Ohio Valley Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year

Ohio Valley Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year
Awarded forthe most outstanding basketball player in the Ohio Valley Conference
CountryUnited States
History
First award1963
Most recentRiley Minix, Morehead State

The Ohio Valley Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year is an annual award given to the Ohio Valley Conference's (OVC) most outstanding player. The award was first given following the 1962–63 season.

Fifteen players in OVC history have claimed more than one player of the year award, the most recent of whom was Terry Taylor in 2020 and 2021. Among the repeat winners, only one—Clem Haskins of Western Kentucky—has been a three-time player of the year. Haskins achieved the feat from 1965 through 1967.

Both of the schools with the most awards left the OVC in 2022. Murray State, which has dominated the award's selection, with its players having received the award 21 times (which at the Racers' departure was equal to the total of the next three programs on the list), joined the Missouri Valley Conference. Second-place Austin Peay, with eight awards, joined the Atlantic Sun Conference. Among schools remaining in the OVC after 2022, Morehead State has the most awards with eight. Five current OVC members have yet to produce a winner, but three (Lindenwood, Little Rock, Southern Indiana) played their first OVC seasons in 2022–23 and Western Illinois played its first OVC season in 2023–24. The only pre-2022 member without a winner is SIU Edwardsville. Among former members, the only one that was a member during the award's existence that did not have a winner is East Tennessee State.[a]

Three ties have occurred for player of the year: 1976, 1983 and 2013. No OVC Men's Basketball Player of the Year has ever been selected as any national player of the year.

Key

[edit]
† Co-Players of the Year
* Awarded a national player of the year award:
Helms Foundation College Basketball Player of the Year (1904–05 to 1978–79)
UPI College Basketball Player of the Year (1954–55 to 1995–96)
Naismith College Player of the Year (1968–69 to present)
John R. Wooden Award (1976–77 to present)
Player (X) Denotes the number of times the player has been awarded the OVC Player of the Year award at that point

