• 2021-22 All-OVC Men's Basketball Teams and Award Winners (PDF)
BRENTWOOD, Tenn. - Murray State fourth year forward
KJ Williams was named Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year while his coach
Matt McMahon earned OVC Coach of the Year honors in voting by league head coaches and communications directors. Additionally, Morehead State second year forward
Johni Broome was tabbed the OVC Defensive of the Year while Austin Peay's
Elijah Hutchins-Everett was named OVC Freshman of the Year.
Williams led the OVC in scoring (18.2 points/game) and was second in rebounding (8.5/game) in helping Murray State to a 28-2 overall record and perfect 18-0 league mark. The big man also ranked fourth in the OVC in field goal percentage (54.4%) and steals (1.5/game) while tallying 10 double-doubles. Entering the postseason his 223 made field goals ranks fourth nationally. His averages were even better in OVC play, as he averaged 19.4 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.0 steals/game while hitting 55.9 percent from the field. In February he was named the USBWA Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week, becoming just the fourth OVC player to earn that honor since it began in the 2009-10 season. During the week he averaged 30.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.5 steals and 1.5 blocks/game and hit 63.9 percent from the field in a pair of road victories; during the week he had 31 of his 39 points in the second half in a win over Tennessee State. That was one of three 30-point efforts for Williams during the season, who also had 32 points in the season-opener against Cumberland and 30 points in a Senior Day victory over Belmont. Williams is just the third Murray State player to tally 1,500 points and 800 rebounds in a career. Williams is the 16th Murray State player to take home the Player of the Year honor, and first since All-American Ja Morant in 2018-19.
McMahon took home his first OVC Coach of the Year award, helping the team rebuild from a 13-13 record a year ago to a 28-2 mark, undefeated Conference record and Top 20 national ranking entering the postseason. Murray State suffered a neutral site non-conference loss on November 22, and since its only defeat came at nationally-ranked Auburn on December 22. The 28 overall wins is the most of any Division I team, and the team's 18-game winning streak is tied for the longest entering the week. The Racers were just the sixth OVC team to go undefeated in league play and first to do it with an 18-0 mark (the 18 total OVC wins is tied for the most in league history). It marked the program's 28th overall OVC regular season crown and fourth in the past five seasons. On February 7 the Racers broke into the national Top 25 polls, the first OVC team to accomplish that feat since 2015 (a Murray State team that McMahon was an assistant coach on the staff) and entering the OVC Tournament the team has climbed to No. 22. The Racers were a perfect 15-0 at home and won 13 games at road or neutral sites. As of February 27 the Racers rank third nationally in scoring margin (+17.6/game), ninth in rebounding margin (+7.7/game), 18th in scoring defense (61.7 points/game), 20th in field goal percentage (48.1%) and 22nd in scoring offense (79.3 points/game). Overall McMahon is the 11th different Murray State coach to be named Coach of the Year (that group has won 17 total awards) and first since Steve Prohm in 2014-15.
Last year's OVC Freshman of the Year, Broome took his defensive efforts up a level this year, ranking third nationally in blocked shots (3.97/game) and ninth in rebounding (10.6/game) in helping Morehead State to 21 overall victories and a third-place finish in league play. Broome finished the regular season with 123 blocked shots, establishing a new Morehead State program record and tied for the third-most in OVC single-season history. In just two seasons Broome has 179 blocked shots, which is just six outside the OVC career top 10 list. In 10 games during the year he blocked six or more shots, including a career-high 12 at UT Martin on February 16. The 12 blocks was one off the OVC single-game record and tied for the most by a Division I player this season. Broome had a career-best 18 rebounds in a victory over Belmont, the most by an OVC player this season. Overall the second year player tallied 22 double-doubles, the third-most nationally and first MSU player to reach the 20 double-doubles in a season since All-American Kenneth Faried. Broome is the second Morehead State player to earn Defensive Player of the Year awards, joining Faried who won the award three-straight year from 2008-09 through 2010-11 (the first years the award was given out).
