome that returned Western to the national stage and ushered Hilltopper basketball into the modern era (chronological order):

BOBBY RASCOE, 1962 — An All-State player for former Western star Buck Sydnor at Daviess County High School in the late 1950s, Rascoe helped engineer the Hilltoppers' resurgence to the national limelight.

As a sophomore in 1959-60, Rascoe averaged 16.8 points and 6.8 rebounds per game to help Western go 21-7, win the Ohio Valley Conference championship, and make a strong showing in the NCAA Tournament, with wins over Miami (Fla.) and Ohio (consolation game), and a loss to eventual national champion Ohio State.

As a junior in 1960-61, Rascoe led the team in scoring (20.1 ppg), and he did the same as a senior in 1961-62 (25.2), leading Western back to the NCAA Tournament, where it would defeat Detroit before falling to No. 1 Ohio State and Butler (consolation game). This was Diddle's last great team.

All told, Rascoe, a 6-foot-4 forward-guard, racked up 1,687 points, averaged 20.8 points and 5.8 rebounds per game, and shot 48% from the field and 77% from the foul stripe.

As a member of the Phillips 66ers, he was an Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) national champion (1963) and All-American (1966), before spending three seasons with the Kentucky Colonels of the American Basketball Association (ABA), averaging 7.7 points per game as a key reserve.

He was later a WKU assistant under head coach Jim Richards.

DAREL CARRIER, 1964 — A phenomenal long-range bomber out of tiny Bristow High School in Warren County, Carrier became the only big-time Hilltopper star to play in both the Red Barn, the team's home between 1931-63, and E.A. Diddle Arena, which opened in 1963.

Carrier's contributions as a sophomore (13.7 ppg) were instrumental in Western reaching the NCAAs for the second time in three seasons, but from a team perspective his final two seasons on the Hill were dismal. Western plummeted to 5-16 in each season as Diddle's Hall of Fame coaching career ended with a whimper.

Nonetheless, despite being double- and triple-teamed due to Western's dearth of talent, the 6-4 Carrier averaged 19.3 points and 5.1 rebounds as a junior, and 26 points and 5.2 rebounds as a senior — scoring 50 points in an overtime loss at Morehead State in 1964.

Like Rascoe before him, Carrier initially played on the AAU circuit before embarking on a stellar career in the ABA (1967-73), primarily with the Kentucky Colonels. He was a three-time ABA All-Star, averaged 20 points per game for his career, and established himself as the most accurate 3-point shooter in league history (.377).

Carrier, who teamed with former UK star Louie Dampier to form the league's most explosive backcourt in the late '60s, was later selected to the All-Time ABA Team.

Carrier's son, Josh, was Kentucky's Mr. Basketball recipient out of Greenwood High in 2001, later playing at Kentucky.

CLEM HASKINS, 1965-67 — One of the first three African-Americans to sign a basketball scholarship with Western, along with Dwight Smith and Mike Redd (who transferred to Kentucky Wesleyan), the silky smooth and consistent Haskins emerged as one of America's most complete collegiate players in the mid-1960s.

After an All-State career at Taylor County High School, the 6-3 Haskins — who would become known as "Clem the Gem" — arrived at Western and made an immediate impact. As a sophomore in 1984-65, he averaged 23.4 points and 10.9 rebounds per game, helping the Hilltoppers reach the quarterfinal round of the NIT. He poured in 55 points in a home win over Middle Tennessee — a single-game program record that still stands.

As a junior in 1965-66, Haskins (20.1 ppg, 10 rpg) teamed with Dwight Smith, Greg Smith, Wayne Chapman and Steve Cunningham to form one of the program's most formidable outfits. Western easily won the OVC championship (14-0), went 25-3 overall, and posted NCAA victories over Loyola, Ill. and Dayton (consolation), and losing a controversial 80-79 decision to Michigan that is disputed by Western fans to this day.

In his senior season, WKU (which had received university status in June) repeated as OVC champion (13-1), went 23-3 overall and was ranked as high as No. 3 nationally. Late in the season, however, Haskins suffered a broken right wrist (shooting hand) wrist, dashing the Toppers' national championship hopes. Nonetheless, Haskins averaged 22.6 points and 11.2 rebounds per game — earning first-team Associated Press All-America honors.

Selected third overall in the 1967 NBA Draft by the Chicago Bulls, Haskins went on to play nine seasons in the league, averaging 12.8 points, 3.5 assists and 2.8 rebounds per game, before returning to the Hill and becoming the first African-American head coach in WKU history (1980-86).

JIM McDANIELS, 1969-71 — Considered one of the greatest high school and college players to ever come out of Kentucky, McDaniels began his high school career at Scottsville High School before transferring to rival Allen County, where he earned Kentucky's Mr. Basketball honor in 1967 — averaging a remarkable 37.6 points and 25 rebounds per game.

Western won a national recruiting war for McDaniels' services, and the 7-footer certainly did not disappoint — never losing a game in Diddle Arena as a Hilltopper.

As a sophomore in 1968-69, "Big Mac" averaged 24.8 points and 12.5 rebounds per game, but youth-laden WKU struggled to a 16-10 record.

Western rolled through the OVC undefeated during McDaniels' junior season, going 22-3 overall and losing to Artis Gilmore-led Jacksonville in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. McDaniels averaged 28.6 points and 13.6 rebounds per game.

In 1970-71, Western threatened to win it all with the all-black starting five of McDaniels (29.3 ppg, 15.1 rpg), Clarence Glover, Jim Rose, Jerry Dunn and Rex Bailey. The Hilltoppers went 24-6, defeating Jacksonville, Kentucky and Ohio State in the NCAAs, before falling to Villanova 92-89 in double OT in the Final Four semifinals at the Houston Astrodome. WKU earned third place with a conquest Kansas.

McDaniels ended his career as WKU's career scoring leader (2,238 points, later tied by Courtney Lee) in only three varsity seasons — averaging 27.6 points and 13.8 rebounds. He was a first-team AP All-America in 1971.

In the pro ranks, McDaniels was the No. 1 selection in the 1971 ABA Draft. He averaged 26.8 points and 14 rebounds in 58 games as a rookie ABA All-Star with the Carolina Cougars, before jumping leagues and signing with the NBA's Seattle SuperSonics. There, however, he failed to duplicate his ABA success and was out of the game by 1978.

McDaniels died from diabetes-related complications in 2017 in Bowling Green at age 69.