Category: 2017

The Fourth Annual Wallace “Wah Wah” Jones Award will be presented to Noah Busroe from Harlan Independent High School during the 2017 Mr. and Miss Kentucky Basketball Awards Ceremony on March 14th in the Bluegrass Ballroom of the Lexington Center in Lexington, KY starting at 6 PM.

Nominees 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 contribute greatly to their community. “All of the nominees were very deserving and this decision gets more difficult to make each year,” said Wallace “Wah” Jones, Jr.

Noah Busroe, a senior at Harlan Independent High School, has played basketball, baseball, football and ran track during his high school career, while maintaining an impressive 4.0 GPA. Busroe’s remarkable career includes a 100% steal percentage last season as center fielder, a position that he has held on the varsity team all four years of high school. He has also led the team in minutes played every year as the varsity point guard and holds the all-time school 40 yard dash record with a time of 4.48 seconds. He states that his greatest athletic accomplishment was in track last year when he encouraged three freshmen to join him in competing as a 4×100 relay team and went on to say, “Watching my younger teammates grow in confidence and ability with each race and celebrating our victories together was something that I will never forget.”

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 the 2017 Mr. and Miss Kentucky Basketball Awards Ceremony. Tickets are on sale now at http://www.mrandmisskybasketball.com or by calling 800-232-5308.

The 6th 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 Third Annual Donna Murphy Award will be presented to Jordan Brock of Harlan High School during the 2017 Mr. and Miss Kentucky Basketball Awards Ceremony on March 14th in the Bluegrass Ballroom of the Lexington Center in Lexington, KY starting at 6 PM.

Nominations were submitted from across the state for this prestigious award which honors a standout female senior basketball player who exemplifies the meaning of being a great student athlete. “All of the nominees were very admirable, but with what Jordan has been able to accomplish, she definitely deserves to be recognized,” said Donna Murphy.

Jordan Brock, a senior at Harlan High School, has played varsity basketball for six years and is a part of the 2,000+ point club at Harlan. She recently led the Lady Dragons to a runner-up finish at the All ‘A’ state tournament in Frankfort where she averaged just more than 31 points per game, 4.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game, while shooting better than 43 percent from the floor.

While constantly focused on bettering herself and team on the court, Jordan also takes time to volunteer and participates in several service projects and is on the honor roll. “Since sixth grade I knew I wanted to be the best player in my county and I actually received this honor last year. I was greatly humbled when named best player in the region, said Brock. “I want younger kids in my area to know that even though we are from a small coal town in southeastern Kentucky they can still achieve their dreams if they are willing to put in the work.”

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 the 2017 Mr. and Miss Kentucky Basketball Awards Ceremony. Tickets are on sale now at http://www.mrandmisskybasketball.com or by calling 800-232-5308.

The 6th 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.