Jake Feldhaus and Ashlinn James are Kentucky’s 2026 Mr. and Miss Basketball
Kentucky high school’s Mr. and Miss Basketball honors were presented to Madison Central’s Jake Feldhaus and Assumption’s Ashlinn James at an awards ceremony on Sunday evening.
Feldaus, a 6-foot-8 senior forward signed with Belmont, helped lead the Indians to a 30-4 record and No. 1 regular season ranking, averaging 20.7 points, 13 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game and shot 57.6% from the field.
“It’s great that seeing some of the work paid off,” Feldhaus said. “But (also) knowing I still have more work to do, especially going up to the next level. Just being able to add to the Feldhaus family history is great.”
James, a 5-foot-8 senior guard signed with Indiana, averaged 15 points, five rebounds, five assists and four steals per game for the Rockets, helping them win the 7th Region championship and advance to the Clark’s Pump-N-Shop Girls’ Basketball Sweet 16 championship game a week ago.
“It’s amazing. I’m super excited about this,” James said. “I’m just super grateful for my teammates, my family, my coaches and the support system that’s been there the whole time.”
The awards and other honors were presented by the Kentucky Lions Eye Foundation in conjunction with the Kentucky Association of Basketball Coaches at Lexington’s Griffin Gate Marriott.
On Friday, Jake Feldhaus was announced as the Kentucky Gatorade player of the year, the same honor his father, Deron Feldhaus claimed in 1987. The elder Feldhaus missed out on Mr. Basketball that year as it went to his future University of Kentucky “Unforgettables” teammate John Pelphrey.
“It’s a great feeling kind of living up to what he had done but making my own path,” Jake Feldhaus said. “It’s kind of cool being able to one-up him on that. He’s going to know it for sure.”
Jake Feldhaus played for his uncle, Allen Feldhaus Jr., one Kentucky’s winningest boys high school basketball coaches, his junior and senior seasons. His grandfather, the late Allen Feldhaus Sr., played for Adolph Rupp at Kentucky and coached at Mason County for decades.
Feldhaus became the second Madison Central player to earn Mr. Basketball, joining its 2013 winner, Dominique Hawkins. He’s the second 11th Region player in a row to earn it, following Great Crossing’s Malachi Moreno, who was UK’s starting center this season.
James joins Assumption’s Jenni Benningfield (2000) as the only Rockets to be named Miss Basketball. She’s the second 7th Region player in a row to earn the honor, following Sacred Heart’s ZaKiyah Johnson.
As Mr. and Miss Basketball, Feldhaus and James also earned the No. 1 jersey for their respective teams for the annual Kentucky-Indiana All-Start Series held each summer.
The Mr. and Miss Basketball awards are reserved for seniors and they are chosen from a previously announced list of KABC boys and girls region players of the year. All were honored at the ceremony, which also is a fundraiser for the KLEF, a charitable non-profit organization whose mission is to provide vision services to those in need. Mr. and Miss Basketball voters include KABC coaches, members of the high school sports media and past winners.
Other awards
Ralph Beard Lifetime Achievement Award: Daymeon Fishback (Greenwood), 1996 Mr. Kentucky Basketball.
Founders Coaching Award: Tom Creamer (Shelby County, Maysville), 1978 Kentucky Boys All-Star Coach..
Kentucky All-Star Hall of Fame Inductees: Sarah Beth Barnette (Lexington Christian, 2010 Miss Basketball); Darrin Horn (Tates Creek, 1991 Kentucky All-Star; Northern Kentucky men’s basketball coach)
Donna L.J. Murphy Award (for “great” female student-athlete): Teigh Yeast (George Rogers Clark).
Wallace C. “Wah Wah” Jones Award (for multi-sport athlete): Blake Burnett (Bell County).
William “Mr. Wildcat” Bill Keightley Award (for team manager): Alyssa Pittman (Mercer County).
