The Murray State men’s basketball team will begin its search for a new head coach. After five years with the Racers, head coach Tevester Anderson stepped down Sunday.

Anderson led the Racers to two Ohio Valley Conference championships and two NCAA Tournaments appearances with a combined 103-52 record.

Against Eastern he had an 8-3 record and coached against the Panthers in the past three OVC tournaments, knocking Eastern out in the past two.

Eastern head coach Rick Samuels said he wasn’t completely shocked by the 66-year-old’s decision to retire and said he enjoyed his years coaching against Anderson.

“I have certainly appreciated my associations with ‘T,'” Samuels said. “He was certainly a hard worker and a diligent recruiter. Let’s hope it gets easier for us now.”

In his first season as Racer head coach in 1998-1999, Anderson was given OVC Co-Coach of the Year honors and was named National Association of Basketball Coaches’ District 7 Coach of the Year for going 27-6 and gaining an OVC title.

Anderson came to Murray in 1995 as an assistant coach under Mark Gottfried until Gottfried left to take the head coaching job at Alabama.

Anderson was an assistant at the University of Georgia and Auburn University. He also led Canton High School in Mississippi and West Fulton High School in Georgia to two state titles prior to entering the college ranks.

Anderson wanted to thank everyone who helped him and gave him support during his time with Murray.

“I want to thank former MSU president Dr. Kern Alexander for giving me the opportunity to be the head coach at Murray State,” Anderson said on the school’s Web site. “And, I want to thank the fans for the support. Murray State will always occupy a special place in my heart.”