Kentucky Mr. Basketball Explained

The Kentucky Mr. Basketball honor recognizes the top high school senior basketball player in the state of Kentucky. The first Kentucky Mr. Basketball was "King" Kelly Coleman of Wayland High School in 1956. The winner of the Mr. Basketball award wears #1 on his jersey in the summer all-star series against the Indiana High School All-Stars. 1940 was the first year for the Kentucky/Indiana High School All-Star Series, that year, the Indiana All-Stars defeated the Kentucky All-Stars 31–29. The Kentucky Mr. Basketball award is the third oldest such award in the nation; only Indiana Mr. Basketball and California Mr. Basketball, which were first awarded in 1939 and 1950, respectively, predate it.[1] [2] [3]

The award is presented annually by the Kentucky Lions Eye Foundation.[4]

Award winners

NBA teams listed are teams known, or teams that drafted the player.

YearPlayerHigh SchoolCollegeNBA Draft
1954Vernon HattonLafayetteKentucky1958 NBA draft

2nd round, 10th overall by the Cincinnati Royals

1955Kenny KuhnMale
1956Kelly ColemanWayland[5] Kentucky Wesleyan1960 NBA draft

2nd round, 11th overall by the New York Knicks

1957Billy Ray LickertLafayetteKentucky1961 NBA draft

5th round, 45th overall by the L.A. Lakers

1958 (tie)Ralph RichardsonRussell CountyEastern Kentucky
1958 (tie)Harry ToddEarlington[6] Western Kentucky
1959Pat DoyleNorth Marshall[7] Kentucky
1960Jeff MullinsLafayetteDuke1964 NBA draft

1st round, 5th overall by the St. Louis Hawks

1961Randy EmbryOwensboroKentucky
1962Mike SillimanSt. XavierArmy1966 NBA draft

8th round, 69th overall by the New York Knicks

1963Mike R. ReddSenecaKentucky Wesleyan
1964Wes UnseldSenecaLouisville1968 NBA draft

1st round, 2nd overall by the Baltimore Bullets

1965Butch BeardBreckinridge CountyLouisville1969 NBA draft

1st round, 10th overall by the Atlanta Hawks

1966Mike CaseyShelby CountyKentucky
1967Jim McDanielsAllen County[8] Western Kentucky1971 NBA draft

2nd round, 23rd overall by the Seattle SuperSonics

1968Terry DavisShelby CountyWestern Kentucky
1969Ron KingCentralFlorida State
1970Robert BrooksMadison[9] Eastern Kentucky
1971Jimmy Dan ConnerAnderson CountyKentucky1975 NBA draft

2nd round, 36th overall by the Phoenix Suns

1972Jerry ThrustonOwensboroMercer
1973Wesley CoxMaleLouisville1977 NBA draft

1st round, 18th overall by the Golden State Warriors

1974Jack GivensBryan StationKentucky1978 NBA draft

1st round, 16th overall by the Atlanta Hawks

1975Dom FucciTates CreekAuburn
1976Darrell GriffithMaleLouisville1980 NBA draft

1st round, 2nd overall by the Utah Jazz

1977Jeff LampBallard[10] Virginia1981 NBA draft

1st round, 15th overall by the Portland Trail Blazers

1978Doug SchloemerHolmesCincinnati
1979Dirk MinniefieldLafayetteKentucky1983 NBA draft

2nd round, 33rd overall by the Dallas Mavericks

1980Ervin SteppPhelpsEastern Kentucky
Alice Lloyd College
1981Phil CoxCawood[11] Vanderbilt
1982Todd MayVirgie[12] Kentucky
Pikeville		1987 NBA draft

4th round, 73rd overall by the San Antonio Spurs

1983Winston BennettMaleKentucky1988 NBA draft

3rd round, 64th overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers

1984Steve MillerHenry ClayWestern Kentucky
1985Tony KimbroSenecaLouisville
1986Rex ChapmanApolloKentucky1988 NBA draft

1st round, 8th overall by the Charlotte Hornets

1987John PelphreyPaintsvilleKentucky
1988Richie FarmerClay CountyKentucky
1989Allan HoustonBallardTennessee1993 NBA draft