Hutchins-Everett started all 28 games of his rookie campaign, leading Austin Peay in scoring (12.5 points/game), rebounding (6.8/game), field goal percentage (51.6%) and blocked shots (11). Among all OVC players he ranked fifth in rebounding, ninth in field goal percentage and 12th in scoring. The rebounding and field goal totals were tops among OVC freshmen, while the scoring average ranked second. Hutchins-Everett tallied six double-doubles during the year, the fourth-most among OVC players. The freshman tallied season-highs of 25 points and 14 rebounds in a victory at Dayton on November 20. In the team's next game at Howard, Hutchins-Everett had 14 points and 10 rebounds and hit the game-winning field goal with 2.7 seconds left. Hutchins-Everett is the seventh 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), Terry Taylor (2017-18) and Jordyn Adams (2019-20).
ALL-OVC TEAMS
This year's first and second-team All-OVC squads included 15 players from eight different OVC schools. Both Belmont and Murray State had three selections apiece. The first and second-teams included three graduate students, seven juniors, three sophomores and two freshmen.
Williams, the OVC Player of the Year, was the top vote getter in earning his third first-team All-OVC honor. He was joined by teammate
Tevin Brown (16.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists/game, 94 3-pointers), who also earned his third first-team career honor. Also on the first-team was Belmont graduate student center
Nick Muszynski (15.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.7 blocks/game), who earned his fourth first-team All-OVC honor (making him one of four players in OVC history to accomplish that feat). Muszynski's teammate,
Grayson Murphy (7.6 points, 6.1 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 2.4 steals/game), also earned his third-straight first-team honor. A fifth player, Broome (16.5 points, 10.6 rebounds, 4.0 blocks/game), the OVC Defensive Player of the Year, was also a repeat first-team pick.
The All-OVC first-team also included Belmont's
Ben Sheppard (16.3 points, 3.9 rebounds/game), Murray State's
Justice Hill (13.0 points, 5.1 assists, 2.2 rebounds/game), Southeast Missouri's
Eric Reed Jr. (16.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists/game), UT Martin's
KJ Simon (16.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.6 blocks/game) and Morehead State's
Ta'Lon Cooper (9.0 points, 6.0 assists, 4.6 rebounds/game).
The All-OVC second-team included Hutchins-Everett, the OVC Freshman of the Year, Tennessee State's
Carlos Marshall Jr. (12.9 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists/game) and
Kassim Nicholson (11.6 points, 8.4 rebounds/game), Tennessee Tech's
Jr. Clay (13.3 points, 3.7 assists, 1.7 steals, 2.8 rebounds/game) and Southeast Missouri's
Phillip Russell (14.1 points, 3.1 assists, 2.5 rebounds/game). Clay earned his fourth-straight second-team honor.
Hutchins-Everett, the OVC Freshman of the Year and second-team All-OVC pick, headlined the OVC All-Newcomer Team. He was joined by first-team selection Simon and second-team selection Russell. The team was rounded out by Belmont freshman
Will Richard (11.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.9 assists/game) and SIUE redshirt freshman guard
Ray'Sean Taylor (17.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.2 assists/game).
2021-22 All-OVC Teams and Award Winners
OVC Player of the Year: KJ Williams, Murray State
OVC Defensive Player of the Year: Johni Broome, Morehead State
OVC Freshman of the Year: Elijah Hutchins-Everett, Austin Peay
OVC Coach of the Year: Matt McMahon, Murray State
ALL-OVC FIRST TEAM
KJ Williams, Murray State
Johni Broome, Morehead State
Tevin Brown, Murray State
Ben Sheppard, Belmont
Nick Muszynski, Belmont
Eric Reed Jr., Southeast Missouri
Grayson Murphy, Belmont
Justice Hill, Murray State
KJ Simon, UT Martin
Ta'Lon Cooper, Morehead State
ALL-OVC SECOND TEAM
Elijah Hutchins-Everett, Austin Peay
Carlos Marshall Jr., Tennessee State
Jr. Clay, Tennessee Tech
Kassim Nicholson, Tennessee State
Phillip Russell, Southeast Missouri
ALL-NEWCOMER TEAM
KJ Simon, UT Martin
Elijah Hutchins-Everett, Austin Peay
Phillip Russell, Southeast Missouri
Will Richard, Belmont
Ray'Sean Taylor, SIUE