2022 Kentucky Mr. and Miss Basketball finalists announced. See all 37 players.
Madison Central’s Will Hardin and Lafayette’s Anaya Brown are two of the 37 nominees announced Friday for boys’ and girls’ high school basketball’s highest individual honors, Kentucky’s Mr. and Miss Basketball.
Hardin was among 19 boys’ region players of the year and Brown was among 18 girls’ region players of the year as voted on by the Kentucky Association of Basketball Coaches.
The groups make up the finalists for the respective Mr. and Miss Basketball awards that will be presented among other honors during a live ceremony at the Lexington Griffin Gate Marriott Resort on March 20. This will be the first live awards ceremony scheduled since the onset of the pandemic in 2020.
Last year, the 11th Region swept the Mr. and Miss Basketball honors with Lexington Catholic’s Ben Johnson and Franklin County’s Brooklynn Miles.
This year, the girls’ 7th and 9th regions each had two nominees. The 7th, which includes Louisville-area teams, had Sacred Heart’s Josie Gilvin, last year’s Girls’ Sweet 16 MVP, and Christian Academy-Louisville’s Jaya McClure share player of the year honors. So, too, did the 9th Region’s Madelyn Lawson of Dixie Heights and Rylee Turner of Newport Central Catholic.
On the boys’ side, there were three regions with double nominees. They were: Turner Buttry of Bowling Green and Cade Stinnett of Greenwood in the 4th; Hunter Coleman of Bullitt Central and Darian Lewis of Fern Creek in the 6th; and Maker Barr of Ballard and Mekhi Smith of St. Xavier in the 7th.
Coaches and Kentucky sports media had the opportunity to submit names of seniors to be considered for region players of the year and now will choose from the announced lists for Mr. and Miss Basketball in a separate vote.
The nominees were announced Friday morning via video on Facebook by the Kentucky Lions Eye Foundation, which conducts the survey of coaches and media members in conjunction with the KABC each year.
Mr. Basketball nominees
1st Region: Brant Brower, McCracken County.
2nd Region: Jabrion Spikes, Caldwell County.
3rd Region: Trey Lovell, Muhlenberg County.
4th Region: Turner Buttry, Bowling Green; Cade Stinnett, Greenwood.
5th Region: Jay Milburn, Campbellsville.
6th Region: Hunter Coleman, Bullitt Central; Darian Lewis, Fern Creek.
7th Region: Maker Barr, Ballard; Mekhi Smith, St. Xavier.
8th Region: Brant Smithers, Walton-Verona.
9th Region: Mitchell Rylee, Covington Catholic.
10th Region: Justin Becker, Robertson County.
11th Region: Will Hardin, Madison Central.
12th Region: Luke Imfeld, Boyle County.
13th Region: Jordan Akal, Harlan.
14th Region: Landon Napier, Perry County Central.
15th Region: Brady Dingess, Martin County.
16th Region: Brady Bell, Russell.
Miss Basketball nominees
1st Region: Halle Langhi, Marshall County.
2nd Region: Camryn LaGrange, Madisonville.
3rd Region: Isabel Grimes, Breckinridge County.
4th Region: Raven Ennis, Barren County.
5th Region: Monica Lindsey, Central Hardin.
6th Region: Gracie Merkle, Bullitt East.
7th Region: Josie Gilvin, Sacred Heart; Jaya McClure, Christian Academy of Louisville.
8th Region: Amiya Jenkins, Anderson County.
9th Region: Madelyn Lawson, Dixie Heights; Rylee Turner, Newport Central Catholic.
10th Region: Allison Hughes, St. Patrick.
11th Region: Anaya Brown, Lafayette.
12th Region: Caroline Oakes, Pulaski County.
13th Region: Hailee Valentine, North Laurel.
14th Region: Kaylee Banks, Letcher Central.
15th Region: Cassidy Rowe, Shelby Valley.
16th Region: Allie Stone, West Carter.
About the awards
Mr. Basketball has recognized the state’s best boys’ player since 1954 and Miss Basketball has honored the top girls’ player since 1976. It’s an award for seniors, and the criteria for winning is up to the individual voter — some showing deference to outstanding senior seasons while others use their ballot to recognize overall career achievements. Whatever the criteria, the awards are the subject of discussion, debate and celebration each year.
The awards ceremony will also include presentations for the winners of the Donna L.J. Murphy Award, the Wah Wah Jones Award and the William “Mr. Wildcat” Bill Keightley Award.
On Wednesday, the KABC and the Kentucky Lions Eye Foundation announced that CAL’s McClure will receive the eighth annual Donna L.J. Murphy Award.
The Murphy Award honors a “standout female senior basketball player who exemplifies the meaning of being a great student athlete.”
“Each year I am blown away by the credentials and accomplishments of the ladies who are nominated and the decision is always very difficult. This year all of the nominees were very admirable but Jaya’s essay really resonated with me and demonstrates that she is a standout person on and off the court and she definitely deserves to be recognized,” Donna Murphy said.
This story was originally published February 18, 2022 at 9:33 AM.
