Murray State 1999-00 Men’s Basketball Team to be Honored with Championship Rings for 25th Anniversary
7/9/2025 3:28:00 PM | Men's Basketball
During a decade of dominance, the Racers and Coach Tevester Anderson completed a seven-season run to a championship
From a time in Murray State lore when the men's basketball program was riding the wave of seven-straight Ohio Valley Conference regular season championships, the 1999-00 team will be honored with their championship rings on Saturday, Dec. 6, in Murray.
The legendary Racers squad finished that campaign with a 23-9 overall record and a 14-4 mark in the OVC under head coach Tevester Anderson, winning the final of seven-straight OVC regular season titles in the process.
"Racer Basketball is built on a tradition of excellence, and it was important for us to celebrate this historic team on what is the 25th anniversary of their historic title run," Director of Athletics Nico Yantko said. "We are thrilled to welcome this team home on Dec. 6, and we are grateful for Mike Turner, Aaron Page, and our staff for helping us pull off what will be an exciting celebration."
"This special recognition is a great opportunity to memorialize the 1999-00 Racer Basketball team for their outstanding accomplishments on behalf of Murray State University," President Dr. Ron Patterson said. "We are incredibly grateful for each one of these former student-athletes and coaches for their contributions and passion, and are thrilled to have them back in Murray this December."
"A lot of hard work goes into winning a championship," said Mike Turner, who was a senior. "Everyone on this team was bought in and committed to winning championships. Twenty-five years ago, we were fortunate enough to be part of a program that was led by Coach Anderson and a great staff. It's an honor that the current administration and Director of Athletics Nico Yantko chose to honor this team. It will be a great night!"
"It's an honor to be part of the Racer Basketball family and have the chance to reconnect with our group and celebrate those championship years. It means a lot to us," said Aaron Page, a senior on the team. "What we accomplished was truly special - four conference titles, three NCAA appearances, 99 wins, and only two home losses in four years. The memories still feel as fresh today as they did 25 years ago. Thanks to Nico Yantko and his team for creating an event for us to come together and celebrate."
1999-00 TEAM FACTS AND HIGHLIGHTS
The legendary Racers squad finished that campaign with a 23-9 overall record and a 14-4 mark in the OVC under head coach Tevester Anderson, winning the final of seven-straight OVC regular season titles in the process.
"Racer Basketball is built on a tradition of excellence, and it was important for us to celebrate this historic team on what is the 25th anniversary of their historic title run," Director of Athletics Nico Yantko said. "We are thrilled to welcome this team home on Dec. 6, and we are grateful for Mike Turner, Aaron Page, and our staff for helping us pull off what will be an exciting celebration."
"This special recognition is a great opportunity to memorialize the 1999-00 Racer Basketball team for their outstanding accomplishments on behalf of Murray State University," President Dr. Ron Patterson said. "We are incredibly grateful for each one of these former student-athletes and coaches for their contributions and passion, and are thrilled to have them back in Murray this December."
"A lot of hard work goes into winning a championship," said Mike Turner, who was a senior. "Everyone on this team was bought in and committed to winning championships. Twenty-five years ago, we were fortunate enough to be part of a program that was led by Coach Anderson and a great staff. It's an honor that the current administration and Director of Athletics Nico Yantko chose to honor this team. It will be a great night!"
"It's an honor to be part of the Racer Basketball family and have the chance to reconnect with our group and celebrate those championship years. It means a lot to us," said Aaron Page, a senior on the team. "What we accomplished was truly special - four conference titles, three NCAA appearances, 99 wins, and only two home losses in four years. The memories still feel as fresh today as they did 25 years ago. Thanks to Nico Yantko and his team for creating an event for us to come together and celebrate."
1999-00 TEAM FACTS AND HIGHLIGHTS
- The 1999-00 campaign was MSU's fourth-straight 20-win season.
- MSU went 14-4 in league play to grab a share of the OVC title.
- The season marked MSU's 11th league title in 13 seasons under coaches Steve Newton, Scott Edgar, Mark Gottfried and Tevester Anderson.
- MSU's Aubrey Reese was named the OVC Player of the Year.
- Reese and Isaac Spencer were one-two in the OVC POY vote.
- Reese and Spencer were part of the All-OVC First Team.
- Reese led the OVC in scoring at 20.4 ppg.
- Spencer scored at a 19.9 ppg rate and had five 30-point games in the season, including a 35-point showing against Alabama State.
- The duo of Reese and Spencer combined to score 1,291 points (40.3 ppg), still second all-time at MSU, behind only the 1,331 scored by Marcus Brown and Vincent Rainey in the 1995-96 season.
- Ray Cunningham had the season-high rebound game for MSU with 16 against Tennessee State (Feb. 8, 2000).
- Reese's 12 assists in the Alabama State game was the season-best for the Racers.
- The 99-00 season was part of MSU's famous 47-game home win streak, that was the longest in the nation when it ended (Jan. 13, 2000) vs SEMO.
- The Racers scored non-conference victories over Rutgers, Valparaiso, South Alabama and Rhode Island.
- In league play, the Racers won both of its games against rival Austin Peay.
- MSU fell short of a fourth-straight NCAA Tournament appearance with a 67-56 loss to SEMO in Nashville at the OVC Tournament.
- Jim Hatfield and Chris Woolard were assistant coaches, while Eric Frederick was Athletic Trainer. Steve Parker was Sports Information Director and Phil Jones was Strength & Conditioning Coach.
Follow the Racers on X (@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 X and Instagram (@RacersHoops).
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