Runnin' With The Racers Podcast - Don Mann - Murray State University Athletics

Former Murray State men's basketball student-athlete and 2012 MSU Hall of Fame inductee, Don Mann, is our guest on the Runnin' with the Racers Podcast, episode 120.

The Runnin' with the Racers Podcast posts each week to GoRacers.com, iTunes and Soundcloud.

This article on GoRacers.com is brought to you by McConnell Insurance.

Coming out of Dyersburg High School in Tennessee, Don Mann was a lefty point guard that fell in love with Murray State on his first visit and ended up being a three-time All-OVC selection during his career that ran from the fall of 1985 to the spring of 1989.

However, when you mention Don Mann, you can't avoid mentioning Jeff Martin. When the M&M Boys finished their Murray State careers, Mann was the all-time assist leader and Martin was the all-time scorer.

"Jeff and I were very close and we knew that our team had gained a lot of experience and we knew that all we needed was a few more pieces to the puzzle to be successful," Mann said. "Our coaches recruited great people and that made a huge difference. Our team gained poise in those two years prior to the big 1987-88 season and learned how to close games."

Mann and Martin led the Racers to their first NCAA Tournament win in 1988 against North Carolina State and two days later, the Racers nearly beat Kansas for a spot in the Sweet 16. This historic moment for Murray State basketball stood as its greatest victory for 22 years until Danero Thomas hit "The Shot" to beat Vanderbilt in 2010 in San Jose California.

When Mann recalls the 1988 NCAA experience, the memories are rich.

Upset City – Lincoln Nebraska
"We were locked in and came into the NCAA on a 13-game winning streak and felt like we could win.," said Mann. "We had experienced players and we would not crack under pressure. It really offended us that we saw signs people had made that said 'Murray who?' and when they put us in the dormitory instead of a hotel, that was the icing on the cake. I'll never forget (game day), we had taken a nap after the pregame meal and we woke up and there were a bunch of our fans outside chanting for us. I woke Jeff up and told him, we cannot lose this game today."

The Racers beat Coach Jim Valvano's North Carolina State team 78-75 in a classic 14-seed over 3-seed upset on the campus of the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. Simply put, the Racers played better and deserved to win. MSU's first NCAA appearance in 20 years came out of nowhere and so did this win.

For the Sweet 16 – One Shot Off
Two days later, the Racers faced off with eventual national champion Kansas. The winner would advance to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16.

The Racers played another brilliant game for Coach Steve Newton and took the Jayhawks to the brink before bowing out in a 61-58 defeat. Jeff Martin's basket with :50 remaining gave MSU a 58-57 lead. Danny Manning, Kansas All-America forward hit a hook shot in the lane for a one-point Jayhawks lead. After a defensive stop, the stage was set for Mann to possibly win the game for the Racers.

"Our defensive stop gave us a chance to win it," Mann said. "We called timeout and we ran the play 'hand back" and that is where I come off the left wing high pick and I had several options. Your mind has got to be reading the defense to decide what the correct shot is. I felt like I made the right decision and had a good shot just inside the free throw line, but I got bumped just a little bit. I tried to get the shot up on the glass and it just rolled off. We got the rebound, but they called an over the back on Chris Ogden."

The Racers were that close to pulling off a second upset in the NCAA Tournament. Kansas hit two free throws with a second left to win by three points.

Upon arriving home and going to a welcome back celebration at Racer Arena, it began to sink in for the MSU players that what they had accomplished was big and historic.

"When we were out there playing, it was a tournament and we didn't look at it like we just made history at Murray," Mann said. "But we did have a sense that we had gained national respect and erased the "Murray who?"

Mann's Legacy At Murray State
Mann became the first Racer to score 1,000 points and dish out 500 assists. There is only one other Racer to do that, Ja Morant in 2019. Mann's career assist record of 531 had stood for 30 years until Morant came along.

Starting with Lamont Sleets and Glen Green in the early 80's and then Don Mann, it was these great players that started the long line of stars of what is sometimes called Point Guard U at Murray State. It was players like Mann who helped the Racers recruit stars like Frank Allen, Chad Townsend, Aubrey Reese, Isaac Miles, B,J, Jenkins, Isaiah Canaan, Cameron Payne, Jonathan Stark and Morant to Murray State.

Mann didn't know it when he arrived at MSU, he would be the first great 3-point shooter in MSU history when the shot was introduced into the game in his sophomore season of 1986-87. In three seasons with the 3-point shot, Mann hit 204 and is still No. 6 on the MSU all-time list today even though he only had three seasons. Mann's career .421 3-point percentage is still fifth today at MSU.

Mann scored 1,449 points at MSU and when he finished, he was 10th all-time at MSU and is still 17th today.

Mann, a lefty point guard, was inducted into the Murray State Hall of Fame in 2012.

"I am very proud of the basketball program and to be in the hall of fame," Mann said. "Going into the Murray State Hall of Fame isn't something you think about when you're playing. To get that call was humbling. I am grateful I had the opportunity to play and go to school at Murray. Playing ball there prepared me for later in life when I wouldn't play anymore. The work ethic, perseverance, all of the things that it takes to be a great athlete are the same things I took with me into the business world and those qualities have helped me work my way up the corporate ladder and I thank Murray State for that."

About Runnin' With The Racers Podcast
Murray State Basketball great Jonathan Stark was the first guest when the pilot episode posted Aug. 29, 2018, The podcast is produced weekly and usually is available by Wednesday. The Runnin' with the Racers Podcast is mainly guest driven with news and notes of the week from the Racers. Dave Winder, MSU Athletics Associate AD for Media Relations is the host. The podcast is available on GoRacers.com, ITunes and Soundcloud.

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