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
editNBA teams listed are teams known, or teams that drafted the player.
Schools with multiple winners
edit| School | Number of Awards | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Male | 5 | 1955, 1973, 1976, 1983, 1993 |
| Lafayette | 4 | 1954, 1957, 1960, 1979 |
| Ballard | 3 | 1977, 1989, 2014 |
| Owensboro | 3 | 1961, 1972, 1997 |
| Seneca | 3 | 1963, 1964, 1985 |
| Shelby Valley[1] | 2 | 1982, 2010 |
| Mason County | 2 | 2004, 2008 |
| Bowling Green | 2 | 2001, 2022 |
| Scott County | 2 | 1999, 2000 |
| Paintsville | 2 | 1987, 1998 |
| Shelby County | 2 | 1966, 1968 |
- 1.^ Reflects awards won by schools that have since been consolidated.
Colleges with multiple winners
edit| College | Number of Awards | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Kentucky | 21 | 1954, 1957, 1959, 1961, 1966, 1971, 1974, 1979, 1982, 1983, 1986, 1987, 1988, 2001, 2002, 2008, 2009, 2013, 2019, 2023, 2024 |
| Louisville | 10 | 1964, 1965, 1973, 1976, 1985, 1990, 1992, 1993, 2010, 2014 |
| Western Kentucky | 9 | 1958, 1967, 1968, 1984, 2007, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2020 |
| Vanderbilt | 5 | 1981, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2015 |
| Eastern Kentucky | 5 | 1958, 1970, 1980, 1995, 2022 |
| Northern Kentucky | 2 | 2016, 2018 |
| LSU | 2 | 2003, 2011 |
| Pikeville | 2 | 1982, 2010 |
| Tennessee | 2 | 1989, 2004 |
| Auburn | 2 | 1975, 1996 |
| Kentucky Wesleyan | 2 | 1956, 1963 |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Mr. Basketball
- ^ California Mr. Basketball
- ^ Indiana Mr. Basketball
- ^ "Hood Named Mr. Basketball - KENTUCKY OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE". www.ukathletics.com. Archived from the original on 2009-04-10.
- ^ School now defunct; consolidated into today's Allen Central High School.
- ^ Consolidated into South Hopkins and West Hopkins High Schools, which in turn were consolidated into today's Hopkins County Central High School.
- ^ Consolidated into Marshall County High School in 1974.
- ^ Consolidated into today's Allen County Scottsville High School.
- ^ This school, located in Richmond, closed in 1989; its former attendance zone is now served by Madison Central High School.
- ^ a b This is the school in Louisville—not to be confused with Ballard Memorial High School, which serves Ballard County in the far-west Purchase.
- ^ This school was closed in 2008 and consolidated into Harlan County High School.
- ^ Consolidated into today's Shelby Valley High School.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Frakes, Jason (March 21, 2022). "Check out the winners of the 2022 Kentucky Mr. and Miss Basketball awards". Retrieved May 22, 2022.
- ^ "Reed Sheppard named Mr. Basketball; Haven Ford named Miss Basketball". Lexington Herald Leader. March 19, 2023. Retrieved March 20, 2023.