LEXINGTON – Ky. – It is no surprise that the recent list of inductees to the Class of 2026 Kentucky High School Basketball Hall of Fame includes two legends from right here in the mountains.
Bob Tallent and Herbie Stamper join a long line of local legends from Eastern Kentucky inducted into the Hall of Fame joining an elite group of players such as Todd May, Ervin Stepp, “King” Kelly Coleman, JR VanHoose, Elisha Justice, and John Pelphrey just to name a few.
Bob Tallent is a very fitting name for this Kentucky legend.
He was the oldest of three brothers who formed an elite basketball trio at Maytown High School. Bob was 6’1 shooting guard, averaged over 40 points per game his senior year (1964) and was named a High School All American, he ended his high school career scoring more than 2,300 points.
Tallent wasn’t known for his athleticism or speed, but he was an elite shooter who could score the ball with ease. He continued his basketball career playing three seasons at the University of Kentucky for coach Adolf Rupp, from 1965 to 1967. Tallent was part of the Kentucky team famously known as, “Rupp’s Runts”. He scored a total of 240 points and grabbed 72 rebounds in 19 games in his final season at Kentucky before he transferred to George Washington University for his senior year. In his lone year at George Washington. He averaged 28.9 points per game, broke six school records, and led them to their first winning season in nine years while also being named to the Helms Foundation All-America team. After his playing career, Tallent joined the coaching staff at George Washington and eventually became one of the youngest head coaches in the nation after being named the head coach for GWU at just 28 years old. He finished his coaching career with a 102-84 overall record and is one of the winningest head coaches in GWU history.
Herbie Stamper doesn’t just have an incredible name, he is one of the best players to ever come out of the 14th region.
Stamper played three seasons at Hindman High School in the early 70s before transferring to Knott County High School for his senior year. He scored over 2,100 points in his high school career, earning All-State Honorable Mention his junior year at Hindman, then was named First Team All-State and made the Kentucky High School Boy’s All-Star Team his senior season with Knott County. Herbie helped lead Knott County to an impressive 33-3 season, averaging over 27 points per game. The Patriots made their first Sweet 16 appearance after winning the district championship and the 14th region championship behind Stamper’s leadership and elite level play. He continued his basketball career at Morehead State University (1975-1979), scoring over 2,000 points in his four seasons with the Eagles. Stamper led the team in scoring three seasons in a row, won Ohio Valley Conference honors multiple times, and led the conference in scoring for two seasons. He also led MSU in assists his final two seasons with the team. After his playing career, Stamper came back home and was a very successful coach for the Knott County Central girls’ basketball team for years. Stamper was also inducted to the Morehead State Hall of Fame in 1990.
Bob Tallent and Herbie Stamper are joined by 10 other HOF inductees including, Makayla & Anthony Epps and Coaches Allen Feldhaus & Chrysti Noble. This class brings the total number of inductees to 203 individuals.
The introduction ceremony will be held at the Lexington Opera House in Lexington, Kentucky on Saturday, August 22 at 7:30pm.