2026 KABC Boys Region Players of the Year
1st Region: Miles Woodfork, McCracken County; 2nd Region: Bray Kirk, Lyon County; 3rd Region: Jonathan Moss, Daviess County; 4th Region: Jaxson Mason, Clinton County; 5th Region: Jaylin Craine, Caverna; 6th Region: Dayvone Harrison, Jeffersontown; 7th Region: Jeremiah Jackson, St. Xavier; 8th Region: Andrew Sparrow, Anderson County; 9th Region: Athens McGillis, Covington Catholic; 10th Region: Malachi Ashford, George Rogers Clark; 11th Region: Jake Feldhaus, Madison Central; 12th Region: Kendall Phillips, Wayne County; 13th Region: Reece Davidson, North Laurel; 14th Region: Seth Caudill, Hazard; 15th Region: Brady Johnson, Shelby Valley; 16th Region: Jacob Spurlock, Boyd County.
2026 KABC Girls Region Players of the Year
1st Region: Sayler Lowe, Calloway County; 2nd Region: A’Tylia Green, Henderson County; 3rd Region: Kennedy Lane, Daviess County; 4th Region: Debora Patrick, Allen County-Scottsville; 5th Region: Nora Kate Simpson, Nelson County; 6th Region: Keziah Renee’, Butler; 7th Region: Ashlinn James, Assumption; Brianna Wilkins, Sacred Heart; 8th Region: Madison Young, South Oldham; 9th Region: Jaelyn Jones, Ryle; 10th Region: Teigh Yeast, George Rogers Clark; Isabella Jayasuriya, Campbell County; 11th Region: Piper Graham, Lexington Christian; 12th Region: Taylor King, Rockcastle County; 13th Region: Kairi Lamb, Bell County, 6-3 center; 14th Region: Ava Napier, Leslie County, 5-3 guard; 15th Region: Kylie Alvin, Pikeville; 16th Region: Gabby Karle, Ashland Blazer.
Past Mr. and Miss Basketball winners
MR. BASKETBALL:
2025: Malachi Moreno (Great Crossing)
2024: Travis Perry (Lyon County)
2023: Reed Sheppard (North Laurel)
2022: Turner Buttry (Bowling Green)
2021: Ben Johnson (Lexington Catholic)
2020: Dayvion McKnight (Collins)
2019: Dontaie Allen (Pendleton Co.)
2018: Trevon Faulkner (Mercer Co.)
2017: Taveion Hollingsworth (Paul Laurence Dunbar)
2016: Carson Williams (Owen Co.)
2015: Camron Justice (Knott Co. Central)
2014: Quentin Snider (Ballard)
2013: Dominique Hawkins (Madison Central)
2012: Nathan Dieudonne (Trinity)
2011: Anthony Hickey (Christian Co.)
2010: Elisha Justice (Shelby Valley)
2009: Jon Hood (Madisonville)
2008: Darius Miller (Mason Co.)
2007: Steffphon Pettigrew (Elizabethtown)
2006: Walt Allen (South Laurel)
2005: Domonic Tilford (Jeffersontown)
2004: Chris Lofton (Mason Co.)
2003: Ross Neltner (Highlands)
2002: Brandon Stockton (Glasgow)
2001: Josh Carrier (Bowling Green)
2000: Scott Hundley (Scott Co.)
1999: Rick Jones (Scott Co.)
1998: J.R. VanHoose (Paintsville)
1997: Brandon Davenport (Owensboro)
1996: Daymeon Fishback (Greenwood)
1995: Charles Thomas (Harlan)
1994: Elton Scott (Marion Co.)
1993: Jason Osborne (Male)
1992: Tick Rogers (Hart Co.)
1991: Jermaine Brown (Fairdale)
1990: Dwayne Morton (Central)
1989: Allan Houston (Ballard)
1988: Richie Farmer (Clay Co.)