1st round, 11th overall by the Detroit Pistons

1990Dwayne MortonLouisville CentralLouisville1994 NBA draft

2nd round, 45th overall by the Golden State Warriors

1991Jermaine BrownFairdaleGeorgetown (KY)
1992Tick RogersHart CountyLouisville
1993Jason OsborneMaleLouisville
1994Elton ScottMarion CountyWest Virginia
1995Charles ThomasHarlan[13] Eastern Kentucky
1996Daymeon FishbackGreenwoodAuburn
1997Brandon DavenportOwensboroLindsey Wilson College
1998J. R. VanHoosePaintsvilleMarshall
1999Rick JonesVanderbilt
Murray State
2000Scott HundleyVanderbilt
2001Josh CarrierBowling GreenKentucky
2002Brandon StocktonGlasgowKentucky
2003Ross NeltnerHighlandsLSU
Vanderbilt
2004Chris LoftonMason CountyTennessee
2005Domonic TilfordJeffersontownSouth Alabama
2006Walt AllenSouth LaurelPresbyterian
2007Steffphon PettigrewElizabethtownWestern Kentucky
2008Darius MillerMason CountyKentucky2012 NBA draft

2nd round, 46th overall by the New Orleans Hornets

2009Jon Hood Madisonville North Hopkins Kentucky
2010Elisha JusticeShelby ValleyLouisville
Pikeville
2011Anthony HickeyChristian CountyLSU
Oklahoma State
2012Nathan DieudonneTrinityBoston University
2013Dominique HawkinsMadison CentralKentucky
2014Quentin SniderBallardLouisville
2015Camron JusticeKnott County CentralVanderbilt
IUPUI
Western Kentucky
2016Carson WilliamsOwen CountyNorthern Kentucky
Western Kentucky
2017Taveion HollingsworthDunbarWestern Kentucky
2018Trevon FaulknerMercer CountyNorthern Kentucky
2019Dontaie AllenPendleton CountyKentucky
2020Dayvion McKnightMartha Layne CollinsWestern Kentucky
2021Ben JohnsonLexington CatholicBellarmine
2022Turner Buttry[14] Bowling GreenEastern Kentucky
2023Reed Sheppard[15] North LaurelKentucky2024 NBA draft

1st round, 3rd overall by the Houston Rockets

2024Travis PerryLyon CountyKentucky

Schools with multiple winners

SchoolNumber of AwardsYears
Male51955, 1973, 1976, 1983, 1993
Lafayette41954, 1957, 1960, 1979
Ballard31977, 1989, 2014
Owensboro31961, 1972, 1997
Seneca31963, 1964, 1985
Shelby Valley21982, 2010
Mason County22004, 2008
Bowling Green22001, 2022
Scott County21999, 2000
Paintsville21987, 1998
Shelby County21966, 1968

1.Reflects awards won by schools that have since been consolidated.

Colleges with multiple winners

CollegeNumber of AwardsYears
Kentucky211954, 1957, 1959, 1961, 1966, 1971,
1974, 1979, 1982, 1983, 1986, 1987,
1988, 2001, 2002, 2008, 2009, 2013,
2019, 2023, 2024
Louisville101964, 1965, 1973, 1976, 1985, 1990,
1992, 1993, 2010, 2014
Western Kentucky91958, 1967, 1968, 1984, 2007, 2015,
2016, 2017, 2020
Vanderbilt51981, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2015
Eastern Kentucky51958, 1970, 1980, 1995, 2022
Northern Kentucky22016, 2018
LSU22003, 2011
Pikeville21982, 2010
Tennessee21989, 2004
Auburn21975, 1996
Kentucky Wesleyan21956, 1963

See also

Notes and References

  1. [Mr. Basketball]
  2. [California Mr. Basketball]
  3. [Indiana Mr. Basketball]
  4. Web site: Hood Named Mr. Basketball - KENTUCKY OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE . www.ukathletics.com . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090410154430/http://www.ukathletics.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/040109aaa.html . 2009-04-10.
  5. School now defunct; consolidated into today's Allen Central High School.
  6. Consolidated into South Hopkins and West Hopkins High Schools, which in turn were consolidated into today's Hopkins County Central High School.
  7. Consolidated into Marshall County High School in 1974.
  8. Consolidated into today's Allen County Scottsville High School.
  9. This school, located in Richmond, closed in 1989; its former attendance zone is now served by Madison Central High School.
  10. This is the school in Louisville—not to be confused with Ballard Memorial High School, which serves Ballard County in the far-west Purchase.
  11. This school was closed in 2008 and consolidated into Harlan County High School.
  12. Consolidated into today's Shelby Valley High School.
  13. Although this school, like Cawood High, is in Harlan County, it did not close in 2008. It is operated by the Harlan city school district, while Cawood was operated by the county's district.
  14. Web site: Check out the winners of the 2022 Kentucky Mr. and Miss Basketball awards. Frakes, Jason. March 21, 2022. May 22, 2022.
  15. Web site: Reed Sheppard named Mr. Basketball; Haven Ford named Miss Basketball. Lexington Herald Leader. March 19, 2023. March 20, 2023.

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