Donovan E. Mann

Donovan Mann, after playing varsity basketball for his high school team 4 consecutive years, had to make the difficult decision to turn down athletic scholarships from small colleges and accept an academic scholarship at a much larger institution, Creighton University. While it was an unexpected decision, it was one he’d now describe as a privilege, one that opened doors to opportunities and experiences he’d never imagined before. Although he was accepted into Creighton for academics he was blessed with the opportunity to still be apart of and build his own D1 athlete experience; He played the role as scouted players for the basketball team, and in order to dive deeper into the game he began refereeing for Creighton intramurals, and now with 5 years under his belt, he’s also reffed tournaments all around the midwest including AAU and FIBA tournaments.

Donovan graduated from Creighton University in 2019 with a major in energy technology and a minor in sustainability, which he got to put right to action when he accepted a job offer from TD2 Engineering, where he is currently advancing his career. As the saying goes, “you can take the player out of the game, but you can’t take the game out of the player,” in 2020 Donovan founded MannMadeSkills a basketball skills training program meant to elevate student athletes on and off the court while helping them find their love for the game. With Donovan’s high level player experience, as well as his refereeing and training background he provides the youth with skills and perspectives which can be transferred from the court to their real lives.