Clinton Wayne “Clint” Keown (February 25, 1980 – September 22, 2024) was an American basketball and baseball player and one of the most accomplished multi-sport athletes from Evansville, Indiana.
Reitz Memorial High School
Keown attended Reitz Memorial High School, where he excelled in basketball, baseball and football.
On the basketball court, Keown scored 1,766 career points and was selected as an Indiana All-Star in 1998. He also earned All-State honors and became one of the leading scorers in Evansville high school basketball history. Memorial later retired his No. 33 jersey.
Keown was also an outstanding baseball player and an All-State wide receiver in football. He was later inducted into the Reitz Memorial High School Hall of Fame.
College Career
Keown began his college basketball career at the University of Evansville, playing two seasons for the Purple Aces. He was a member of the 1998–99 Evansville team that won the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season championship and earned a berth in the 1999 NCAA Tournament. That appearance remains the most recent NCAA Tournament appearance in Purple Aces men’s basketball history. As a sophomore, Keown averaged 9.5 points per game and finished second on the team in assists.
He later transferred to the University of South Carolina Aiken, where he became a standout in both basketball and baseball. In his only basketball season for the Pacers in 2001–02, Keown averaged 24.7 points per game, finishing second in NCAA Division II in scoring. He scored 691 points in 28 games and earned Daktronics Second-Team All-American honors, while setting numerous USC Aiken single-season records.
Keown was equally dangerous on the baseball diamond. After hitting .367 during the 2002 season, he produced a remarkable senior season in 2003, stealing 52 bases in 56 attempts over 53 games. His 52 stolen bases established a Peach Belt Conference single-season record, and he became the first player in conference history to steal at least 50 bases in a season.
Professional Baseball
Following his standout senior baseball season at USC Aiken, Keown attracted the attention of professional scouts, with his exceptional speed being one of his defining attributes. Despite going undrafted in the 2003 Major League Baseball Draft, he signed with the Cincinnati Reds organization as a non-drafted free agent.
Keown began his professional career with the Gulf Coast League Reds before being promoted to the Dayton Dragons, Cincinnati’s Class A affiliate, in July 2003. He appeared in 17 games for Dayton, batting .255 with a .349 on-base percentage.
His signing capped an unusual two-sport college career in which Keown had finished second in NCAA Division II in basketball scoring before becoming one of the most prolific base stealers in Peach Belt Conference baseball history.
Poker Career
In addition to his success in traditional sports, Keown became an accomplished poker player and a well-known figure in the Evansville-area and national poker communities. His combination of athletic ability, competitiveness and willingness to gamble also made him something of a legend among fellow poker players.
Keown recorded $171,271 in career live tournament earnings. One of his largest tournament results came in 2005, when he finished ninth in the World Series of Poker Circuit $10,000 Championship Event at Horseshoe Southern Indiana, earning $36,480.
He competed in major poker events around the country, including events associated with the World Series of Poker and World Poker Tour. In 2017, Keown finished 46th in the WPT L.A. Poker Classic, earning $20,300.
“Basketball Clint” and the Prop Bets
Within poker circles, however, Keown became known for more than his results at the card table. His extraordinary shooting ability led to a series of high-stakes basketball prop bets, and stories of his shooting performances became part of his legend among professional gamblers.
Poker players knew him as “Basketball Clint.” In one documented account, Keown accepted a $10,000 wager that he could make at least 85 of 100 three-point attempts. A witness who went to watch the challenge later recalled that Keown made more than 90 of the 100 shots.
Poker professional Len Ashby later recounted another remarkable encounter in Las Vegas in which Keown was offered two separate $20,000 wagers. One required him to make 96 of 100 free throws while retrieving his own rebounds between attempts. The other challenged him to make 57 of 100 three-pointers.
Such wagers became part of Keown’s reputation in the poker world. Stories circulated for years among players who had watched opponents underestimate the former college basketball star’s shooting ability.
After Keown’s death in 2024, fellow poker players shared stories not only about his poker ability but also his willingness to bet on his own athletic skills. One player described him as one of the great gamblers who was always willing to bet on himself, while others recalled seeing or hearing about Keown winning thousands of dollars through basketball shooting challenges.
Poker became another example of Keown’s unusual competitive versatility. After excelling in basketball, baseball and football, and later becoming an accomplished golfer, Keown found another competitive outlet at the poker table. His tournament results were substantial, but among many longtime poker players, the stories surrounding “Basketball Clint” and his legendary prop bets became just as memorable as his results at the cards.
Later Life and Evansville Legacy
Keown remained deeply connected to his hometown throughout his life. After his playing career ended, he continued giving back to the Evansville sports community, particularly through coaching and mentoring young athletes.
Keown eventually returned to Reitz Memorial High School, where his own athletic career had begun. He served the Memorial basketball program in several capacities, including as a volunteer varsity assistant and freshman basketball coach, while also coaching younger players in the program. At the time of his death, plans were in place for Keown to coach Memorial’s sixth-grade team during the upcoming season.
His involvement with young athletes extended beyond Memorial. Keown coached youth baseball and basketball teams and served on the Board of Directors of the Boys & Girls Club, reflecting a commitment to the same Evansville community in which he had grown up.
Keown was also an active member of Holy Rosary Catholic Church and remained involved in the community outside of athletics. In business, he developed and managed a portfolio of residential rental properties.
Keown never completely left competition behind. He remained active in golf and became a familiar figure in Evansville’s competitive golf community, including appearances in the Evansville Men’s City Tournament. He also remained a loyal supporter of the University of Evansville athletic program and was frequently seen attending Purple Aces games.
Death and Tributes
Keown died on September 22, 2024, at age 44 following a single-vehicle automobile accident in Crawford County, Illinois.
His death prompted an outpouring of tributes throughout Evansville, particularly from the city’s athletic community. During his funeral procession, Memorial students and athletes lined the street outside his alma mater to pay tribute as the procession passed the school.
Keown’s life also inspired artistic tributes. Following his death, Evansville songwriter and recording artist Groove Kennedy wrote and recorded a song honoring Keown, adding a musical remembrance to the many tributes from friends, athletes and members of the community.
His legacy continued in other ways after his death. In 2025, a Habitat for Humanity of Evansville home was dedicated in Keown’s memory, fulfilling an idea Keown had expressed before his death of supporting a Habitat home in his old neighborhood.
Legacy
Few athletes in Evansville history have demonstrated Keown’s level of success across so many different sports.
He was an Indiana All-Star basketball player, an all-state football player, a Division I basketball player on the University of Evansville’s 1999 NCAA Tournament team, one of the leading scorers in NCAA Division II basketball, a record-setting collegiate base stealer, a professional baseball player, a competitive golfer and a successful tournament poker player.
Yet his connection to Evansville extended well beyond his athletic résumé. He returned to his high school to coach another generation of players, worked with younger children, served the Boys & Girls Club and remained closely connected with local sports throughout his life.
From the basketball court at Memorial to the University of Evansville, professional baseball, golf courses and poker tables—and eventually back to the sidelines at his alma mater—Clint Keown became one of the most distinctive and accomplished all-around athletes in Evansville sports history.