As single-class basketball was coming to a close in the State of Indiana, perhaps no other player served the role of small-town superstar better than Michael Menser.  A four-year varsity player under Ripley County Basketball Hall of Fame member Melvin Siefert, Menser celebrated a decorated career, leaving the Bulldogs in 1997 as the program's all-time leading scorer with 1,699 points, a record 233 career 3-point field goals made, the school's career assist record with 414, most points in a season with 696 and the career free throw percentage mark at 87%.  Scoring 30 points or more in 9 games, Menser's Batesville teams went a combined 86-15 in four years with four conference championships, four sectional titles, two Ripley County Tournament championships, the 1994 regional crown and the 1997 Hall of Fame Classic championship.  The Bulldogs were regional runner-up in 1997, falling to New Castle in overtime.  

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At the end of the 1997 season, Menser was named an Indiana All-Star, 1st Team All-State selection and runner-up for the Indiana Mr. Basketball Award finishing just behind future Indiana and Iowa star Luke Recker.  Menser's career then continued at Indiana State where he would lead the Sycamores to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances for the first time since Larry Bird took the program to the NCAA Championship game.  His 2001 team, the same year in which Menser led the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio, upset Oklahoma in the first round of the NCAA tourney before bowing out to Gonzaga in round two.  A school record holder in numerous three-point categories and a top five career leader in steals and assists, Menser was also an Indiana State Athletics Hall of Fame inductee in 2012.  In 2022, Menser was named to the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame Silver Anniversary Team.

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Menser now serves as an administrator in the Plainfield school district and has been successful in ventures through both education and coaching.

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