Kentucky’s 2020 Mr. and Miss Basketball winners announced
Without further ado …
This year’s Mr. Basketball is Dayvion McKnight.
And the 2020 Miss Basketball is Maddie Scherr.
After a lost postseason and two event postponements amid a global pandemic, these two seniors finally got to hear their names called alongside those prestigious honors presented by the Kentucky Lions Eye Foundation in conjunction with the Kentucky Association of Basketball Coaches during a virtual awards ceremony streamed live on Sunday via PrepSpin.com.
Each were presented their awards live on their doorstep Sunday.
“I heard it from my family before I heard it from ya’ll,” McKnight told broadcast hosts Brian Milam and Christi Thomas while describing how the jubilant the realization unfolded as the presenters arrived at his house. “It means a lot. Coming from a small town that doesn’t really have players that do what I’ve been doing. I’m the third ever to win Mr. Basketball in Shelby County, so it means a lot.”
McKnight, a 6-0 guard out of Collins High School in Shelbyville and a Western Kentucky commit, helped lead the Titans to the 8th Region championship. He averaged 20.3 points, 7.9 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 2.8 steals during his senior campaign for the 27-7 Titans. McKnight’s award marks the third Mr. Basketball out of Shelby County. Terry Davis (1968) and Mike Casey (1966) received the honor for Shelby County High School, which now splits the county’s population with Collins.
Scherr, a 5-11 guard/forward out of Ryle High School in Union and an Oregon commit, was the Sweet 16 MVP in the Raiders’ 2019 girls’ state championship and helped bring her 9th Region team back to the Mingua Beef Jerky KHSAA Girls’ Sweet 16 to defend their title before the event got canceled due to the coronavirus. Scherr averaged 15.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, 5.8 assists and three steals per game during her senior year for the 23-11 Raiders.
“I’m still shocked,” Scherr said just after the announcement. “It means so much. It’s such a huge honor. Since I was in the fifth grade, I’ve been thinking about Miss Kentucky Basketball. It’s finally here and it kind of feels surreal.”
A statewide survey that included Kentucky’s high school coaches and members of the media generated the nominations and ultimately the final vote for the top honors as candidates neared the end of their regular seasons. The honors are reserved for high school seniors, but generally recognize career, rather than single-season, achievements as there is no specific criteria for how to vote.
McKnight was chosen from among 17 KABC region players of the year. Scherr was chosen from among 19 girls’ region winners. Both McKnight and Schrerr had been voted as the No. 1 players in the state in a preseason coaches survey conducted by the Herald-Leader and continued to live up to the hype. Many of the region winners and other honorees joined in the virtual ceremony via Zoom.
McKnight was ranked as a three-star recruit and the No. 4 player in the state by the 247Sports.com composite index. He’s the 37th best combo guard prospect in the nation on that list. McKnight holds Collins’ all-time records for points, rebounds, steals and assists according to the school and was a 2019 and 2020 all-state honoree.
Scherr was rated a five-star recruit in the 2020 HoopGurlz Rankings and is the No. 19 prospect in the nation according to that list. She holds all-time program records for points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks, according to the school and set a single-season team record with 167 assists as a junior. She finished her high school career with more than 2,200 points and 1,000 rebounds and is a two-time Kentucky Gatorade player of the year and was named to this season’s McDonald’s All-American Game.
Scherr was also recognized earlier this year by the Kentucky Lions Eye Foundation as its Donna L.J. Murphy Award Winner, which goes “a female senior basketball player who exemplifies the meaning of being a great student athlete.”
Scherr is the second Miss Basketball recipient out of the Boone County school system, following Boone County’s Sydney Moss (2012).
Originally planned as a traditional in-person event on April 5 at Lexington’s Griffin Gate Marriott, the 2020 Mr. and Miss Basketball Awards Ceremony had to be postponed twice by organizers in hopes that it could still be held under guidelines set forth by the state under coronavirus pandemic restrictions.
Ultimately, organizers settled on Sunday’s virtual affair with the winners announced live. The Lions Eye Foundation and KABC spent the last few weeks presenting the previously announced region and other awards in person in each of their hometowns.
The annual award ceremony is a fundraiser for the Kentucky Lions Eye Foundation, which provides vision services through education, detection, prevention, treatment and empowerment. Each year, KLEF helps more than 40,000 Kentuckians. For more information visit Kylionseye.org.
