JOHNSON COUNTY, Ky. (WMDJ) – The 15^th Region Coaches Association All-Region team was announced during a special banquet on Sunday, April 27th at Johnson Central High School. Region coaches chose each team member by popular vote. Here is a complete list of recipients for both boys and girls:

Coaches 15^th All-Region Boys Team:

Braxton Keathley – (So.) Prestonsburg

Parker Watts – (Sr.) Martin Co.

Ian Onkst – (Sr.) Pikeville

Austin Slone – (So.) Johnson Central

Ethan Cole – (So.) Paintsville

Cameron Pente – (Sr.) Betsy Layne

Braden Sheppard – (So.) Johnson Central

Jackson Keene – (Jr.) Pikeville

Kaiden Harris – (Jr.) Lawrence Co.

Gunnar Woods – (Jr.) Lawrence Co.

Hayden Perry – (So.) Lawrence Co.

Carter Parsons – (Jr.) Betsy Layne

Peyton Davis – (Sr.) Martin Co.

Chris Spriggs – (Jr.) Floyd Central

Walker Russell – (Jr.) Magoffin Co.

Player of the Year: Jaden Stewart of Pike Co. Central.

Coach of the Year: Chandler Thompson of Lawrence Co.

Boys Honorable Mention: Jaxon Estridge of Belfry, Brady Johnson of Shelby Valley, Grant Hall of Pike Co. Central, Mason McKenzie of Johnson Central, Caden Johnson of Shelby Valley, Bryson Dials of Martin County, Brock Woods of Paintsville, Kyle Rose of Johnson Central, Kaden Johnson of Lawrence County, Wesley Buck of Floyd Central, EB Walters of Pikeville, Devan Maynard of Martin County, Lucas Howard of Floyd Central, Dawson Montgomery of Johnson Central, Gavin Hamilton of Shelby Valley, Brody Little of Belfry, Carter Damron of East Ridge, Braydon Hall of Betsy Layne and Connor Napier of Prestonsburg.

Coaches 15^th All-Region Girls Team:

Kaylyn McKenzie – (Sr.) Johnson Central

Karlea Stanley – (Fr.) Johnson Central

Kylie Kinner – (So.) Paintsville

Macy Maynard – (Fr.) Martin Co.

Brooke Marcum – (Jr.) Martin Co.

Jada Patton – (Fr.) Lawrence Co.

Audrey Prater – (Sr.) Prestonsburg

Reagan Laferty – (Fr.) Floyd Central

Maddy Engle – (Fr.) Floyd Central

Jaden Pente – (Jr.) Betsy Layne

Shyla Kidd – (Jr.) Betsy Layne

Leighann Jackson – (Sr.) Pikeville

Kylie Alvin – (Jr.) Pikeville

Carleigh McCoy – (Jr.) Phelps

Abigail Hess – (Sr.) Pike Co. Central

Player of the Year: Sophie Adkins – (Sr.) Lawrence Co.

Coach of the Year: Jim Hicks – Johnson Central

Girls Honorable Mention: Nicole Lin of Pikeville, Haylee Marsillett of Johnson Central, Kinleigh Martin of Betsy Layne, Chloe Crase of Floyd Central, Adyson Burchett of Johnson Central, Abby Barnett of Magoffin County, Emma Keeton of Paintsville, Macy Williams of Magoffin County, Hannah Lafferty of Floyd Central, Chloe May of Pike Co. Central, Maddie Prater of Johnson Central, Cat Walters of Pikeville, Ashley Tackett of Prestonsburg, Sophie Harless of Martin County, Allie Slone of Johnson Central, Jade Fitzpatrick of Prestonsburg, Allison Howard of Prestonsburg, Addison Artrip of Lawrence County, Jayden Jarrell of Betsy Layne and Kylea Weddington of Phelps.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WMDJ) - Kentucky guard Travis Perry entered the transfer portal just ahead of last night’s deadline to enter.

The 30-day window closed at 11:59 p.m. Tuesday. The loss of Perry leaves the Wildcats with 12 scholarship players next season.

Perry played in 31 games last year and started four of those contests. He averaged 2.7 points, while shooting 18-for-56 (32 percent) from 3-point range. 

PIKE COUNTY, Ky. (WMDJ) – Former 15^th Region high school basketball coaching legend Randy McCoy has died.

McCoy spent over 40 years coaching high school basketball, most notably at Elkhorn City, where he captured a 15^th Region championship in 1993.

In 2001, McCoy led Pikeville College Men’s Basketball to the NAIA Fab Four before returning to the high school ranks, where he enjoyed success across the state at University Heights Academy, leading the Blazers to the 2008 All “A” State Classic title.

McCoy would return to Pike County, taking over the reins at East Ridge High School, leading the Warriors to the 2017 15^th Region All “A” championship.

McCoy would move to Florida where the coaching bug bit again in 2020, as he began leading Island Coast High School in Cape Coral. The Gators were (17-11) this past season.

McCoy was 69. Funeral arrangements have not been made as this release.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Kentucky men’s basketball team picked up a point guard as head coach Mark Pope announced on Friday that Jaland Lowe (pronounced JAY-lend), an All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection at Pittsburgh in 2024-25, will join the Wildcats next season.

“Jaland is an incredibly explosive, playmaking, veteran point guard,” Pope said. “He’s a great kid who has a tremendous work ethic and most importantly, loves this game and wants nothing more than to win.”

Lowe starred for the Panthers as a sophomore this past season, starting all 31 games in which he appeared while averaging a team-high 16.8 points per game to go along with 5.5 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 1.8 steals per contest. He was named a third team All-ACC selection and a National Association of Basketball Coaches Mid-Atlantic Second Team All-District honoree.