Winners

[edit]
Harold Sergent, Morehead State, 1963
Clem Haskins, Western Kentucky, 1965 through 1967
Wayne Chapman, Western Kentucky, 1968
Jim McDaniels, Western Kentucky, 1970 and 1971
Fly Williams, Austin Peay, 1974
Otis Howard, Austin Peay, 1977 and 1978
Marcus Brown, Murray State, 1995 and 1996
De'Teri Mayes, Murray State, 1998
Trenton Hassell, Austin Peay, 2001
Henry Domercant, Eastern Illinois, 2002
Lester Hudson, UT Martin, 2008 and 2009
Kenneth Faried, Morehead State, 2010 and 2011
Isaiah Canaan, Murray State, 2012 and 2013
Ian Clark, Belmont, 2013
J. J. Mann, Belmont, 2014
Cameron Payne, Murray State, 2015
Ja Morant, Murray State, 2019
Terry Taylor, Austin Peay, 2020 and 2021
Season Player School Position Class Reference
1962–63 Harold Sergent Morehead State PG Sophomore [1]
1963–64 Jim Jennings Murray State F Senior [2]
1964–65 Clem Haskins Western Kentucky SG Sophomore [3]
1965–66 Clem Haskins (2) Western Kentucky SG Junior [3]
1966–67 Clem Haskins (3) Western Kentucky SG Senior [3]
1967–68 Wayne Chapman Western Kentucky SG / SF Senior [4]
1968–69 Claude Virden Murray State SF Junior [5]
1969–70 Jim McDaniels Western Kentucky C Junior [6]
1970–71 Jim McDaniels (2) Western Kentucky C Senior [6]
1971–72 Les Taylor Murray State SF Junior [7]
1972–73 Les Taylor (2) Murray State SF Senior [7]
1973–74 Fly Williams Austin Peay PG Sophomore [8]
1974–75 George Sorrell Middle Tennessee PF Senior [9]
1975–76† Johnny Britt Western Kentucky PG Senior [10]
Tim Sisneros Middle Tennessee C Senior [10]
1976–77 Otis Howard Austin Peay SF Junior [11]
1977–78 Otis Howard (2) Austin Peay SF Senior [11]
1978–79 James Tillman Eastern Kentucky F Junior [12]
1979–80 Gary Hooker Murray State PF Senior [13]
1980–81 Jerry Beck Middle Tennessee PF Junior [14]
1981–82 Jerry Beck (2) Middle Tennessee PF Senior [14]
1982–83† Glen Green Murray State SF Senior [15]
Joe Jakubick Akron SG Junior [15]
1983–84 Joe Jakubick (2) Akron SG Senior [16]
1984–85 Stephen Kite Tennessee Tech F Junior [17]
1985–86 Marcel Boyce Akron SF Junior [18]
1986–87 Bob McCann Morehead State PF Senior [19]
1987–88 Jeff Martin Murray State SG Junior [20]
1988–89 Jeff Martin (2) Murray State SG Senior [20]
1989–90 Popeye Jones Murray State PF Sophomore [21]
1990–91 Popeye Jones (2) Murray State PF Junior [22]
1991–92 Brett Roberts Morehead State SF Senior [23]
1992–93 Carlos Rogers Tennessee State C Junior [24]
1993–94 Carlos Rogers (2) Tennessee State C Senior [25]
1994–95 Marcus Brown Murray State SG Junior [26]
1995–96 Marcus Brown (2) Murray State SG Senior [26]
1996–97 Bubba Wells Austin Peay SF Senior [27]
1997–98 De'Teri Mayes Murray State PG / SG Senior [28]
1998–99 Bud Eley Southeast Missouri State C Senior [29]
1999–00 Aubrey Reese Murray State PG Senior [30]
2000–01 Trenton Hassell Austin Peay SF / SG Junior [31]
2001–02 Henry Domercant Eastern Illinois SG Junior [32]
2002–03 Ricky Minard Morehead State PG / SG Junior [33]
2003–04 Cuthbert Victor Murray State SF Senior [34]
2004–05 Willie Jenkins Tennessee Tech C / PF Senior [35]
2005–06 J. Robert Merritt Samford PF Senior [36]
2006–07 Drake Reed Austin Peay SF Sophomore [37]
2007–08 Lester Hudson UT Martin PG Junior [38]
2008–09 Lester Hudson (2) UT Martin PG Senior [39]
2009–10 Kenneth Faried Morehead State PF / C Junior [40]
2010–11 Kenneth Faried (2) Morehead State PF / C Senior [40]
2011–12 Isaiah Canaan Murray State PG / SG Junior [41]
2012–13† Isaiah Canaan (2) Murray State PG / SG Senior [42]
Ian Clark Belmont SG Senior [42]
2013–14 J. J. Mann Belmont SF Senior [43]
2014–15 Cameron Payne Murray State PG Sophomore [44]
2015–16 Evan Bradds Belmont PF Junior [45]
2016–17 Evan Bradds (2) Belmont PF Senior [46]
2017–18 Jonathan Stark Murray State PG Senior [47]
2018–19 Ja Morant Murray State PG Sophomore [48]
2019–20 Terry Taylor Austin Peay PF Junior [49]
2020–21 Terry Taylor (2) Austin Peay PF Senior [49]
2021–22 KJ Williams Murray State PF Senior [50]
2022–23 Mark Freeman Morehead State PG Senior [51]
2023–24 Riley Minix Morehead State SF Graduate [52]

Winners by school

[edit]
School (year joined) Winners Years
Murray State (1948)[b] 21 1964, 1969, 1972, 1973, 1980, 1983†, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2004, 2012, 2013†, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2022
Austin Peay (1962)[b] 8 1974, 1977, 1978, 1997, 2001, 2007, 2020, 2021
Morehead State (1948) 8 1963, 1987, 1992, 2003, 2010, 2011, 2023, 2024
Western Kentucky (1948)[c] 7 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968†, 1970, 1971, 1976†
Belmont (2012)[b] 4 2013†, 2014, 2016, 2017
Middle Tennessee (1952)[d] 4 1975, 1976†, 1981, 1982
Akron (1980)[e] 3 1983†, 1984, 1986
Tennessee State (1986) 2 1993, 1994
Tennessee Tech (1949) 2 1985, 2005
UT Martin (1992) 2 2008, 2009
Eastern Illinois (1996) 1 2002
Eastern Kentucky (1948)[f] 1 1979
Samford (2003)[g] 1 2006
Southeast Missouri State (1991) 1 1999
East Tennessee State (1958)[h] 0 —
Jacksonville State (2003)[f] 0 —
Lindenwood (2022) 0 —
Little Rock (2022) 0 —
SIU Edwardsville (2008) 0 —
Southern Indiana (2022) 0 —
Western Illinois (2023) 0 —

