Reed Sheppard named Mr. Basketball; Haven Ford named Miss Basketball

Reed Sheppard, a University of Kentucky signee from North Laurel, has been named 2023’s Kentucky Mr. Basketball, while Rowan County’s Haven Ford, a Murray State signee, took home Miss Basketball honors Sunday evening.

The Mr. and Miss Basketball awards were among several honors sponsored and conducted by the Kentucky Lions Eye Foundation in conjunction with the Kentucky Association of Basketball Coaches. They were presented during a ceremony at Lexington’s Marriott Griffin Gate Resort.

Sheppard, a 6-foot-3 guard who led North Laurel to back-to-back 13th Region championships, becomes the 20th future Kentucky men’s basketball player to earn high school basketball’s highest individual honor. He’s the first Mr. Basketball to go to UK since Pendleton County’s Dontaie Allen in 2019.

The son of Jeff and Stacey Sheppard, two former Kentucky Wildcats who each have their own UK legacy, Sheppard led his team with 22.1 points and 8.7 rebounds per game his senior year as the Jaguars point guard.

Sheppard finished his high school career with 3,727 career points, which unofficially would place him third on the Kentucky’s boys’ all-time list behind Lyon County’s Travis Perry and Wayland’s “King” Kelly Coleman.

Earlier this year, Sheppard also earned McDonald’s All-American honors, becoming the first Kentucky high school boys’ player to receive that distinction since Bowling Green’s Chane Behanan in 2011.

Ford, a 5-7 guard, led Rowan County with 26.1 points and 12.5 rebounds per game as a senior and has led the Vikings in scoring since eighth grade. She averaged a double-double in points and rebounds as a sophomore and a senior and nearly pulled off the feat as a junior as well (9.7 rebounds).

She is the first Miss Basketball to choose Murray State to continue her career but was one of two Racers signees among the class of 2023’s Miss Basketball candidates along with McCracken County’s Destiny Thomas.

Ford was also recognized Sunday as the winner of the ninth annual Donna L.J. Murphy Award. Named in honor of the Newport great who was Kentucky’s first Miss Basketball in 1976, the Murphy award goes to a senior who “exemplifies the meaning of being a great student athlete.”

Voters for Mr. and Miss Basketball include members of the media, head coaches and past winners. They choose the honorees from a list of senior region players of the year who are nominated in a separate process. Mr. and Miss Basketball honors are for seniors only.

2023 KABC BOYS’ REGION PLAYERS OF THE YEAR

1st Region: Jack McCune, McCracken County; 2nd Region: TaMarcus Eaves, Madisonville; Gerard Thomas, Henderson County; 3rd Region: Brian Griffith, Owensboro Catholic; 4th Region: Chappelle Whitney, Warren Central; 5th Region: Carson Childress, LaRue County; 6th Region: Keith Robinson, Pleasure Ridge Park; 7th Region: Gabe Sisk, Ballard; 8th Region: Teagan Moore, Owen County; 9th Region: Evan Ipsaro, Covington Catholic; Jacob Meyer, Covington Holy Cross; 10th Region: Terrell Henry, Mason County; Jerone Morton, George Rogers Clark; 11th Region: Reece Potter, Lexington Catholic; Jaylen Davis, Madison Central; 12th Region: Kyle Stephens, McCreary Central; 13th Region: Reed Sheppard, North Laurel; 14th Region: Sawyer Thompson, Wolfe County; 15th Region: Rylee Samons, Pikeville; 16th Region: Zachary Otis, Bath County.

2023 KABC GIRLS’ REGION PLAYERS OF THE YEAR

1st Region: Destiny Thomas, McCracken County; 2nd Region: Taylor Guess, Crittenden County; 3rd Region: Adylan Ayer, Daviess County; 4th Region: Meadow Tisdale, Bowling Green; 5th Region: Emma Filiatreau, Bethlehem; 6th Region: Haley Dillman, Bullitt Central; 7th Region: Jakayla Thompson, Manual; 8th Region: Grace Brewer, Walton-Verona; 9th Region: Whitney Lind, Cooper; 10th Region: Brianna Byars, George Rogers Clark; 11th Region: Kylee Dennis, Sayre; 12th Region: Ayden Smiddy, Southwestern; Timberlynn Yeast, Mercer County; 13th Region: Emily Sizemore, North Laurel; 14th Region: Courtney Hoskins, Leslie County; Abby Maggard, Hazard; 15th Region: Kensley Feltner, Lawrence County; 16th Region: Haven Ford, Rowan County.

OTHER AWARDS

Ralph Beard Lifetime Achievement Award: Doug Schloemer, 1978 Mr. Basketball.

Founders Coaching Award: Mike Listerman, 2010 Kentucky Boys’ All-Star Coach.

Kentucky All-Star Hall of Fame Inductees: Sara Hammond Barham, 2011 Miss Basketball; Darius Miller, 2008 Mr. Basketball.

Wallace C. “Wah Wah” Jones Award (for multi-sport athlete): Mason McAlarnis, Perry County Central.

William “Mr. Wildcat” Bill Keightley Award (for team manager): Grant Wells, Bullitt Central.

