Story by Keith Jaco
Staff writer
rjaco@murraystate.edu
Each season, OVC head coaches and sports information directors vote on year-end awards for various categories including Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, First and Second teams, and All-Newcomers (freshmen or transfers).
Murray State men’s and women’s basketball players each received numerous OVC postseason awards on Tuesday, March 5.
Sophomore guard Ja Morant headlined the cast of winners, taking home OVC Player of the Year. Morant finished the season averaging 24.1 ppg, 10.3 apg and 5.5 rpg, staying on track to become the only player in Division I history to average 20 ppg and 10 apg for an entire season. Morant is the 15th player in Murray State history to win POTY and marks the 20th time a Racer player has received the award.
Murray State earned back-to-back OVC POTY awards for the first time since Isaiah Canaan completed the feat in 2011-12 and 2012-13. This is the first time the Racers have had POTY awards handed out to two seperate players instead of a repeat winner.
Senior guard Shaq Buchanan was named the OVC Defensive Player of the Year, helping the Racers earn first place in defensive scoring on the season, allowing opponents 67.7 ppg. Buchanan finished the season tied with Morant for third in steals in the OVC, each averaging 1.9 spg and 54 total in 29 games. Buchanan is the first Racer to win the DPOTY award since Jewuan Long in 2012 and only the second since it was first awarded in 2003.
Morant was also named to the All-OVC first-team for the second-straight season, joining Buchanan as the two Murray State selections.
Junior forward Darnell Cowart earned a spot on the OVC All-Newcomer list, averaging 10.3 ppg and 6.5 rpg. Cowart was a major factor for the Racers this season, earning 18.8 minutes per game off the bench and as a starter for the Racers helped them to their second consecutive and 26th-overall regular season OVC Championship. Cowart follows in the footsteps of Morant in 2018 and Jonathan Stark and Terrell Miller in 2017 to give Murray State its third consecutive season with a player on the OVC All-Newcomer list.
Murray State women’s freshman guard Macey Turley received the OVC Freshman of the Year award following a stellar first year as a Racer. Turley led all OVC freshmen with 14.0 ppg in league play and finished 11th overall in 29 games. Turley led the Racers in assists on the season, dishing out 127 and ranking fourth among the entire OVC at 4.4 apg. Turley also received a spot on the All-OVC second team as the only Racer to be named to the list. This is the Racers’ first Freshman of the Year recipient since Ke’Shunan James won the award in 2014-15.
Redshirt junior forward Evelyn Adebayo was named to the All-OVC first-team, placing second in the league in scoring at 18.4 ppg while leading the OVC with 11.5 rpg. Adebayo joined teammate Turley on the OVC All-Newcomer list as well, making Murray State the only team with multiple selections to this list.
Murray State women’s basketball team will begin their tournament run at 3 p.m. on Thursday, March 7, while the men’s basketball team will be back in action in the OVC Tournament at 9 p.m. on Friday, March 8. All games will be held at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana.