Kirk Haston is an American former professional basketball player and politician. Born in Lobelville, Tennessee, he attended Perry County High School in Linden, Tennessee where, as a senior, he was a part of the 37-0 Class A state championship team, being named Class A "Mr. Basketball". His college career took place under head coachBob Knight and Mike Davis at Indiana University where, in the 2000-01 season he led the Big Ten Conference in scoring and was a third-team All-American selection. Haston's most memorable moment came during the 2000-01 season when his buzzer-beating three-pointer beat defending champion and top-ranked Michigan State 59-58 at Assembly Hall. During his sophomore year, he lost his mother, Patti Kirk Haston, 48, in a tornado that hit the county seat, Linden, Tennessee on May 5, 1999. Haston was selected 16th overall by the Charlotte Hornets in the 2001 NBA draft; many analysts, who had pegged Haston in the late first round-early second round area, thought that the Hornets took Haston to be a 'zone breaker', working against the change in rules that allowed some forms of the zone defense in games. Haston was known for his sky hook shot and shooting range for a forward/center. Haston averaged 1.2 points per game, playing in 27 games. He also averaged one rebound per game while recording no steals. He played the 2004-05 season with the Florida Flame for head coach Dennis Johnson in the NBA D-League. There he averaged 16 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.2 blocks per game and was selected to the All NBDL First-Team. His season came to an end when he suffered a right knee injury that required season-ending knee surgery with three games remaining. In 2005, he signed with Upea Capo D'Orlando of the Serie A. He and his wife Kasey soon returned from Sicily to Middle Tennessee when he was waived due to a right knee injury prior to the start of the season. In 2010, he came back to Perry County High School to coach the boysbasketball team. He then led his alma mater to two state appearances in his first seasons. In 2012, the Perry County Vikings finished their season as state runner-up. In 2016 he published Days of Knight: How the General Changed My Life in which he details his mostly positive experiences playing for then Indiana Coach Bob Knight. Knight provided some assistance and an endorsement during Haston's 2018 campaign to the Tennessee House of Representatives. In 2018 Haston was elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives, representing District 72. He won with 81% of the vote.
