Aaron Haskins, a Mount Tahoma High School graduate who played on two NCAA basketball tournament teams at Washington State University, has died. He was 49.
Cheryl Haskins, Aaron’s college sweetheart and wife of 29 years, said her husband died unexpectedly in his sleep early Monday morning.
Haskins had been a pastor at The City Church in Kirkland the past 15 years. He leaves behind three children.
“He was an inspiration to so many people around the world,” Cheryl Haskins said. “In many ways, he was larger than life and leaves a truly great legacy for others to follow.”
As a freshman in 1979-80, Haskins played on Washington State’s first NCAA tournament team in 39 years.
The 1982-83 Cougars beat Weber State for WSU’s first NCAA tournament victory in 39 years. The following game, Haskins finished his college career by coming off the bench to score a team-high 14 points in WSU’s 54-49 loss to fourth-ranked Virginia and star center Ralph Sampson.
Haskins averaged a career-high 8.8 points as a senior, when he started nine games.
A memorial website for Haskins has been set up at memorialwebsites.legacy.com/aaronhaskinslegacy/homepage.aspx
