Category: 2015

The first Annual  Donna Murphy Award was presented to  Morgan Rich of  Allen County Scottsville High School during the 2015 Mr. and Miss Kentucky Basketball Awards Ceremony on March 17th in the Bluegrass Ballroom of the Lexington Center in Lexington, KY.

“This was a very difficult decision. Each candidate was exceptional in her own right, but I could only select one.” said Donna Murphy.  Thirteen nominations were submitted from across the state to Donna Murphy for this prestigious award for senior female basketball players who exemplify the meaning of being a great student athlete.

Morgan Rich, a senior at Allen County Scottsville High School, has played varsity basketball for six years and has signed to play for the University of Kentucky.  Rich was nominated as a McDonald’s All-American and for the Gatorade Player of the Year.  She started her senior season as Allen County Scottsville’s all-time leading female scorer.  Morgan is active in many school clubs including Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Beta Club, Future Business Leaders of America and Pep Club.  She is also involved in fellowship outreach thru her church, is a little league coach and works as a career mentor with special needs children.  On top of these activities Morgan has maintained a 3.8 GPA.  “The greatest lesson I have learned from the game of basketball is how to overcome adversity,” said Morgan after experiencing an eight month recovery from knee surgery due to a basketball injury. “I knew that a lot of extra hard work and dedication would be necessary for me to come back stronger and better than I was before.”

Donna L.J. Murphy played basketball at Newport High School from 1972-76 and went on to become an All-American.  During her senior year she was named Kentucky’s first Miss Basketball in 1976, averaging 35 points and 20 rebounds.  She was awarded the Ted Sanford Award for being named the MVP of the 1975 Kentucky state tournament after she scored 67 points and grabbed 50 rebounds in two games.  More than a great high school basketball player, Murphy was also the State AA high jump champion in 1974 and named All-region in volleyball before graduating fifth in her class. As a highly recruited student-athlete, she chose to attend Morehead State University and graduated magna cum laude twice, with a BA in Communications/ Journalism with Teacher Certification, and a MHE in Counseling.

Murphy remains a highly decorated high school and college student-athlete and a member of eleven Hall of Fames, including the Kentucky Basketball Hall of Fame. Murphy was also the first female student-athlete to have her jersey retired at Morehead State University and Newport High School. She was the first forward drafted in the Women’s Professional Basketball League in 1980 and went on to play for the St. Louis Streak.  After her playing career she transitioned to coaching. She has held coaching positions at the collegiate level and also coached Pro-Am, high school, middle school, AAU and Exposure basketball. Murphy is currently a Professor at Bluegrass Community and Technical College and oversees the Diversity Outreach Services and Intramural Sports. In her free time she is a basketball skills trainer.

All sports fans are welcome to attend. Tickets are on sale now at https://mrandmisskybball.eventbrite.com.  General admission tickets are $10 and VIP tickets which include dinner are $50.  For questions or to purchase a table (seats 10) call KLEF directly at 502-583-0564 or 800-232-5308.

The 4th annual Mr. and Miss Kentucky Basketball Award Ceremony serves as a fundraiser for the Kentucky Lions Eye Foundation, who has announced Mr. Kentucky Basketball since 1954 and Miss Kentucky Basketball since 1976.  KLEF’s mission is to prevent and cure blindness.  For more information contact KLEF at 502-583-0564 or go to http://www.kylionseye.org.

The Second Annual “Wah Wah” Jones Award was presented to Justin Graham of Rowan County High School during the 2015 Mr. and Miss Kentucky Basketball Awards Ceremony on March 17^th in the Bluegrass Ballroom of the Lexington Center in Lexington, KY.

Twelve nominations were submitted from across the state to the Jones family for this prestigious award for senior multi-sport athletes who excel equally in their classroom and community. “All of the nominees were very deserving and it was a difficult decision, just like last year,” said Wallace “Wah” Jones, Jr.

Justin Graham, a senior at Rowan County High School, played football during his freshman and sophomore years, played soccer and ran track his junior and senior years and played basketball and baseball all four years of high school while maintaining a 4.0 GPA.  Justin considers being part of two KHSAA Elite Eight teams in basketball and soccer his greatest athletic achievements thus far.  Justin was also named 2015 Mr. Rowan County by the school’s faculty and administration due to his academic achievements and commitment to his community through extra-curricular and co-curricular activities.

Wallace “Wah Wah” Jones, Sr. was a two-sport All-American at the University of Kentucky, playing for legendary coaches Adolph Rupp and Bear Bryant, winning two national championships and an NIT.  Jones is the only player at the University of Kentucky to have his jerseys retired in both sports.  In addition to basketball and football, Jones was a pitcher with the Wildcats and a member of the UK track and field team.  He won a gold medal in the 1948 Summer Olympics with Rupp’s “Fabulous Five” and the Phillip 66ers.  After college Jones went on to play in the National Basketball Association with the Indianapolis Olympians. During his tremendous athletic career Jones was the image of sportsmanship and is respected throughout the world.

All sports fans are welcome to attend. Tickets are on sale now at https://mrandmisskybball.eventbrite.com.  General admission tickets are $10 and VIP tickets which include dinner are $50.  For questions or to purchase a table (seats 10) call KLEF directly at 502-583-0564 or 800-232-5308.

The 4th annual Mr. and Miss Kentucky Basketball Award Ceremony serves as a fundraiser for the Kentucky Lions Eye Foundation, who has announced Mr. Kentucky Basketball since 1954 and Miss Kentucky Basketball since 1976.  KLEF’s mission is to prevent and cure blindness.  For more information contact KLEF at 502-583-0564 or go to http://www.kylionseye.org.

The 2015 Founders Award was presented to Dale Mabrey.