Marcus Mann (basketball)
Encyclopedia
Marcus L. Mann is an American
Southern Baptist
minister who is best known for his time as a college basketball player for Mississippi Valley State University
.
to parents Annie Mann Gray and Jim Banks, Jr. and was a very active member in his Baptist church while growing up. Mann attended South Leake High School where he was noted for both his athletic and academic abilities – he graduated as his class's salutatorian
and was named a top five basketball player in the state of Mississippi.
to play basketball at East Central Community College
. During his two-year career he averaged approximately 21 points and 12 rebounds per game. Mann then signed a full athletic scholarship to play his remaining two seasons of NCAA eligibility at Mississippi Valley State University
.
Later in life, Mann would also get inducted into ECCC's Academic and Athletic Halls of Fame.
season he guided the Delta Devils to a school record 22–7 record, a share of the Southwestern Athletic Conference
(SWAC) regular season title, the SWAC Tournament championship and MVSU's third-ever berth into the NCAA Division I Tournament
. He averaged 21.7 points and 13.6 rebounds per game that season, and his rebounding ability was good enough to lead Division I. Mann was also named the SWAC Player of the Year
and was the first player from MVSU to earn that honor.
selected him as the 11th pick in the second round (40th overall) in the NBA Draft
. Between the NBA Draft and the first days of the Warriors' training camp, Mann's desire to play basketball faded away. He felt that he had a higher calling in life, which was working with children as a Baptist minister. On October 31, the day before the Warriors were set to open their season against the Los Angeles Clippers
, Mann told the organization that he did not want to play professional basketball and that it would be unfair to both himself and the team to keep going.
Golden State released him, and Mann was no longer an NBA player. He sacrificed, minimally, the $220,000 rookie salary along with the glamour of an NBA lifestyle to pursue what he called his "calling." As of January 2011, Mann still preaches at the Sylvarena Missionary Baptist Church in Johns, Mississippi.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Southern Baptist
Southern Baptist Convention
The Southern Baptist Convention is a United States-based Christian denomination. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination and the largest Protestant body in the United States, with over 16 million members...
minister who is best known for his time as a college basketball player for Mississippi Valley State University
Mississippi Valley State University
Mississippi Valley State University is a historically black university located in Itta Bena, Mississippi, in the United States. MVSU is a member school of the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund....
.
Early life
Mann was born in Carthage, MississippiCarthage, Mississippi
Carthage is a city in Leake County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 4,637 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Leake County....
to parents Annie Mann Gray and Jim Banks, Jr. and was a very active member in his Baptist church while growing up. Mann attended South Leake High School where he was noted for both his athletic and academic abilities – he graduated as his class's salutatorian
Salutatorian
Salutatorian is an academic title given, in the United States and Canada, to the second highest graduate of the entire graduating class of a specific discipline. Only the valedictorian is ranked higher. This honor is traditionally based on grade point average and number of credits taken, but...
and was named a top five basketball player in the state of Mississippi.
Community college
Mann was awarded a scholarshipScholarship
A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...
to play basketball at East Central Community College
East Central Community College
East Central Community College is a junior college located in Decatur, Mississippi. ECCC serves a five-county district: Leake, Neshoba, Newton, Scott and Winston counties. It opened in September 1928-Athletics:...
. During his two-year career he averaged approximately 21 points and 12 rebounds per game. Mann then signed a full athletic scholarship to play his remaining two seasons of NCAA eligibility at Mississippi Valley State University
Mississippi Valley State University
Mississippi Valley State University is a historically black university located in Itta Bena, Mississippi, in the United States. MVSU is a member school of the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund....
.
Later in life, Mann would also get inducted into ECCC's Academic and Athletic Halls of Fame.
Mississippi Valley State
During the 1994–95 and 1995–96 seasons, Mann's two at MVSU, he appeared in 56 total games while averaging 19.3 points and 12.7 rebounds per game. During his seniorSenior (education)
Senior is a term used in the United States to describe a student in the 4th year of study .-High school:...
season he guided the Delta Devils to a school record 22–7 record, a share of the Southwestern Athletic Conference
Southwestern Athletic Conference
The Southwestern Athletic Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, which is made up of historically black universities in the Southern United States...
(SWAC) regular season title, the SWAC Tournament championship and MVSU's third-ever berth into the NCAA Division I Tournament
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
. He averaged 21.7 points and 13.6 rebounds per game that season, and his rebounding ability was good enough to lead Division I. Mann was also named the SWAC Player of the Year
Southwestern Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year
The Southwestern Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year is an annual basketball award given to the Southwestern Athletic Conference's most outstanding player...
and was the first player from MVSU to earn that honor.
Later life
In June 1996, one month after graduating magna cum laude, the Golden State WarriorsGolden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in Oakland, California. They are part of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
selected him as the 11th pick in the second round (40th overall) in the NBA Draft
1996 NBA Draft
The 1996 NBA Draft was the 50th draft in the National Basketball Association . It was held on June 26, 1996 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The draft was broadcast in the United States on the Turner Network Television...
. Between the NBA Draft and the first days of the Warriors' training camp, Mann's desire to play basketball faded away. He felt that he had a higher calling in life, which was working with children as a Baptist minister. On October 31, the day before the Warriors were set to open their season against the Los Angeles Clippers
Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers are a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, United States. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...
, Mann told the organization that he did not want to play professional basketball and that it would be unfair to both himself and the team to keep going.
Golden State released him, and Mann was no longer an NBA player. He sacrificed, minimally, the $220,000 rookie salary along with the glamour of an NBA lifestyle to pursue what he called his "calling." As of January 2011, Mann still preaches at the Sylvarena Missionary Baptist Church in Johns, Mississippi.