Murray State University Athletics
Photo by: Dave Winder-Murray State Athletics
Hoopalooza Recalls Days of Glory
7/30/2023 12:44:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The Racers celebrated the era of 1991-95 when Coach Scott Edgar took the Racers to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances
Murray State Basketball held its seventh staging of Racer Hoopalooza at the CFSB Center in Murray, Kentucky.
This one topped them all from several special additions, including the multiple items of breaking news about the Racer Basketball program and the Murray State Hall of Fame induction of Jonathan Stark.
The evening began with the announcement that Murray State is set to go back into famous Racer Arena to play their first game there in 25 seasons. The game (Nov. 1) will be an exhibition game against an opponent yet to be announced.
MSU Director of Athletics, Nico Yantko, shared news that the men's basketball program is growing in both funding and staff.
Racer Basketball showcased and honored the Coach Scott Edgar era which saw the Racers win three Ohio Valley Conference regular season championships and make two NCAA Tournament appearances in four seasons from 1991-95. Edgar's teams played an up-tempo style and won 79 games and produced some of the legends in MSU hoops. Edgar coached four MSU Hall of Famers including Popeye Jones, Marcus Brown, Frank Allen, and Vincent Rainey. All four at members of the Murray State Hall of Fame, while Jones and Brown have their numbers retired.
Another part of the evening was also reserved for the MSU Hall of Fame induction of Jonathan Stark (2015-18) who was the fastest to 1000 points at MSU (48 games) and is the program's all-time two-year scorer with 1,408 points. Stark follows DT Mayes and Cameron Payne as the only two-year men's basketball players to be enshrined in MSU the Hall of Fame.
Popeye Jones, a big part of Coach Edgar's first season at MSU in 1991-92, was honored for becoming just the third Racer to win an NBA Championship, as he was the first at MSU to do it as a coach. Jones was an assistant coach in the 2022-23 season with the Denver Nuggets that won the franchise's first NBA title in June. The Racers surprised Popeye with a trophy ball and dropped his updated banner from the arena rafters, already with his No. 54 number retired, with an updated patch signifying that he is an NBA champ.
And to cap the evening off, a stirring tribute was experienced in honor of retiring MSU Radio voice, Neal Bradley. He read his traditional toast poem at the end of the evening and then announced that Jeff Bidwell, a long time local media personality, will be taking over the men's basketball radio play-by-play in the 2023-24 season.
On Saturday, there was a golf scramble at Murray Country Club that featured several former MSU coaches and players.
For those who are still playing basketball and have found a way to hold off Father Time, there was pick-up basketball at the Gene Ray Center for MSU Basketball Saturday afternoon. Those former Racers who are well past their playing days, it was still a great time to catch up.
Follow the Racers on Twitter (@MSURacers), Instagram (@RacersAthletics) and Facebook to stay up-to-date on all that is happening with Murray State Athletics. Follow Murray State men's basketball on Twitter and Instagram (@RacersHoops).
This one topped them all from several special additions, including the multiple items of breaking news about the Racer Basketball program and the Murray State Hall of Fame induction of Jonathan Stark.
The evening began with the announcement that Murray State is set to go back into famous Racer Arena to play their first game there in 25 seasons. The game (Nov. 1) will be an exhibition game against an opponent yet to be announced.
MSU Director of Athletics, Nico Yantko, shared news that the men's basketball program is growing in both funding and staff.
Racer Basketball showcased and honored the Coach Scott Edgar era which saw the Racers win three Ohio Valley Conference regular season championships and make two NCAA Tournament appearances in four seasons from 1991-95. Edgar's teams played an up-tempo style and won 79 games and produced some of the legends in MSU hoops. Edgar coached four MSU Hall of Famers including Popeye Jones, Marcus Brown, Frank Allen, and Vincent Rainey. All four at members of the Murray State Hall of Fame, while Jones and Brown have their numbers retired.Another part of the evening was also reserved for the MSU Hall of Fame induction of Jonathan Stark (2015-18) who was the fastest to 1000 points at MSU (48 games) and is the program's all-time two-year scorer with 1,408 points. Stark follows DT Mayes and Cameron Payne as the only two-year men's basketball players to be enshrined in MSU the Hall of Fame.
Popeye Jones, a big part of Coach Edgar's first season at MSU in 1991-92, was honored for becoming just the third Racer to win an NBA Championship, as he was the first at MSU to do it as a coach. Jones was an assistant coach in the 2022-23 season with the Denver Nuggets that won the franchise's first NBA title in June. The Racers surprised Popeye with a trophy ball and dropped his updated banner from the arena rafters, already with his No. 54 number retired, with an updated patch signifying that he is an NBA champ.
And to cap the evening off, a stirring tribute was experienced in honor of retiring MSU Radio voice, Neal Bradley. He read his traditional toast poem at the end of the evening and then announced that Jeff Bidwell, a long time local media personality, will be taking over the men's basketball radio play-by-play in the 2023-24 season.
On Saturday, there was a golf scramble at Murray Country Club that featured several former MSU coaches and players.
For those who are still playing basketball and have found a way to hold off Father Time, there was pick-up basketball at the Gene Ray Center for MSU Basketball Saturday afternoon. Those former Racers who are well past their playing days, it was still a great time to catch up.
Follow the Racers on Twitter (@MSURacers), Instagram (@RacersAthletics) and Facebook to stay up-to-date on all that is happening with Murray State Athletics. Follow Murray State men's basketball on Twitter and Instagram (@RacersHoops).
What. A. Night. #GoRacers🏇 pic.twitter.com/l0XnpPds3x
— Murray State MBB (@RacersHoops) July 29, 2023
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