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2019-20 All-OVC Men's Basketball Teams and Award Winners (PDF)
BRENTWOOD, Tenn. - Austin Peay junior forward
Terry Taylor was named the 2019-20 Ohio Valley Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year while teammate
Jordyn Adams was tabbed the OVC Freshman of the Year and Belmont sophomore guard
Grayson Murphy was named OVC Defensive Player of the Year. In additional voting Eastern Kentucky's
A.W. Hamilton was named OVC Coach of the Year. The awards were voted on by league head coaches and communications directors.
After being named OVC Freshman of the Year and then a first-team All-OVC as a sophomore, Taylor elevated his game during his junior campaign, ranking among the national leaders in scoring and rebounding. Entering the postseason he ranks 10th nationally in rebounding (10.8/game) and 13th in scoring (21.4 points/game), making him the only Division I player to rank in the Top 15 nationally in both categories. He is also ninth nationally in double-doubles (16) and offensive rebounding (4.03/game), 27th in minutes played (36:43/game) and 40th in field goal percentage (55.1%). Taylor has scored in double figures in all but one game this season, including scoring a season-best 39 points against McKendree (one of five games this season where he scored 30 or more points). Taylor had 26 points and 23 rebounds against Belmont on February 8, the one of just 10 20/20 games in the OVC over the past decade and one of 15 in Division I in 2019-20. His 23 rebounds in the game where the most by an OVC player since Morehead State's Kenneth Faried in January 2011. Along the way he was named OVC Player of the Week eight times, which tied the OVC's single-season mark (also established by Faried in 2010-11 and Murray State's Ja Morant a year ago). Entering this week he is one of six active players nationally with 1,850 points and 900 rebounds and he is on pace to become just the fifth player in OVC history with 2,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds. Taylor helped Austin Peay to its first back-to-back 20 win seasons since 2006-07 and 2007-08 and an undefeated home record as the Govs extended its home court winning streak to 16 games. The Govs also ended a five-game losing streak to rival Murray State and now increased its win total in Conference games in each of the last three years (from 12 to 13 to 14); the 14 OVC wins this year are the most since the 2007-08 APSU team. It marks the seventh time an Austin Peay player has won the Player of the Year honor and first since Drake Reed in 2006-07. The other winners included James "Fly" Williams (1973-74), Otis Howard (1976-77 and 1977-78), Bubba Wells (1996-97) and Trenton Hassell (2000-01). Taylor, who earned OVC Freshman of the Year honors in 2018, is only the fifth player in OVC history to win both OVC Freshman of the Year and Player of the Year awards in a career (joining Austin Peay's Bubba Wells, Morehead State's Ricky Minard and Murray State's Isaiah Canaan and Cameron Payne).
Adams enters the postseason ranked second nationally among freshmen in scoring (17.8 points/game), trailing only Anthony Edwards of Georgia (19.8 points/game), who could be the No. 1 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft. Adams scored in double figures in 27 of Austin Peay's 31 games including a season-best 37 against Tennessee State on January 23 (one of four times he scored 30 or more points in a game). During the year he was named OVC Freshman of the Week 10 times, which was one off the all-time record held by Eastern Kentucky's Matt Witt (2002-03). In Conference-only games Adams increased his average to 19.6 points/game, which was fifth in the OVC. Adams enters the OVC Tournament with 551 points, the second-most by a freshman in Austin Peay history (he passed Terry Taylor in the team's regular season finale). He has connected on 58 made 3-pointers, which is the most in program history by a freshman. Adams is the sixth APSU player to be named OVC Freshman of the Year, joining Rick Yudt (1991-92), Bubba Wells (1994-95), Joe Sibbitt (1995-96), Chris Horton (2012-13) and Terry Taylor (2017-18).
It marks only the third time in OVC history that a school has had the Player and Freshman of the Year in the same season, joining Tennessee State in 1993-94 (Carlos Rogers and Monty Wilson) and UT Martin in 2007-08 (Lester Hudson and Marquis Weddle).
In just his sophomore season, Murphy has played a big part in Belmont winning its second-straight OVC regular season championship (and sixth in eight years as a member of the OVC). Murphy leads the nation in rebounding from the point guard position (7.5/game) and is fourth among all players in Division I in steals (2.74). Overall his 85 steals through 31 games established a Belmont NCAA Division I Era record and are tied for the ninth-most in OVC single-season history, just five swipes away from fifth place and 10 away from third place. He had multiple steals in 14 of his last 15 games. He has netted five or more steals in a game six times this season including a career-high seven against each Jacksonville State and Eastern Kentucky. Those seven steal games are tied for the 14th-most by a player nationally this season. In the win over Jacksonville State on February 1, the sophomore had eight points, five rebounds, six assists and seven steals, making him one of only five Division I players to have a game with that stat line (and one of only three players to do it against a Division I team). Despite standing just 6'2", Murphy had seven games with double-digit rebounds, including a career-high 13 in a win over Lipscomb in November. Murphy, who tallied six double-doubles during the regular season, also ranks second nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.98) and 18th in assists (6.3/game). He helped the Bruins to rank second in the OVC in scoring defense (68.3 points/game allowed) and third in field goal defense (41.8%). Murphy is the second Belmont player (joining Ian Clark in 2012-13) to be named OVC Defensive Player of the Year since the award was first handed out in 2008-09.