Past Mr. Basketball winners
2019: Dontae Allen, Pendleton County
2018: Trevon Faulkner, Mercer County
2017: Taveion Hollingsworth, Paul Laurence Dunbar
2016: Carson Williams, Owen County
2015: Camron Justice, Knott County Central
2014: Quentin Snider, Ballard
2013: Dominique Hawkins, Madison Central
2012: Nathan Dieudonne, Trinity
2011: Anthony Hickey, Christian County
2010: Elisha Justice, Shelby Valley
2009: Jon Hood, Madisonville
2008: Darius Miller, Mason County
2007: Steffphon Pettigrew, Elizabethtown
2006: Walt Allen, South Laurel
2005: Domonic Tilford, Jeffersontown
2004: Chris Lofton, Mason County
2003: Ross Neltner, Highlands
2002: Brandon Stockton, Glasgow
2001: Josh Carrier, Bowling Green
2000: Scott Hundley, Scott County
1999: Rick Jones, Scott County
1998: J.R. VanHoose, Paintsville
1997: Brandon Davenport, Owensboro
1996: Daymeon Fishback, Greenwood
1995: Charles Thomas, Harlan
1994: Elton Scott, Marion County
1993: Jason Osborne, Male
1992: Tick Rogers, Hart County
1991: Jermaine Brown, Fairdale
1990: Dwayne Morton, Central
1989: Allan Houston, Ballard
1988: Richie Farmer, Clay County
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 County
1970: Robert Brooks, Madison
1969: Ron King, Central
1968: Terry Davis, Shelby County
1967: Jim McDaniels, Allen County
1966: Mike Casey, Shelby County
1965: Butch Beard, Breckinridge County
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 County
1957: Billy Ray Lickert, Lafayette
1956: Kelly Coleman, Wayland
1955: Kenny Kuhn, Male
1954: Vernon Hatton, Lafayette
Past Miss Basketball winners
2019: Savannah Wheeler, Boyd County.
2018: Seygan Robins, Mercer County.
2017: Lindsey Duvall, Bullitt East
2016: Erin Boley, Elizabethtown
2015: Maci Morris, Bell County.
2014: Ivy Brown, LaRue County.
2013: Makayla Epps, Marion County.
2012: Sydney Moss, Boone County.
2011: Sara Hammond, Rockcastle County.
2010: Sarah Beth Barnette, LCA
2009: A’dia Mathies, Iroquois
2008: Tia Gibbs, Butler
2007: Rebecca Gray, Scott County.
2006: Arnika Brown, Christian County.
2005: Carly Ormerod, Sacred Heart
2004: Crystal Kelly, Sacred Heart
2003: Megen Gearhart, West Carter
2002: Erica Hallman, Holmes
2001: Katie Schwegmann, Bishop Brossart
2000: Jenni Benningfield, Assumption
1999: Jody Sizemore, Leslie County.
1998: Beth Vice, Montgomery County.
1997: Rachel Byars, Union County.
1996: Jaime Walz, Highlands
1995: Ukari Figgs, Scott County.
1994: Laurie Townsend, Apollo
1993: Brandi Ashby, Webster County.
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 County.
1986: Kris Miller Owensboro Catholic
1985: Brigette Combs, Whitesburg
1984: Carol Parker, Marshall County.
1983: Clemette Haskins, Warren Central
1982: Connie Goins, Western Hills
1981: Lillie Mason, Olmstead
1980: Lisa Collins, Laurel County.
1979: Beth Wilkerson, Paris
1978: Irene Moore, Breathitt County.
1977: Geri Grigsby, McDowell
1976: Donna Murphy, Newport
Boys’ region players of the year
1st Region: Jackson Sivills, McCracken County. 2nd Region: Kenny White, Madisonville. 3rd Region: Kaeveon Mitchell, Breckinridge County. 4th Region: DAndre 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 County. 13th Region: Matt Cromer, South Laurel. 14th Region: Joe Benton, Estill County. 15th Region: Cody Potter, Shelby Valley. 16th Region: Sam O’Keefe, Lewis County.
Girls’ region players of the year
1st Region: Charlee Settle, Calloway County. 2nd Region: Emilee Hope, Henderson County. 3rd Region: Hannah McKay, Owensboro Catholic; Kendall Wingler, Meade County. 4th Region: Elizabeth Bertram, Barren County. 5th Region: Whitney Hay, Elizabethtown. 6th Region: Ta’Ziah Jenks, Mercy. 7th Region: Erin Toller, Sacred Heart; Shelby Calhoun, Christian Academy-Louisville. 8th Region: Maggie Jones, Simon Kenton. 9th Region: Maddie Scherr, Ryle. 10th Region: Kennedy Igo, Clark County. 11th Region: Malea Williams, Scott County. 12th Region: Lauren Lee, Casey County. 13th Region: Ally Collett, South Laurel, Amerah Steele, South Laurel. 14th Region: Lexy Meyers, Leslie County. 15th Region: Katlyn Ball, Belfry. 16th Region: Julia Parker, Ashland Blazer.
Other honorees
Complete list of ceremony’s honorees available online at https://bit.ly/3i2kWnh.
This story was originally published June 28, 2020 at 6:17 PM.
