In picking the best in Kentucky basketball, Oscar Tshiebwe is in a familiar place
In Hollywood, the movie “Everything Everywhere All at Once” is dominating the awards season.
Here in Kentucky, we might lack the glamour of the annual celebrations of motion-picture excellence, but we can salute the best from our state’s primary entertainment sector.
If the commonwealth had season-ending All-State teams designed to honor the best in Kentucky men’s and women’s college basketball for 2022-23, they might look like this:
Men’s All-State
▪ Forward: Jacob Toppin, Kentucky. After a rugged start to a season of high expectations, Toppin (12.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game) has, somewhat beneath the radar, become a difference-maker down the stretch for an improving UK team (20-9, 11-5 Southeastern Conference).
The 6-foot-9, 205-pound senior from Brooklyn, N.Y., has scored in double figures in 12 straight games. In his last seven contests, Toppin has produced three double-doubles. After starting the season 3 of 22 on three-point tries, Toppin has since gone 11 of 20.
▪ Forward: Devontae Blanton, Eastern Kentucky. As a junior, the 6-6, 215-pound Blanton (16.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists) has blossomed into EKU’s top player. The Macedonia, Ohio, product has scored 20 points or more in seven of the past 10 games for A.W. Hamilton’s Colonels (19-12, 12-6 ASUN Conference).
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▪ Center: Oscar Tshiebwe, Kentucky. The encore season for college basketball’s 2021-22 consensus national player of the year has not been easy. Tshiebwe (16.4 points, 12.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.6 steals) was slowed by a preseason surgical procedure on a knee and has labored for much of the season to defend against high pick and roll actions.
However, as the current year has reached its final stretch, Tshiebwe has begun to look like the 2021-22 version of Oscar. In UK’s past two games, wins at Florida and over Auburn, Tshiebwe has made 20 of 23 shots and averaged 23.5 points.
▪ Guard: Marques Warrick, Northern Kentucky. The former Henry Clay star was scalding hot early in the NKU season, with back-to-back games of 45 and 30 points against Tennessee Tech (double overtime) and Youngstown State (overtime).
A 6-2, 185-pound junior, Warrick (19.0 points, 2.4 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.3 steals) is carrying the load for the Norse (19-12, 14-6 Horizon League) down the stretch, too, as he has scored 20 points or more in seven of Northern’s 10 most recent games.
▪ Guard: Dayvion McKnight, Western Kentucky. What has been a disappointing WKU season (15-14, 7-11 C-USA) cannot be pinned on Kentucky’s 2020 Mr. Basketball.
The 6-1, 195-pound junior, a former star at Shelby County’s Collins High School, is averaging 16.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.7 steals and making 45.5 percent of his shots and 83.4 percent of his free throws.
▪ Coach of the Year: Preston Spradlin, Morehead State. He lost star Johni Broome plus three other starters from 2021-22 but has nevertheless led the Eagles (19-12, 14-4 OVC) to their first outright Ohio Valley Conference regular-season title since 1983-84.
▪ Player of the Year: Oscar Tshiebwe, Kentucky.
▪ Freshman of the Year: Cason Wallace, Kentucky.
Women’s All-State
▪ Forward: Katelyn Young, Murray State. The 6-1, junior forward from Oakwood, Ill., is eighth in the nation in scoring (21.6 points) and 40th in Division I in double-doubles (11). A well-rounded player, Young is averaging 7.9 rebounds and making 51.1 percent of her field-goal tries for the Racers (13-14, 6-12 Missouri Valley Conference).
▪ Center: Gracie Merkle, Bellarmine. The 6-6 freshman has averaged a double-double (15.3 points, 10.7 rebounds, plus 2.3 blocks) and helped the Knights (9-21, 5-12 ASUN) add five games to their season win total over 2021-22 (4-24, 1-15).
▪ Guard: Hailey Van Lith, Louisville. The charismatic 5-7 guard is 24th in the country in scoring (19.4 points) and has averaged 5.0 rebounds and 3.4 assists for U of L (21-10, 12-6 Atlantic Coast Conference).
It has not been the most efficient offensive season for the Wenatchee, Wash., product, as Van Lith has made 41.2 percent of her field-goal tries, 28.7 percent of her three-point attempts and has 119 turnovers vs. 103 assists.
▪ Guard: Antwainette Walker, Eastern Kentucky. A transfer from Marquette, the 5-11 redshirt senior is 12th in the country in scoring (21.1 points), 35th in rebounding (9.5) and 19th in double-doubles (14). Walker also leads EKU (17-13, 10-7 ASUN) and is tied for 35th in the country in steals (67).
▪ Guard: Maddie Scherr, Kentucky. After transferring home to UK from Oregon, Kentucky’s 2020 Miss Basketball has been a good all-around player (11.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 2.1 steals) on a struggling team (10-18, 2-14 SEC).
The versatile former Ryle High School star is the rare player who leads her team in both assists (110) and blocked shots (23).
▪ Coach of the Year: Greg Todd, Eastern Kentucky. After inheriting a nine-win team two seasons ago, Todd has made EKU (17-13, 10-7 ASUN) a winning program in only two years.
▪ Player of the Year: Antwainette Walker, Eastern Kentucky.
▪ Freshman of the Year: Gracie Merkle, Bellarmine.