Footnotes

[edit]
  1. ^ Three charter OVC members left before the award was established: Louisville after the league's first season in 1949, and Evansville and Marshall in 1952.
  2. ^ a b c Austin Peay State University, Belmont University, and Murray State University left the OVC in 2022. Peay joined the Atlantic Sun Conference (then branded as the ASUN Conference), and Belmont and Murray State joined the Missouri Valley Conference.
  3. ^ Western Kentucky University left in 1982 to join the Sun Belt Conference, and is now in Conference USA (CUSA).
  4. ^ Middle Tennessee State University left in 2000 to join the Sun Belt Conference, and is now in CUSA.
  5. ^ The University of Akron left in 1987 to become an Independent. The Zips are now in the Mid-American Conference.
  6. ^ a b Eastern Kentucky University and Jacksonville State University left in 2021 to join the Atlantic Sun Conference (then branded as the ASUN Conference). JSU moved to CUSA in 2023.
  7. ^ Samford University left in 2008 to join the SoCon.
  8. ^ East Tennessee State University left in 1978 to join the Southern Conference (SoCon). The Buccaneers returned to the SoCon in 2014 after nine seasons in the Atlantic Sun Conference.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Harold Sergent Is Player of the Year". The Jackson Sun. Jackson, Tennessee. March 24, 1963. p. 18. Retrieved February 7, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "Jim Jennings Named Player Of Year In OVC". The Mayfield Messenger. Mayfield, Kentucky. March 7, 1964. p. 5. Retrieved February 7, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ a b c "Haskins Named Top Player". Fort Lauderdale News. Fort Lauderdale, Florida. March 10, 1967. p. 42. Retrieved February 7, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Chapman Is OVC Player Of Year". Park City Daily News. Bowling Green, Kentucky. March 12, 1968. p. 9. Retrieved February 7, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Viden And Luther Cop OVC Honors". The Paducah Sun. Paducah, Kentucky. March 9, 1969. p. 36. Retrieved February 7, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ a b "Jim McDaniels named OVC Player of Year". Johnson City Press. Johnson City, Tennessee. March 12, 1971. p. 13. Retrieved February 7, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ a b "Les Taylor Tabbed OVC Player Of Year". The Messenger. Madisonville, Kentucky. March 22, 1973. p. 4. Retrieved February 7, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Fly Williams Is Named OVC Player Of The Year". The Times. Corbin, Kentucky. March 20, 1974. p. 3. Retrieved February 7, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Sorrell Named OVC Player Of Year". The Messenger. Madisonville, Kentucky. March 12, 1975. p. 13. Retrieved February 7, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ a b "Western's Britt Named Co-MVP In Ohio Valley". The Messenger. Madisonville, Kentucky. March 26, 1976. p. 9. Retrieved February 7, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ a b "'Otis' No. 1 in OVC". The Messenger. Madisonville, Kentucky. March 3, 1978. p. 9. Retrieved February 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "All-OVC team". Courier Journal. Louisville, Kentucky. March 1, 1979. p. 34. Retrieved February 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ Owen, Hugh (March 11, 1980). "Win Was A First For Gary Hooker". Alabama Journal. Montgomery, Alabama. p. 12. Retrieved February 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ a b "Beck named OVC Player of the Year". The Bee. Danville, Virginia. March 1, 1982. p. 10. Retrieved February 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ a b "Green shares top award, Oakley misses by a point". The Paducah Sun. Paducah, Kentucky. March 8, 1983. p. 15. Retrieved February 7, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "Jakubick OVC Player of the Year". Akron Beacon Journal. Akron, Ohio. March 5, 1984. p. 31. Retrieved February 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "OVC names top players and coaches". Lexington Herald-Leader. Lexington, Kentucky. March 2, 1985. p. 22. Retrieved February 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ "Akron junior named OVC player of year". The Marion Star. Marion, Ohio. March 4, 1986. p. 12. Retrieved February 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ "Colonels Defeat No. 2 Zips". The Leaf-Chronicle. Clarksville, Tennessee. March 7, 1987. p. 14. Retrieved February 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ a b "Martin is OVC Player of Year again". Courier Journal. Louisville, Kentucky. March 3, 1989. p. 15. Retrieved February 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ "Jones, Moorehead Are OVC's Players Of Year". The Leaf-Chronicle. Clarksville, Tennessee. March 6, 1990. p. 14. Retrieved February 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ Hale Jr., Monte (March 8, 1991). "Racers edge MTSU out for NCAA bid". The Daily News Journal. Murfreesboro, Tennessee. p. 9. Retrieved February 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ^ "Morehead's Roberts OVC Player of Year". Lexington Herald-Leader. Lexington, Kentucky. March 3, 1992. p. 21. Retrieved February 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. ^ Wood, Tom (March 17, 1993). "Rogers kept hangin' in". The Tennessean. Nashville, Tennessee. p. 17. Retrieved February 