Previous winners

MR. BASKETBALL

2022: Turner Buttry (Bowling Green)

2021: Ben Johnson (Lexington Catholic)

2020: Dayvion McKnight (Collins)

2019: Dontaie Allen (Pendleton Co. )

2018: Trevon Faulkner (Mercer Co. )

2017: Taveion Hollingsworth (Paul Laurence Dunbar)

2016: Carson Williams (Owen Co. )

2015: Camron Justice (Knott Co. Central)

2014: Quentin Snider (Ballard)

2013: Dominique Hawkins (Madison Central)

2012: Nathan Dieudonne (Trinity)

2011: Anthony Hickey (Christian Co.)

2010: Elisha Justice (Shelby Valley)

2009: Jon Hood (Madisonville)

2008: Darius Miller (Mason Co.)

2007: Steffphon Pettigrew (Elizabethtown)

2006: Walt Allen (South Laurel)

2005: Domonic Tilford (Jeffersontown)

2004: Chris Lofton (Mason Co.)

2003: Ross Neltner (Highlands)

2002: Brandon Stockton (Glasgow)

2001: Josh Carrier (Bowling Green)

2000: Scott Hundley (Scott Co.)

1999: Rick Jones (Scott Co.)

1998: J.R. VanHoose (Paintsville)

1997: Brandon Davenport (Owensboro)

1996: Daymeon Fishback (Greenwood)

1995: Charles Thomas (Harlan)

1994: Elton Scott (Marion Co.)

1993: Jason Osborne (Male)

1992: Tick Rogers (Hart Co.)

1991: Jermaine Brown (Fairdale)

1990: Dwayne Morton (Central)

1989: Allan Houston (Ballard)

1988: Richie Farmer (Clay Co.)

1987: John Pelphrey (Paintsville)

1986: Rex Chapman (Apollo)

1985: Tony Kimbro (Seneca)

1984: Steve Miller (Henry Clay)

1983: Winston Bennett (Male)

1982: Todd May (Virgie)

1981: Phil Cox (Cawood)

1980: Ervin Stepp (Phelps)

1979: Dirk Minniefield (Lafayette)

1978: Doug Schloemer (Holmes)

1977: Jeff Lamp (Ballard)

1976: Darrell Griffith (Male)

1975: Dom Fucci (Tates Creek)

1974: Jack Givens (Bryan Station)

1973: Wesley Cox (Male)

1972: Jerry Thruston (Owensboro)

1971: Jimmy Dan Conner (Anderson Co.)

1970: Robert Brooks (Madison)

1969: Ron King (Central)

1968: Terry Davis (Shelby Co.)

1967: Jim McDaniels (Allen Co.)

1966: Mike Casey (Shelby Co.)

1965: Butch Beard (Breckinridge Co.)

1964: Wes Unseld (Seneca)

1963: Mike Redd (Seneca)

1962: Mike Silliman (St. Xavier)

1961: Randy Embry (Owensboro)

1960: Jeff Mullins (Lafayette)

1959: Pat Doyle (North Marshall)

1958: Harry Todd (Earlington)

1958: Ralph Richardson (Russell Co.)

1957: Billy Ray Lickert (Lafayette)

1956: Kelly Coleman (Wayland)

MISS BASKETBALL

2022: Amiya Jenkins (Anderson Co.)

2021: Brooklynn Miles (Franklin Co.)

2020: Maddie Scherr (Ryle)

2019: Savannah Wheeler (Boyd Co.)

2018: Seygan Robins (Mercer Co.)

2017: Lindsey Duvall (Bullitt East)

2016: Erin Boley (Elizabethtown)

2015: Maci Morris (Bell Co.)

2014: Ivy Brown (LaRue Co.)

2013: Makayla Epps (Marion Co.)

2012: Sydney Moss (Boone Co.)

2011: Sara Hammond (Rockcastle Co.)

2010: Sarah Beth Barnette (Lexington Christian)

2009: A’dia Mathies (Iroquois)

2008: Tia Gibbs (Butler)

2007: Rebecca Gray (Scott Co.)

2006: Arnika Brown (Christian Co.)

2005: Carly Ormerod (Sacred Heart)

2004: Crystal Kelly (Sacred Heart)

2003: Megen Gearhart (West Carter)

2002: Erica Hallman (Holmes)

2001: Katie Schwegmann (Brossart)

2000: Jenni Benningfield (Assumption)

1999: Jody Sizemore (Leslie Co.)

1998: Beth Vice (Montgomery Co.)

1997: Rachel Byars (Union Co.)

1996: Jaime Walz (Highlands)

1995: Ukari Figgs (Scott Co.)

1994: Laurie Townsend (Apollo)

1993: Brandi Ashby (Webster Co.)

1992: Becky McKinley (Bullitt East)

1991: Ida Bowen (Sheldon Clark)

1990: Kim Mays (Knox Central)

1989: Lisa Harrison (Southern)

1988: Kim Pehlke (Doss)

1987: Mary Taylor (Marshall Co.)

1986: Kris Miller (Owensboro Catholic)

1985: Brigette Combs (Whitesburg)

1984: Carol Parker (Marshall Co.)

1983: Clemette Haskins (Warren Central)

1982: Connie Goins (Western Hills)

1981: Lillie Mason (Olmstead)

1980: Lisa Collins (Laurel Co.)

1979: Beth Wilkerson (Paris)

1978: Irene Moore (Breathitt Co.)

1977: Geri Grigsby (McDowell)

1976: Donna Murphy (Newport)