Kentucky-Indiana All-Star basketball games canceled, but honorees named
The Kentucky Association of Basketball Coaches has determined that since tryouts and the games for its annual Kentucky All-Star Team cannot be held this year due to the coronavirus, its 2020 Regional Players of the Year will serve as this season’s All-Star honorees.
Those boys and girls players of the year were named by a coaches and media vote in February. They are also the nominees for Mr. and Miss Basketball.
The KABC and its partner, the Kentucky Lions Eye Foundation, also announced Thursday that its annual banquet honoring these players and naming Mr. and Miss Basketball will be held on June 28 at the Griffin Gate Marriott in Lexington.
The Kentucky-Indiana All-Star Series had been originally scheduled for June 5-6, but Kentucky and Indiana event organizers have determined it must be canceled due to measures being taken to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
The two states’ boys’ high school basketball all-stars have competed against each other every summer since 1940 with the exceptions of 1943 and 1944 because of World War II, making it the longest-running such series in the nation. The girls’ series has been operating without interruption since 1976.
The Indiana boys hold a 99-44 advantage in the games with Kentucky. The Indiana girls lead 50-38.
“I am sad for the players and coaches who comprise this year’s All-Star teams,” Indiana’s game director Mike Broughton said in a news release. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for the seniors who made the team, but they do have the satisfaction that they are an ... All-Star for life.”
Organizers said the Indiana-Kentucky All-Star Series will resume in 2021. Tentative dates are June 4 in Kentucky and June 5 in Indiana.
Here are the previously named Region Players of the Year and candidates for Mr. and Miss Basketball previously announced.
Kentucky Boys’ All-Stars
1st Region: Jackson Sivills, McCracken Co.
2nd Region: Kenny White, Madisonville
3rd Region: Kaeveon Mitchell, Breckinridge Co.
4th Region: Dre Boyd, Warren Central
5th Region: Alex Matthews, John Hardin; JJ Traynor, Bardstown
6th Region: Trey Minter, Butler
7th Region: Tyren Moore, Male
8th Region: Dayvion McKnight, Collins
9th Region: Grant Disken, Covington Catholic
10th Region: Amirion Joyce, Bourbon County
11th Region: Marques Warrick, Henry Clay
12th Region: Brayden Sebastian, Garrard Co.
13th Region: Matt Cromer, South Laurel
14th Region: Joe Benton, Estill Co.
15th Region: Cody Potter, Shelby Valley
16th Region: Sam O’Keefe, Lewis Co.
Kentucky Girls’ All-Stars
1st Region: Charlee Settle, Calloway Co.
2nd Region: Emilee Hope, Henderson Co.
3rd Region: Hannah McKay, Owensboro Catholic; Kendall Wingler, Meade Co.
4th Region: Elizabeth Bertram, Barren Co.
5th Region: Whitney Hay, Elizabethtown
6th Region: Taziah Jenks, Mercy
7th Region: Erin Toller, Sacred Heart; Shelby Calhoun, Christian Academy of Louisville
8th Region: Maggie Jones, Simon Kenton
9th Region: Maddie Scherr, Ryle
10th Region: Kennedy Igo, Clark Co.
11th Region: Malea Williams, Scott Co.
12th Region: Lauren Lee, Casey Co.
13th Region: Ally Collett, Amerah Steele, South Laurel
14th Region: Lexy Meyers, Leslie Co.
15th Region: Katie Ball, Belfry
16th Region: Julia Parker, Ashland Blazer
