Maurice ‘Squeaky’ Hampton had a tremendous high school sports career that prepared him to star in college and professional basketball. As a result—and because he is as good a person as he has been a basketball player, the 2002 graduate of Russellville High School will be inducted into the Russellville Alumni Association Athletic Hall of Fame between games of Friday’s Clash of the Cats at Jim Young Gymnasium.
The crowd at the game will not only see one of the best players in RHS and Austin Peay State University history, but they will also see two who share that honor. Charles ‘Bubba’ Wells, the first star of Coach Phil Todd’s great run as the RHS coach, went on to become APSU’s most honored player ever. Wells, who has been in the RHS Hall of Fame for several years, will induct his younger protégé during the ceremony. They both went on to have outstanding professional careers as well. Wells has been an assistant coach at APSU for several years.
They join Jimmy “Big Train” Sanford, Howard ‘Tank’ Taylor and Hugh ‘Hoptown’ Waltrip as having the some of the greatest nicknames in RHS sports history.
The occasion will also be the first public showing of the new Hall of Fame gallery in the hallway between the deGraffenried lobby leading into the gymnasium and the cafeteria. Roy Morgan and his family who own and operate Roy’s Bar-B-Q have paid for plagues honoring the almost 40 members of the Hall of Fame. Each plaque has a picture of the honoree as well as his or her accomplishments.
Also expected to play a role in the program are announcer John Brett Reynolds, RHS Principal Kim McDaniel, and Russellville Mayor Mark Stratton. Greg Owens is director of RHS Hall of Fame operations.
If all of this weren’t enough, the boys’ game has added significance this year, since the winner will be the number one seed in the upcoming 13th District Tournament to be played at LCHS the last week in February. Russellville is 3-1 in district games that count on the seedings, Logan 3-2, Franklin-Simpson 2-3 and Todd Central 1-4. If the Cougars win, they would be the top seed, since Coach Lonnie Mason’s team beat the Panthers at LCHS and this would complete a sweep.
Back to Squeaky: He was the starting RHS point guard for four years, three of them among the greatest seasons in Russellville Panthers basketball. His freshman team was regional runner-up, and the next two years the Panthers not only won the region but won two games each at state, finishing their seasons in the Final Four.
He was named All-Region those two Final Four seasons, and was selected for the all-state tournament team as a junior. Twice he was named Sweet Sixteen Player of the Game. At the close of his senior season, he was selected to the Kentucky All-Star team which played Indiana twice.
As a senior, he was Panther of the Year, led the team in scoring and field goal percentage for the second straight year, and was named to his third straight spot on the All-District team.
Squeaky also excelled in track, winning the state high jump championship.
From RHS, he committed early to play basketball for Austin Peay State University. Later he turned down a full scholarship offer from Mississippi State of the Southeastern Conference because he wanted to honor his commitment to APSU. He was a four-year regular for the Governors where he was named All-Ohio Valley Conference and All-OVC Tournament. He helped Coach Dave Loos’ team win the conference twice. Hampton ranks fourth all time in free-throw shooting for the Governors (287 of 347 for 82.7 percent) and fifth in three-point goals made (193) and ninth in three-point shooting (193 of 514 for 37.5 percent). He is seventh in all-time games played for APSU with 127.
After graduating from college in 2006, he played seven seasons of professional international basketball in Scotland, Check Republic and Israel, and he was a perennial international all-star. He currently plays for the Bowling Green Hornets, which are headquartered at RHS. His Hornets coach last year, Otis Key, also played for RHS and APSU, and the new Hornets coach, RHS Athletic Director Nathan Thompson, was his teammate on those two Final Four teams.
Squeaky and his wife Shayla have two young children, Shamur and Kaitlyn. His parents are Charles Hampton, who was the starting fullback on the Panthers’ first state championship football team, and Cathy Evans McClain. He lists his step-parents as Lisa Hampton and Theresa Flowers, and his siblings as Martise Woods, Ashley Matthews, Daphanie Evans, Sha’Raya Flowers, T.C. Flowers and Adrian Bigbeen. His grandparents are Lovie Boyd and the late Charles Boyd and Jimmy Lee and Marie Hampton.
The girls game, which features new coaches in Russellville’s Justin McClellan and Logan County’s Finley Baird Woodard, begins at 6 p.m. The Lady Cougars can clinch the number two district seed with a win. The Hall of Fame ceremony will be between games.
For those who can’t attend, the game can be heard on 610 WRUS or on www.network1sports.com/station/wrus with Andy Woodall and Chris McGinnis calling the action.
The Hampton profile:
Basketball
Kentucky All-Star
All-State Tournament
Two-time state tournament Player of the Game
Point guard on two state Final Four teams
All-Region two years, All-District three years
Four-year starter for APSU
Seven seasons of pro international basketball
Track
State high jump champion