UK signee earns Miss Basketball honors; Mr. Basketball will go to EKU
Amiya Jenkins, the University of Kentucky women’s basketball signee from Anderson County, has been named the state’s Miss Basketball, while Eastern Kentucky commit Turner Buttry of Bowling Green took Mr. Basketball honors during an awards ceremony Sunday.
The awards, sponsored and conducted by the Kentucky Lions Eye Foundation in conjunction with the Kentucky Association of Basketball Coaches, were presented at Lexington’s Marriott Griffin Gate Resort on Sunday evening. It was the first live awards ceremony since the onset of the pandemic in 2020.
Voters for the award include members of the media, members of the KABC and past winners. They choose the honorees from a list of senior region players of the year who are nominated in a separate process. Mr. and Miss Basketball honors are for seniors only.
Jenkins becomes the first UK commit to be named Miss Basketball since Bell County’s Maci Morris in 2015. UK commits have won the award 11 times since its inception in 1976.
“It’s really exciting. I really have no words,” Jenkins said after the announcement. “I’m just super happy. Everybody else, they were really good players.”
Jenkins, a 5-foot-11 guard, averaged 20.7 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 4.1 steals per game during her senior season. She helped lead the Bearcats to their third consecutive 8th Region championship this year. Anderson County reached the state semifinals in 2021.
“I can’t say enough good things about this young lady,” said Anderson County Coach Clay Birdwhistell on his Twitter account. “People who see her play, can see what a talent she is. The people that really know her understand how hard it is to explain how happy/proud we are of her..
Birdwhistell added that no girls’ player will wear the No. 20 for the Bearcats again.
Buttry, a 5-foot-11 guard, averaged 23.3 points, 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game this season for the Purples while leading the state in free throw percentage by making 90.8 percent of his foul shots. He was also a prolific three-point shooter, making 3.7 threes per game at a rate of 51.8 percent. Both of those marks ranked second in the state in those categories.
“It means everything to me,” Buttry said. “When they were about to announce it, my heart was beating real fast. I think it was just like a sigh of relief once they announced it.”
Buttry helped lead Bowling Green to a 4th Region championship and state basketball tournament appearance in 2021 and the 2022 4th Region finals where the Purples fell to eventual UK HealthCare Boys’ Sweet 16 runner-up Warren Central.
Buttry becomes the fifth Eastern Kentucky University commit to win the award since the its inception in 1954 and first since Phelps’ Ervin Stepp took the honor in 1980.
2022 KABC Boys’ Region Players of the Year
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.
2022 KABC Girls’ Region Players of the Year
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.
Other awards
Ralph Beard Lifetime Achievement Award: Phil Bond, Manual, University of Louisville, CFO at Metro United Way of Louisville..
Founders Coaching Award: Jeff Haile, Henderson County.
Kentucky All-Star Hall of Fame Inductees: Kim Mays Mills, 1990 Miss Basketball from Knox Central; Dave Satterly, Kentucky All-Star Game director (2006-2013); Louisville Downtown Lions Club.
Donna LJ Murphy Award (for female student athlete): Jaya McClure, Christian Academy-Louisville.
Wallace C. “Wah Wah” Jones Award (for multi-sport athlete): Chase Alderman, Rowan County.
William “Mr. Wildcat” Bill Keightley Award (for team manager): Erin Baxter, Pleasure Ridge Park.
This story was originally published March 20, 2022 at 9:43 PM.