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  25. ^ Wood, Tom (March 13, 1994). "Will it only get better?". The Tennessean. Nashville, Tennessee. p. 172. Retrieved February 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  26. ^ a b "Brown, Luther receive OVC's top honors". The Daily News. Bowling Green, Kentucky. March 1, 1996. p. 10. Retrieved February 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  27. ^ "APSU basketball star to speak at youth day activities". The Leaf-Chronicle. Clarksville, Tennessee. March 22, 1997. p. 23. Retrieved February 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  28. ^ Bailey, Rick (March 1, 1998). "Mayes makes up for slow start as Murray cruises". Lexington Herald-Leader. Lexington, Kentucky. p. 27. Retrieved February 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  29. ^ Coleman, Anthony (March 1, 1999). "SEMO's Eley receives attention from NBA". The Tennessean. Nashville, Tennessee. p. 65. Retrieved February 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  30. ^ "Murray's Reese picked as OVC Player of Year". Courier Journal. Louisville, Kentucky. March 3, 2000. p. 28. Retrieved February 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  31. ^ Link, Dave (March 14, 2001). "Hassell nets honorable-mention". The Leaf-Chronicle. Clarksville, Tennessee. p. 15. Retrieved February 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  32. ^ "Domercant named mid-major All-American". Mattoon Journal Gazette. Mattoon, Illinois. March 8, 2002. p. 11. Retrieved February 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  33. ^ "All-conference teams (men): 2003 All-OVC". Courier Journal. Louisville, Kentucky. March 7, 2003. p. 40. Retrieved February 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  34. ^ "Murray's Victor wins OVC honor". The Advocate-Messenger. Danville, Kentucky. March 5, 2004. p. 13. Retrieved February 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  35. ^ Wright, Tom (March 4, 2005). "Govs–Tech in OVC semifinals a yearly ritual". The Leaf-Chronicle. Clarksville, Tennessee. p. 13. Retrieved February 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  36. ^ "Cronin receives OVC coaching honors". The Paducah Sun. Paducah, Kentucky. March 2, 2006. p. 13. Retrieved February 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  37. ^ "Austin Peay leads All-OVC selections". The Mayfield Messenger. Mayfield, Kentucky. March 2, 2007. p. 6. Retrieved February 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  38. ^ "Hudson awarded". The Jackson Sun. Jackson, Tennessee. March 7, 2008. p. 29. Retrieved February 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  39. ^ Borenstein, Matthew (March 31, 2009). "UTM's Hudson earns national honor". The Jackson Sun. Jackson, Tennessee. p. 11. Retrieved February 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  40. ^ a b "Morehead State's Faried repeats as top OVC player". Mattoon Journal Gazette. Mattoon, Illinois. March 2, 2011. p. 9. Retrieved February 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  41. ^ "Canaan picks up more All-America honors". The Paducah Sun. Paducah, Kentucky. March 28, 2012. p. B5. Retrieved February 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  42. ^ a b "Canaan shares OVC top player with Clark". The Paducah Sun. Paducah, Kentucky. March 5, 2013. p. B1. Retrieved February 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  43. ^ "Belmont player, coach get national recognition". The Tennessean. Nashville, Tennessee. March 31, 2014. p. C2. Retrieved February 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  44. ^ "Murray State dominates OVC awards". Messenger-Inquirer. Owensboro, Kentucky. March 4, 2015. p. B2. Retrieved February 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  45. ^ "Bradds earns district honors". Gazette News-Courant. Xenia, Ohio. March 10, 2016. p. 16. Retrieved February 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  46. ^ Organ, Mike (March 1, 2017). "Belmont coaches, players earn most of OVC's top annual awards". The Tennessean. Nashville, Tennessee. p. C6. Retrieved February 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  47. ^ "'A lot of toughness for the Racers'". Knoxville News Sentinel. Knoxville, Tennessee. March 14, 2018. p. 22. Retrieved February 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  48. ^ Marlowe, Ed (March 6, 2019). "Top awards kind to Murray State". The Cadiz Record. Cadiz, Kentucky. p. B2. Retrieved February 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  49. ^ a b Robinson, George (March 6, 2021). "Taylor's career at Austin Peay was bittersweet". The Tennessean. Nashville, Tennessee. p. B3. Retrieved February 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  50. ^ "Williams & McMahon named to OVC's top honors". The Paducah Sun. Paducah, Kentucky. March 2, 2022. p. B1. Retrieved February 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  51. ^ "Player to watch: Mark Freeman". The Greenville News. Greenville, South Carolina. March 15, 2023. p. C2. Retrieved February 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  52. ^ Drummond, Cameron (March 20, 2024). "Transfer Riley Minix leads Morehead State into NCAA Tournament". Lexington Herald-Leader. Lexington, Kentucky. p. B8. Retrieved June 24, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
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