Murray State University Athletics
On This Day - Morant & Payne Make Racer Basketball History
4/3/2020 7:21:00 AM | Men's Basketball
On this day in Racer men's basketball history, April 3, future Murray State hall of famers, Cameron Payne and Ja Morant were squarely in the spotlight for what they did five years apart in 2014 and 2019.
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Payne was a freshman guard on the Racers' 2013-14 team that won the CollegeInsider.com Tournament (CIT) and Morant, was a second-year star in the 2018-19 season when he announced he would leave MSU early to enter the NBA Draft.
Not to be lost in the 2014 CIT win, the Racers sent out fan favorite Dexter Fields out a winner.
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Here is a look back at how it looked and sounded on GoRacers.com
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April 3, 2019 – Morant Announces NBA Draft Plans
Murray State men's basketball all-star Ja Morant announced his decision to leave the Racers after two seasons to enter the 2019 National Basketball Association (NBA) June draft. The news was shared at the CFSB Center in Murray, Kentucky, where Morant thrilled the home fans during his two seasons in a career that lasted 65 games with the Murray State Racers.
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The "Morant Effect" was far-reaching as he accomplished more in two seasons than many have in four. Racer fans delighted in turning on the television
nearly every night and watching Morant on ESPN making another Top-10 play. The hype and attention for Morant began at Racer Mania when he made a dunk over four teammates. The focus on the Racer star grew to its greatest height at the NCAA Tournament when Morant led the Racers to a win over Marquette and recorded just the ninth triple-double in tournament history.
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The amazing thing about Morant's season was his consistent production from the start to the finish as the Racers won 28 games and also the Ohio Valley Conference regular season and tournament title.
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Morant became the first player since the NCAA made the assist an official stat in the 1983-84 season to average 20 points and 10 assists. He was the OVC Player of the Year and a consensus All-America selection. As the NCAA Final Four is played this weekend in Minneapolis, Morant is a finalist for all of the national individual awards including the John Wooden Award, Oscar Robertson Trophy, Naismith Award and Bob Cousy Award, winning the latter as the nation's top point guard.
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Morant finished the season with 331 assists, the sixth-most in NCAA single-season history. His assists and 808 points are both Murray State single-season records and he set the MSU career assist record in only two seasons.
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April 3, 2014 – Racers Win CIT In First April Contest
The Murray State Racers put a cap on the 2013-14 season with a championship win in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament in a 65-57 win over the Yale Bulldogs at the CFSB Center in Murray, Ky.
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The Racers (23-11) won four games at home in the CIT to become the sixth champion of the event that began in 2009 and just the second-ever to do it on
their home court. The Racers claimed their first post-season title of any kind since winning the 2012 OVC Tournament. The win was their first non-OVC tournament championship since winning the Great Alaska Shootout in 2011. Ending a season on a win is a rare event and 2014's win marked the first time MSU had done it since 1978. The game also marked the first April contest in program history.
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Cameron Payne led MSU with 24 points, while Jarvis Williams added 16 by going 8-for-8 from the field to go along with five blocks. Jonathan Fairell added nine rebounds to his five blocks, while Payne pulled down seven boards. Payne and Williams scored 40 of MSU's 65 points.
Lone senior, Dexter Fields, was given the grand sendoff as a champion.
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A year later in 2015, Cameron Payne became the first Racer to leave the program early for the NBA. In the spring of 2015, Payne announced the same plans as Morant did in 2019. Payne was picked by the Oklahoma City Thunder with the 14th overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft.
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Payne was a freshman guard on the Racers' 2013-14 team that won the CollegeInsider.com Tournament (CIT) and Morant, was a second-year star in the 2018-19 season when he announced he would leave MSU early to enter the NBA Draft.
Not to be lost in the 2014 CIT win, the Racers sent out fan favorite Dexter Fields out a winner.
Â
Here is a look back at how it looked and sounded on GoRacers.com
Â
April 3, 2019 – Morant Announces NBA Draft Plans
Murray State men's basketball all-star Ja Morant announced his decision to leave the Racers after two seasons to enter the 2019 National Basketball Association (NBA) June draft. The news was shared at the CFSB Center in Murray, Kentucky, where Morant thrilled the home fans during his two seasons in a career that lasted 65 games with the Murray State Racers.
Â
The "Morant Effect" was far-reaching as he accomplished more in two seasons than many have in four. Racer fans delighted in turning on the television
nearly every night and watching Morant on ESPN making another Top-10 play. The hype and attention for Morant began at Racer Mania when he made a dunk over four teammates. The focus on the Racer star grew to its greatest height at the NCAA Tournament when Morant led the Racers to a win over Marquette and recorded just the ninth triple-double in tournament history.Â
The amazing thing about Morant's season was his consistent production from the start to the finish as the Racers won 28 games and also the Ohio Valley Conference regular season and tournament title.
Â
Morant became the first player since the NCAA made the assist an official stat in the 1983-84 season to average 20 points and 10 assists. He was the OVC Player of the Year and a consensus All-America selection. As the NCAA Final Four is played this weekend in Minneapolis, Morant is a finalist for all of the national individual awards including the John Wooden Award, Oscar Robertson Trophy, Naismith Award and Bob Cousy Award, winning the latter as the nation's top point guard.
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Morant finished the season with 331 assists, the sixth-most in NCAA single-season history. His assists and 808 points are both Murray State single-season records and he set the MSU career assist record in only two seasons.
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April 3, 2014 – Racers Win CIT In First April Contest
The Murray State Racers put a cap on the 2013-14 season with a championship win in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament in a 65-57 win over the Yale Bulldogs at the CFSB Center in Murray, Ky.
Â
The Racers (23-11) won four games at home in the CIT to become the sixth champion of the event that began in 2009 and just the second-ever to do it on
their home court. The Racers claimed their first post-season title of any kind since winning the 2012 OVC Tournament. The win was their first non-OVC tournament championship since winning the Great Alaska Shootout in 2011. Ending a season on a win is a rare event and 2014's win marked the first time MSU had done it since 1978. The game also marked the first April contest in program history.Â
Cameron Payne led MSU with 24 points, while Jarvis Williams added 16 by going 8-for-8 from the field to go along with five blocks. Jonathan Fairell added nine rebounds to his five blocks, while Payne pulled down seven boards. Payne and Williams scored 40 of MSU's 65 points.
Lone senior, Dexter Fields, was given the grand sendoff as a champion.
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A year later in 2015, Cameron Payne became the first Racer to leave the program early for the NBA. In the spring of 2015, Payne announced the same plans as Morant did in 2019. Payne was picked by the Oklahoma City Thunder with the 14th overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft.
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Players Mentioned
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