Michael Menser, 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.
“It is truly an honor to be recognized as a Hall of Fame inductee,” Menser said. “I am truly proud to be selected with two of my teammates. Coach (Royce) Waltman always says … ‘The team. The team. The team.’ The three of us going in together exemplifies what he was talking about during our four years together.”
He will be joined by men’s basketball greats Nate Green and Matt Renn 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.
“I am so proud to be a Sycamore and to have had some success on the court,” Menser said. “The other big aspect of my success is my family. My sister was always my role model for athletics and my parents were the best supporters a son could ask for.”
Menser and Renn were teammates throughout their basketball careers at Indiana State as they played from 1997 to 2001. Green was on the team through until 2000 when he graduated.
All three 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.
“Basketball is a team sport,” Menser said. “All my success is due to having a great support system. This includes coaches, players, and everyone else involved with Sycamore basketball during my four years.”
Menser was named to the MVC All-Newcomer Team in 1998, was named to the 2000 Honorable Mention All-MVC team, and was named to the All-MVC second team in 2001. He was also a three-time selection to the MVC Men’s Basketball All-Academic team three straight years.
He was named the Most Outstanding Player of the MVC Tournament in 2001 after averaging 21.0 points and 6.3 assists over the Sycamores three-game championship run. He also led the nation in assist/turnover ratio as a senior (184/46, 4:1) and recording nine turnover-less games during the season.
Menser struggled against opposing players during his first two years at Indiana State and credits his teammates to pushing him to become better.
“I got beat up in my first two years in the Valley physically,” Menser said. “My teammates really pushed me in the weight room to be able to hand the physicality of the game.”
Menser was not the best defender on the team but made up for it with his offense. He added that his three point shooting was the results of two things.
“My three point shooting was two-fold,” Menser said. “Defenses had to key on other players (Nate, Matt, Kelyn, etc.) so I was able to get open looks. The other part was my coaches really working on my footwork to be able to get my shot off quickly when I was chased off a screen. All people involved with the program during my years would agree that I wasn’t a good defender. I just found ways to survie as a 5-foot-11, 165-pound student-athlete.”
He holds the school record in career three point field goals made (283) and career three point field goals attempted (727) while also holding the top spot in three point field goals made in a season (92 in 2000-2001) and three point field goals attempted in a season (239 in 2000-2001). Menser also finished his career fourth in steals (188) and fifth in assists (184).
Some of Menser’s best memories of his time at Indiana State came from some of the longest days during practice.
“Coach Waltman was the best to play for as I look back on my career,” Menser said. “Coach was very demanding and expected the best out of us each and every day. He not only taught us how to be better basketball players, he taught us how to be good students and productive young men.”
Menser added that it was a joy to play for Coach Waltman and all his assistant coaches.
“His skills with x’s an do’s put us in places to be successful and he let our skills sine through his motion offense,” Menser said.
Menser took those life skills into his post-collegiate life and is currently the Dean of Students at Terre Haute North Vigo High School.
- 1998 MVC All-Newcomer Team
- 2000 All-MVC Honorable Mention
- 2001 All-MVC Second Team
- Three-time MVC All-Academic Team selection (1999, 2000, 2001)
- Top 10 six career records: First three point field goals made (283), First three point field goals attempted (727), Fourth steals (188), Fourth steals average (1.6 per game), Fifth in assists (184), Tied for seventh in assists average (5.4 per game)
- Ranks 12th all-time points scored (1,301 points)
- Top 10 five single season records: First three point field goals made (92 in 2000-2001), First three point field goals attempted (239 in 2000-2001), Second three point field goals made (91 in 1999-2000), Eighth three point field goals made (56 in 1997-1998), Tied for ninth steals average (1.8 per game in 2000-2001)
- Tied single game school record hitting .857 from three point range against Creighton (2-16-00)
- Inducted into Hall of Fame October 4, 2012
