The 11th Annual Donna L.J. Murphy Award will be presented to Halle Collins of Knox Central High School during the 2025 Mr. and Miss Kentucky Basketball Awards Ceremony on March 16th at the Lexington Griffin Gate Marriott Resort.
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. “Each year I am reminded of the great talent and character that Kentucky has in our girls’ basketball programs! All of the nominees are such multi-talented young ladies, so it’s never easy to choose just one.” said Donna Murphy.
Halle Collins, a distinguished senior at Knox Central, exemplifies excellence both on and off the basketball court. With six years of varsity basketball under her belt, Halle is a member of the 3,000 point club at Knox Central High and also maintains an impressive 4.12 GPA.
Halle is only the 5th girl in the state of Kentucky to reach 3,000+ points. She also has 1,500+ rebounds and she holds her school’s rebounding record and is second in all-time points at Knox Central. She has been a pivotal player in the success of the Lady Panthers basketball team, helping her team win five 51st District Championship victories. She has been named a member of the Region All-Tournament team five times and has been named the District Player of the Year four times. She currently has 100 double-doubles and is leading her team scoring and rebounding, averaging 20 points per game and 14 rebounds per game this season. In the off-season she also throws Shot and Discus for the Knox Central Track and Field team.
In addition to her on-court achievements, Halle owns her own businesses called “Hals” where she sells ice cream from a vending bike, she tutors at Knox Central under Partner Corps and volunteers with many local organizations and causes.
Looking ahead, Halle has committed to playing basketball for the University of Pikeville and plans to work in pediatric medicine after graduation. Reflecting on her experiences, Halle acknowledges the invaluable lessons she has learned through basketball, including: how to overcome adversity, how to take on challenges and how to work with others.
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, and holds a BA, Communications/Journalism and a MHE, Counseling credentials. Murphy is a retired KCTCS professor/counselor, and works part-time with the University of Kentucky’s College of Education.
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.
All sports fans are welcome to attend or view the 2025 Mr. and Miss Kentucky Basketball Awards Ceremony. To learn more about the event visit http://www.mrandmisskybasketball.com. For questions, please email JenniferHunt@kylionseye.org or call 270-999-4887.
The 14th annual Mr. and Miss Kentucky Basketball Awards 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. To learn more about KLEF’s mission and our programs and services please visit www.kylionseye.org.
