Former Wyoming Hoops Star Finally Finishes College 16 Years Later
17 years after his playing career ended, Bradley Mann's name is still in the Wyoming record books. The former Pokes basketball star still ranks among best three-point shooters in school history.
Among his many achievements on the basketball court, Mann's greatest college moment came recently, when he finally earned his degree at the age of 40.
Mann was a key member of the Cowboys basketball program from 1996 through 2000. As a sophomore in 1998, he was part of a 19-9 NIT Tournament team. The Pokes also advanced to the NIT in his junior season, defeated USC in the opening round.
Following his senior season in 2000, Mann was just a few credits short of a bachelor's degree in social science, when he left Laramie and settled in Illinois.
Married with three children, and working as a senior buyer for a manufacturing company, college became a distant afterthought until 2015, when he was abruptly laid off from work.
Mann then called on an old friend; his former coach Larry Shyatt, who had since returned to Wyoming. With Shyatt's help, Mann was able to pick up where he left off nearly two decades ago and complete his remaining coursework online.
Don't be surprised if future members of the Mann family follow in their father's footsteps. 13-year-old Andrew, the oldest of three boys, is already on a traveling basketball team and hopes to play for Wyoming after high school.