Matt Renn, an All-Missouri Valley Conference selection who played on the men’s basketball team at Indiana State from 1997 to 2001, will be inducted into the 21st class of the Indiana State University Athletics Hall of Fame on Thursday.
“I am truly humbled by the selection,” Renn said. “I am proud of what I accomplished as a player and I am proud of what our teams accomplished. I was fortunate to play with two other Hall of Famers which was obviously nice.”
He will be joined by men’s basketball greats Nate Green and Michael Menser along with women’s basketball All-American Melanie Boeglin when the class is inducted during ceremonies at the Sycamore Banquet Center in the Hulman Memorial Student Union. A social hour will begin at 6 p.m. with the dinner at 6:30 p.m. and the program beginning at 7:15 p.m.
Renn and Menser were teammates throughout their basketball careers at Indiana State as they played from 1997 to 2001. Green graduated in 2000.
Both were on the 2000 team that made the school’s first NCAA appearance since 1979 and won the first MVC regular season title in 21 years. They followed that up by leading the Sycamores to ISU’s first MVC tournament title since the 1979 season, their second straight NCAA appearance, and the Sycamore’s first NCAA tournament win (a 70-68 overtime win over Oklahoma in the South Region at Memphis, Tenn.) since 1979.
“The top two memories for me was playing in the NCAA Tournament my junior and senior years,” Renn said. “It is one of the few things that live up to expectations. You are excited going in and it lives up to expectations. I have to also say that beating Indiana was another top memory along with winning two Valley titles, the regular season title as a junior and the tournament title as a senior.”
Renn was an All-MVC first team selection in 2001 after being a second team pick in 2000. He was a four-time MVC Men’s Basketball All-Academic team selection and was named a 2001 CoSIDA Academic All-American.
“I absolutely love this league,” Renn said of the Missouri Valley Conference. “The league is made up of good coaches who play the way I like … they prepare and play smart. Year in and year out there is a lot of talent in this league and I was honored to be recognized among these great athletes in the conference.”
He twice led the Sycamores in scoring and rebounding with 523 points and 248 rebounds during the 2000-2001 season and 301 points and 184 rebounds during the 1998-1999 campaign. He also led the team in rebounding during the 1999-2000 season with 233.
Renn finished his Indiana State career as the fourth best rebounder (789 career rebounds) and ninth in points scored (1,347). He was also fifth in steals (165) and seventh in assists (426).
The former Sycamore credits the coaches that he has had throughout his playing days for making him as good as he was.
“I was very fortunate, very lucky all through my playing career to have had great coaches,” Renn said. “From elementary and high school into college I had coaches who pushed me to be better. I do not think that I could have had a better fit in college than to have Coach (Royce) Woltman because of his knowledge of the game. I just soaked it up like a sponge. He had a hard nose approach and held the players accountable.”
Renn is currently a math teacher at Terre Haute North Vigo High School and does color commentary during Sycamore men’s basketball games for the Nelligan Sycamore Radio Network.
- 2001 All-MVC First Team Selection
- 2000 All-MVC Second Team Selection
- 2001 CoSIDA Academic All-American
- Four-time MVC All-Academic Team selection (1998, 1999, 2000, 2001)
- Top 10 career records: Ninth points scored (1,347), Fourth rebounds (789), Fifth steals (165), Sixth steals average (1.4 per game), Seventh rebounding average (6.7 per game), Seventh in assists (426), Tied for seventh assists average (3.7 per game)
- Led 2000-2001 team scoring (523 points) and rebounding (248 rebounds)
- Led 1999-2000 team rebounding (233 rebounds)
- Led 1998-1999 team scoring (301 points) and rebounding (184 rebounds)
- Tied for ninth single season steals average (1.8 per game during 2000-2001 season)
- Inducted into Hall of Fame October 4, 2012
