| Ohio Valley Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year | |
 | |
| Awarded for | the most outstanding basketball player in the Ohio Valley Conference |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| First awarded | 1963 |
| Currently held by | Terry Taylor, Austin Peay |
The Ohio Valley Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year is an annual basketball award given to the Ohio Valley Conference's (OVC) most outstanding player. The award was first given following the 1962–63 season. The most recent winner is Terry Taylor, a power forward for Austin Peay. Taylor, who received the award in both 2020 and 2021, is also the most recent of the 15 players who have received more than one award. 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.
Murray State dominates the award's selection, as it has had 15 players combine for 20 awards. Murray State's award total is nearly equal to that of the three schools with the next-most awards (Austin Peay with eight, Western Kentucky with seven, and Morehead State with six). Of current OVC members, only SIU Edwardsville, which joined in 2008, has not had a winner. However, the conference's newest member, Belmont (which joined in 2012), had a player win at least a share of the award in four of its first five seasons in the league.
Four ties have occurred for player of the year: 1968, 1976, 1983, and 2013. No OVC Player of the Year has ever been selected as any national player of the year.
Key[]
| † | Co-Players of the Year |
| * | Awarded a national Player of the Year award: the Naismith College Player of the Year or the John R. Wooden Award |
| Player (X) | Denotes the number of times the player has been awarded the Player of the Year award at that point |
Winners[]
Marcus Brown, the winner in 1995 and 1996, later played in the EuroLeague.
Bud Eley took home player of the year in 1999 while at Southeast Missouri State.
Trenton Hassell won as a junior in 2001.
| Season | Player | School | Position | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962–63 | Harold Sergent | Morehead State | Guard | Sophomore |
| 1963–64 | Jim Jennings | Murray State | Forward | Senior |
| 1964–65 | Clem Haskins | Western Kentucky | Shooting guard | Sophomore |
| 1965–66 | Clem Haskins (2) | Western Kentucky | Shooting guard | Junior |
| 1966–67 | Clem Haskins (3) | Western Kentucky | Shooting guard | Senior |
| 1967–68† | Wayne Chapman | Western Kentucky | Shooting guard / Small forward | Senior |
| 1967–68† | Skeeter Swift | East Tennessee State | Guard | Junior |
| 1968–69 | Claude Virden | Murray State | Small forward | Sophomore |
| 1969–70 | Jim McDaniels | Western Kentucky | Center | Junior |
| 1970–71 | Jim McDaniels (2) | Western Kentucky | Center | Senior |
| 1971–72 | Les Taylor | Murray State | Small forward | Junior |
| 1972–73 | Les Taylor (2) | Murray State | Small forward | Senior |
| 1973–74 | Fly Williams | Austin Peay | Point guard | Sophomore |
| 1974–75 | George Sorrell | Middle Tennessee | Power forward | Senior |
| 1975–76† | Johnny Britt | Western Kentucky | Point guard | Senior |
| 1975–76† | Tim Sisneros | Middle Tennessee | Center | Senior |
| 1976–77 | Otis Howard | Austin Peay | Small forward | Junior |
| 1977–78 | Otis Howard (2) | Austin Peay | Small forward | Senior |
| 1978–79 | Turk Tillman | Eastern Kentucky | Forward | Junior |
| 1979–80 | Gary Hooker | Murray State | Power forward | Senior |
| 1980–81 | Jerry Beck | Middle Tennessee | Power forward | Junior |
| 1981–82 | Jerry Beck (2) | Middle Tennessee | Power forward | Senior |
| 1982–83† | Glen Green | Murray State | Small forward | Senior |
| 1982–83† | Joe Jakubick | Akron | Shooting guard | Junior |
| 1983–84 | Joe Jakubick (2) | Akron | Shooting guard | Senior |
| 1984–85 | Stephen Kite | Tennessee Tech | Forward | Junior |
| 1985–86 | Marcel Boyce | Akron | Small forward | Senior |
| 1986–87 | Bob McCann | Morehead State | Power forward | Senior |
| 1987–88 | Jeff Martin | Murray State | Shooting guard | Junior |
| 1988–89 | Jeff Martin (2) | Murray State | Shooting guard | Senior |
| 1989–90 | Popeye Jones | Murray State | Power forward | Sophomore |
