The Kentucky "Miss Basketball" honor recognizes the top female high school basketball player in the state of Kentucky. Due to Kentucky's status as a culturally rich basketball state, Miss Basketball winners are highly coveted student athletes by colleges throughout the United States. Originally, there was only a “Kentucky Mr. Basketball” from 1954 to 1975, until 1976 when they created an award for women as well. The reward is presented by The Kentucky Lions Eye Foundation[1] and is given to senior players that have shown exceptional basketball skills.[citation needed] In the past 45 years, all but one of these players has gone on to play basketball in college. Six of them were drafted into the WNBA.
Award winners[2]
| Year | Player | High School | College | WNBA Draft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Donna Murphy | Newport | Morehead State | |
| 1977 | Geri Grigsby | McDowell | Kentucky | |
| 1978 | Irene Moore | Breathitt County | ||
| 1979 | Beth Wilkerson | Paris | Old Dominion | |
| 1980 | Lisa Collins | Laurel County | Kentucky | |
| 1981 | Lillie Mason | Olmstead High | Western Kentucky | |
| 1982 | Connie Goins | Franklin Co./Western Hills | Duke | |
| 1983 | Clemette Haskins | Warren Central | Western Kentucky | |
| 1984 | Carol Parker | Marshall County | Paducah Community College | |
| 1985 | Bridgette Combs | Whitesburg | Western Kentucky | |
| 1986 | Kris Miller | Owensboro Catholic | Kentucky | |
| 1987 | Mary Taylor | Marshall County | Western Kentucky | |
| 1988 | Kim Pehlke | Louisville Doss | Western Kentucky | |
| 1989 | Lisa Harrison | Louisville Southern | Tennessee | 1999 WNBA draft: 3rd Rnd, 34th overall by the Phoenix Mercury |
| 1990 | Kim Mays | Knox Central | Eastern Kentucky | |
| 1991 | Ida Bowen | Sheldon Clark | Western Kentucky | |
| 1992 | Becky McKinley | Bullitt East | Kentucky | |
| 1993 | Brandi Ashby | Webster County | Hawaiʻi/Western Kentucky | |
| 1994 | Laurie Townsend | Apollo | Western Kentucky | |
| 1995 | Ukari Figgs | Scott County | Purdue | 1999 WNBA draft: 3rd Rnd, 28th overall by the Los Angeles Sparks |
| 1996 | Jaime Walz | Ft. Thomas Highlands | Western Kentucky | |
| 1997 | Rachel Byars | Union County | Western Kentucky/ Boston College | |
| 1998 | Beth Vice | Montgomery County | Alabama | |
| 1999 | Jody Sizemore | Leslie County | Morehead State | |
| 2000 | Jenni Benningfield | Assumption | Vanderbilt | 2004 WNBA draft: 2nd Rnd, 22nd overall by the Charlotte Sting |
| 2001 | Katie Schweggman | Bishop Brossart | Miami (OH) | |
| 2002 | Erica Hallman | Holmes | Kansas | |
| 2003 | Megen Gearhart | West Carter | Morehead State | |
| 2004 | Crystal Kelly | Sacred Heart | Western Kentucky | 2008 WNBA draft: 3rd Rnd, 31st overall by the Houston Comets |
| 2005 | Carly Ormerod | Sacred Heart | Kentucky | |
| 2006 | Arnika Brown | Christian County | Kentucky/St. Catharine/Western Kentucky | |
| 2007 | Rebecca Gray | Scott County | North Carolina/Kentucky/Union College | |
| 2008 | Tia Gibbs | Butler Traditional | Vanderbilt/Louisville | |
| 2009 | A'dia Mathies | Louisville Iroquois | Kentucky | 2013 WNBA draft: 1st Rnd, 10th overall by the Los Angeles Sparks |
| 2010 | Sarah Beth Barnette | Lexington Christian Academy | Kentucky/Virginia | |
| 2011 | Sara Hammond | Rockcastle County | Louisville | |
| 2012 | Sydney Moss | Boone County | Florida/Thomas More College | |
| 2013 | Makayla Epps | Marion County | Kentucky | 2017 WNBA draft: 3rd Rnd, 33rd overall by the Chicago Sky |
| 2014 | Ivy Brown | LaRue County | Western Kentucky | |
| 2015 | Maci Morris | Bell County | Kentucky | |
| 2016 | Erin Boley | Elizabethtown | Notre Dame/Oregon | |
| 2017 | Lindsey Duvall | Bullitt East | Louisville/Northern Kentucky | |
| 2018 | Seygan Robins | Mercer County | Louisville/UT Martin | |
| 2019 | Savannah Wheeler | Boyd County | Marshall | |
| 2020 | Maddie Scherr | Ryle High School | Oregon/Kentucky | |
| 2021 | Brooklyn Miles | Franklin County | Tennessee | |
| 2022 | Amiya Jenkins | Anderson County | Kentucky | |
| 2023 | Haven Ford | Rowan County | Murray State | |
| 2024 | Trinity Rowe | Pikeville | Southern Mississippi |
See also
References
Miss Kentucky Basketball History. A Kentucky Tradition Since 1954. (2021, April 21). https://mrandmisskybasketball.com/miss-kentucky-basketball-history/.