A 6-foot-3 lefty who hails from Missouri City, Texas, Lowe scored 20 or more points 10 times this past season while reaching double figures on 26 occasions. His playmaking abilities were often on display as the guard had 19 games with five or more assists and three with 10 or more helpers.

Lowe registered the sixth triple-double in Pitt program history with 11 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists against Virginia Military Institute on Nov. 18. Just over a week later, Lowe scored a career-high 28 points in an overtime win over Ohio State on Nov. 29. He led the Panthers with five double-doubles on the year and was also a disruptive defender, snatching a team-best 55 steals on the season, including 16 multi-theft games.

Pittsburgh faced two Southeastern Conference opponents this past season in LSU and Mississippi State. In those games, Lowe averaged 20.5 points, 6.0 rebounds 4.5 assists and 2.5 steals while shooting 8 for 16 (50.05) from 3-point range.

During his freshman campaign in 2023-24, Lowe finished the season averaging 9.6 points, 3.3 assists and 2.8 boards while starting the final 19 games of his 33 appearances. He scored in double-figures 17 times during his debut season, including 16 such games against ACC opponents. Lowe was selected as the ACC Rookie of the Week after averaging 18.5 points and 4.5 assists per game against Syracuse and Duke on Jan. 22, 2024. As a starter, he shot an impressive 40.3% from behind the 3-point arc.

Lowe was a four-star recruit out of Fort Bend Marshall High School. He was the winner of the Guy V. Lewis Award, given to the top boys’ basketball player in the Greater Houston area. As a high school senior, Lowe averaged 26.4 points, 8.1 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 3.1 steals and 2.3 blocks, leading his team to a 35-4 record, a 5A Region 3 finals appearance and a No. 3 state ranking. Lowe was named to the 23rd annual Jordan Brand Classic Team in 2023. He earned first team all-tournament honors at the 2022 Peach Jam after averaging 18.0 points, 5.0 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game at the event. Lowe’s godfather, John Lucas II, was the No. 1 pick in the 1976 NBA draft and played in the NBA from 1976-1990 before also coaching in the league from 1992-2003, including head coaching stints with San Antonio, Philadelphia and Cleveland.

Lowe has two years of eligibility remaining.

There was a coaching shakeup Friday in the 14^th Region as two power programs are searching for new leadership.

Veteran coach Al Holland has announced he is stepping away from Hazard High School. Holland had served as boys basketball coach since the start of the 2007-2008 season and has over 700 coaching wins and multiple region titles at Hazard and Perry County Central.

Knott County Central’s Casey Huff also announced he has stepped down as boys basketball coach after three seasons leading the Patriots. Huff was (56-39) with one district championship at Knott Central.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – A winner at every level, forward Mouhamed Dioubate (pronounced dee-ah-BOT-TAY) joined the Kentucky men’s basketball roster on Friday as announced by head coach Mark Pope. Dioubate will wear the Blue and White for the Cats after a two-year stint with Alabama.

“Mouhamed is a special young man who is a perfect fit for the way we play,” Pope said. “He is a ballhandling, decision-making, physical, competitor. Mo can play and guard all five positions and has a presence as a point forward which makes him uniquely suited to play for us.”  

Dioubate averaged 7.2 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game for the Crimson Tide in 2024-25. He scored double-figures in 13 outings and had five double-doubles. The 6-foot-7 forward poured in a career-best 22 points to couple with 10 boards in a win against Vanderbilt in late January. He had 10 points and a career-best 16 boards in an overtime win over Houston in November. Other noteworthy performances from his sophomore campaign include a 13-point, 10-rebound, four-assists outing vs. Missouri and 12 points, 12 rebounds and a pair of steals vs. Florida in the Southeastern Conference Tournament. Dioubate charted 18 points and 10 rebounds in the NCAA Tournament opener vs. Robert Morris.

He was third on the team in rebounds per game and second in total offensive boards (70). He generated a 61.7% field-goal clip and shot 46.2% from behind the arc in his sophomore season. Dioubate ranked second on the team in total steals (35) and was third in blocked shots (25) in just 16 minutes per game.

In three meetings vs. Kentucky last season, Dioubate notched eight points and eight rebounds in the first meeting. He had four points and five rebounds in the second meeting, and produced 13 points, eight rebounds and two blocks vs. the Cats in the SEC Tournament.

For his career, Dioubate has connected on 57.1% of his shot attempts and 35.1% from distance. He has appeared in 70 career games in two collegiate seasons where his squad advanced to the Elite Eight each year.

As a freshman in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Dioubate reached double-digit points twice, including 14 points vs. Mississippi State. He scored nine of Bama’s final 15 points in the Round of 32 win over Grand Canyon.

The Queens, New York, native captured a national prep championship with Putnam Science Academy as a senior. The four-star prospect was ranked among the top 75 players in his class. Dioubate averaged 13.6 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game for the PSA Cardinals in the EYBL circuit. He was a first-team EYBL selection in 2022, and he scored the most points around the rim (309) according to Synergy Sports. 

Dioubate has two years of eligibility remaining.

FAYETTE COUNTY, Ky. (WMDJ) - Prestonsburg sophomore guard Braxton Keathley has been chosen second-team All-State by the Lexington Herald-Leader.

Keathley led the state in scoring this season at 34.3 points per game and was the state’s leading free throw shooter at 92.2%, making 248 of 269 attempts. Keathley also averaged 10 rebounds per game.

The Herald-Leader All-State Teams are based on coaches’ selections in a statewide survey conducted by the Lexington Herald-Leader/Kentucky.com. Players are listed in order of point totals based on coaches’ votes. There are three teams of 10 players, plus 20 honorable mentions.