| 1990–91 | Popeye Jones (2) | Murray State | Power forward | Junior |
| 1991–92 | Brett Roberts | Morehead State | Small forward | Senior |
| 1992–93 | Carlos Rogers | Tennessee State | Center | Junior |
| 1993–94 | Carlos Rogers (2) | Tennessee State | Center | Senior |
| 1994–95 | Marcus Brown | Murray State | Shooting guard | Junior |
| 1995–96 | Marcus Brown (2) | Murray State | Shooting guard | Senior |
| 1996–97 | Bubba Wells | Austin Peay | Small forward | Senior |
| 1997–98 | De'Teri Mayes | Murray State | Point guard / Shooting guard | Senior |
| 1998–99 | Bud Eley | Southeast Missouri State | Center | Senior |
| 1999–00 | Aubrey Reese | Murray State | Point guard | Senior |
| 2000–01 | Trenton Hassell | Austin Peay | Small forward / Shooting guard | Junior |
| 2001–02 | Henry Domercant | Eastern Illinois | Shooting guard | Junior |
| 2002–03 | Ricky Minard | Morehead State | Point guard / Shooting guard | Junior |
| 2003–04 | Cuthbert Victor | Murray State | Small forward | Senior |
| 2004–05 | Willie Jenkins | Tennessee Tech | Center / Power forward | Senior |
| 2005–06 | J. Robert Merritt | Samford | Power forward | Senior |
| 2006–07 | Drake Reed | Austin Peay | Small forward | Sophomore |
| 2007–08 | Lester Hudson | UT Martin | Point guard | Junior |
| 2008–09 | Lester Hudson (2) | UT Martin | Point guard | Senior |
| 2009–10 | Kenneth Faried | Morehead State | Power forward / Center | Junior |
| 2010–11 | Kenneth Faried (2) | Morehead State | Power forward / Center | Senior |
| 2011–12 | Isaiah Canaan | Murray State | Point guard / Shooting guard | Junior |
| 2012–13† | Isaiah Canaan (2) | Murray State | Point guard / Shooting guard | Senior |
| 2012–13† | Ian Clark | Belmont | Shooting guard | Senior |
| 2013–14 | J. J. Mann | Belmont | Small forward | Senior |
| 2014–15 | Cameron Payne | Murray State | Point guard | Sophomore |
| 2015–16 | Evan Bradds | Belmont | Power forward | Junior |
| 2016–17 | Evan Bradds (2) | Belmont | Power forward | Senior |
| 2017–18 | Jonathan Stark | Murray State | Point guard | Senior |
| 2018–19 | Ja Morant | Murray State | Point guard | Sophomore |
| 2019–20 | Terry Taylor | Austin Peay | Power forward | Junior |
| 2020–21 | Terry Taylor (2) | Austin Peay | Power forward | Senior |
Winners by school[]
| School (year joined) | Winners | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Murray State (1948) | 20 | 1964, 1969, 1972, 1973, 1980, 1983†, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2004, 2012, 2013†, 2015, 2018, 2019 |
| Austin Peay (1962) | 8 | 1974, 1977, 1978, 1997, 2001, 2007, 2020, 2021 |
| Western Kentucky (1948)[a] | 7 | 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968†, 1970, 1971, 1976† |
| Morehead State (1948) | 6 | 1963, 1987, 1992, 2003, 2010, 2011 |
| Belmont (2012) | 4 | 2013†, 2014, 2016, 2017 |
| Middle Tennessee (1952)[b] | 4 | 1975, 1976†, 1981, 1982 |
| Akron (1980)[c] | 3 | 1983†, 1984, 1986 |
| Tennessee State (1986) | 2 | 1993, 1994 |
| Tennessee Tech (1949) | 2 | 1985, 2005 |
| UT Martin (1992) | 2 | 2008, 2009 |
| East Tennessee State (1958)[d] | 1 | 1968† |
| Eastern Illinois (1996) | 1 | 2002 |
| Eastern Kentucky (1948)[e] | 1 | 1979 |
| Samford (2003)[f] | 1 | 2006 |
| Southeast Missouri State (1991) | 1 | 1999 |
| Jacksonville State (2003)[e] | 0 | — |
| SIU Edwardsville (2008) | 0 | — |
Footnotes[]
- a Western Kentucky University left in 1982 to join the Sun Belt Conference, and is now in Conference USA (C-USA).
- b Middle Tennessee State University left in 2000 to join the Sun Belt Conference, and is now in C-USA.
- c The University of Akron left in 1987 to join the Mid-American Conference.
- d East Tennessee State University left in 1978 to join the league now known as the ASUN Conference, and is now in the Southern Conference.
- e Eastern Kentucky University and Jacksonville State University left in 2021 to join the ASUN Conference.
- f Samford University left in 2008 to join the Southern Conference.
References[]
- "Men's Basketball Media Guide" (PDF). Individual Honors (pg. 4). Ohio Valley Conference. http://www.ovcsports.com//pdf5/653243.pdf?SPSID=31046&SPID=2443&DB_OEM_ID=6200. Retrieved 20 May 2010.