1987: John Pelphrey (Paintsville)
1986: Rex Chapman (Apollo)
1985: Tony Kimbro (Seneca)
1984: Steve Miller (Henry Clay)
1983: Winston Bennett (Male)
1982: Todd May (Virgie)
1981: Phil Cox (Cawood)
1980: Ervin Stepp (Phelps)
1979: Dirk Minniefield (Lafayette)
1978: Doug Schloemer (Holmes)
1977: Jeff Lamp (Ballard)
1976: Darrell Griffith (Male)
1975: Dom Fucci (Tates Creek)
1974: Jack Givens (Bryan Station)
1973: Wesley Cox (Male)
1972: Jerry Thruston (Owensboro)
1971: Jimmy Dan Conner (Anderson Co.)
1970: Robert Brooks (Madison)
1969: Ron King (Central)
1968: Terry Davis (Shelby Co.)
1967: Jim McDaniels (Allen Co.)
1966: Mike Casey (Shelby Co.)
1965: Butch Beard (Breckinridge Co.)
1964: Wes Unseld (Seneca)
1963: Mike Redd (Seneca)
1962: Mike Silliman (St. Xavier)
1961: Randy Embry (Owensboro)
1960: Jeff Mullins (Lafayette)
1959: Pat Doyle (North Marshall)
1958: Harry Todd (Earlington)
1958: Ralph Richardson (Russell Co.)
1957: Billy Ray Lickert (Lafayette)
1956: Kelly Coleman (Wayland)
MISS BASKETBALL:
2025: ZaKiyah Johnson (Sacred Heart)
2024: Trinity Rowe (Pikeville)
2023: Haven Ford (Rowan County)
2022: Amiya Jenkins (Anderson Co.)
2021: Brooklynn Miles (Franklin Co.)
2020: Maddie Scherr (Ryle)
2019: Savannah Wheeler (Boyd Co.)
2018: Seygan Robins (Mercer Co.)
2017: Lindsey Duvall (Bullitt East)
2016: Erin Boley (Elizabethtown)
2015: Maci Morris (Bell Co.)
2014: Ivy Brown (LaRue Co.)
2013: Makayla Epps (Marion Co.)
2012: Sydney Moss (Boone Co.)
2011: Sara Hammond (Rockcastle Co.)
2010: Sarah Beth Barnette (Lexington Christian)
2009: A’dia Mathies (Iroquois)
2008: Tia Gibbs (Butler)
2007: Rebecca Gray (Scott Co.)
2006: Arnika Brown (Christian Co.)
2005: Carly Ormerod (Sacred Heart)
2004: Crystal Kelly (Sacred Heart)
2003: Megen Gearhart (West Carter)
2002: Erica Hallman (Holmes)
2001: Katie Schwegmann (Brossart)
2000: Jenni Benningfield (Assumption)
1999: Jody Sizemore (Leslie Co.)
1998: Beth Vice (Montgomery Co.)
1997: Rachel Byars (Union Co.)
1996: Jaime Walz (Highlands)
1995: Ukari Figgs (Scott Co.)
1994: Laurie Townsend (Apollo)
1993: Brandi Ashby (Webster Co.)
1992: Becky McKinley (Bullitt East)
1991: Ida Bowen (Sheldon Clark)
1990: Kim Mays (Knox Central)
1989: Lisa Harrison (Southern)
1988: Kim Pehlke (Doss)
1987: Mary Taylor (Marshall Co.)
1986: Kris Miller (Owensboro Catholic)
1985: Brigette Combs (Whitesburg)
1984: Carol Parker (Marshall Co.)
1983: Clemette Haskins (Warren Central)
1982: Connie Goins (Western Hills)
1981: Lillie Mason (Olmstead)
1980: Lisa Collins (Laurel Co.)
1979: Beth Wilkerson (Paris)
1978: Irene Moore (Breathitt Co.)
1977: Geri Grigsby (McDowell)
1976: Donna Murphy (Newport)
This story was originally published March 22, 2026 at 9:16 PM.