In his second season, Hamilton helped guide Eastern Kentucky to its first OVC Tournament appearance since 2015, as the Colonels claimed fourth place with a mark of 12-6 this season. After struggling against a tough non-conference schedule, EKU got off to a 9-2 start in OVC play, its best conference start in 41 years. EKU's 12 conference wins are tied for the third-most in program history, as only the 1964-65 and 2006-07 teams won more (each of those won 13). Hamilton has installed a fast-paced offense and pressure defense that saw the Colonels rank fifth nationally in forced turnovers (18.23/game), ninth in steals (9.2/game) and 12th in turnover margin (+4.2/game) during the regular season. Hamilton is the fifth EKU individual to be named OVC Coach of the Year and first since Max Good in 1986-87.
ALL-OVC TEAMS
This year's first and second-team All-OVC squads included 16 players from 10 different OVC schools. Belmont had three selections while Austin Peay and Murray State had two picks apiece. The first and second-teams included two seniors, three juniors, 10 sophomores and one freshman.
Taylor, the OVC Player of the Year, was the top vote getter in earning his third-straight first-team All-OVC honor. He was one of three players to repeat as first-team selections as he was joined by Belmont sophomore center
Nick Muszynski (15.2 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.5 blocks/game, 59.8 FG%) and Eastern Illinois junior guard
Josiah Wallace (15.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists/game, 46.4 FG%).
The All-OVC first-team also included Belmont's Murphy, the OVC Defensive Player of the Year, and Austin Peay's Adams, the OVC Freshman of the Year. One other player, UT Martin senior forward
Quintin Dove (20.2 points, 7.9 rebounds/game, 56.5 FG%), was a second-team pick a year ago and moved up to the first-team this year. The first-team was rounded out by Murray State sophomore guard
Tevin Brown (17.7 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists/game, 80 made 3-pointers) and sophomore forward
KJ Williams (12.7 points, 7.3 rebounds/game, 54.4 FG%), Eastern Kentucky sophomore guard
Jomaru Brown (18.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists/game, 43 made 3-pointers) and Belmont sophomore guard
Adam Kunkel (16.6 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists/game, 80 made 3-pointers).
The All-OVC second-team (which included six individuals due to a tie in voting) included one repeat selection from a year ago in Tennessee Tech sophomore guard
Jr. Clay (13.4 points, 3.9 assists, 3.6 rebounds, 1.8 steals/game). The other selections included Tennessee State sophomore guard
Carlos Marshall Jr. (11.8 points, 4.3 rebounds/game, 51 made 3-pointers), UT Martin sophomore guard
Parker Stewart (19.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists/game, 71 made 3-pointers), Jacksonville State senior forward
Jacara Cross (12.6 points, 4.5 rebounds/game, 61.2 FG%), Eastern Kentucky sophomore forward
Tre King (11.5 points, 5.0 rebounds/game, 52.8 FG%) and Eastern Illinois junior guard
Mack Smith (13.3 points, 3.2 rebounds/game, 75 made 3-pointers).
Adams, the OVC Freshman of the Year, was also an All-Newcomer selection in addition to being a first-team pick. He was joined by second-team picks in UTM's Stewart and TSU's Marshall. The team was rounded out by Eastern Illinois junior forward
George Dixon (11.1 points, 8.7 rebounds/game, 53.1 FG%) and Jacksonville State junior
Kayne Henry (11.2 points, 6.8 rebounds/game, 51.2 FG%).
2019-20 All-OVC Teams and Award Winners
OVC Player of the Year: Terry Taylor, Austin Peay
OVC Defensive Player of the Year: Grayson Murphy, Belmont
OVC Freshman of the Year: Jordyn Adams, Austin Peay
OVC Coach of the Year: A.W. Hamilton, Eastern Kentucky
ALL-OVC FIRST TEAM
Terry Taylor, Austin Peay
Tevin Brown, Murray State
Grayson Murphy, Belmont
Jomaru Brown, Eastern Kentucky
Nick Muszynski, Belmont
Jordyn Adams, Austin Peay
Josiah Wallace, Eastern Illinois
Quintin Dove, UT Martin
Adam Kunkel, Belmont
KJ Williams, Murray State
ALL-OVC SECOND TEAM
Carlos Marshall Jr., Tennessee State
Parker Stewart, UT Martin
Jr. Clay, Tennessee Tech
Jacara Cross, Jacksonville State
Tre King, Eastern Kentucky
Mack Smith, Eastern Illinois
ALL-NEWCOMER TEAM
Jordyn Adams, Austin Peay
Parker Stewart, UT Martin
George Dixon, Eastern Illinois
Carlos Marshall Jr., Tennessee State
Kayne Henry, Jacksonville State
****There are 6 people on the All-OVC Second Team due to a tie in voting.