Miss Basketball Amiya Jenkins with Anderson County coach Clay Birdwhistell. (Anderson County Basketball Photo)
Anderson County coach Clay Birdwhistell knows there are a lot of good high school basketball players in Kentucky. However, he was always biased thinking his star player, Aimya Jenkins, was the best in the senior class and should be Miss Basketball.
Sunday the University of Kentucky signee was named Miss Basketball in voting by media members, past winners, and members of the Kentucky Association of Basketball Coaches. Each regional player of the year was eligible for selection for the award sponsored by the Kentucky Lions Eye Foundation.
“I can’t say enough good things about this young lady,” Birdwhistell posted on his Twitter account after the ceremony. “People who see her play can see what a talent she is.
“The people that really know her understand how hard it is to explain how happy/proud we are of her.”
Jenkins is not prone to talk about herself. That’s just not her style. During an interview this season I asked her what it would mean to her if she won Miss Basketball.
“It would be a really big accomplishment to win. I would be really happy just to be able to share that love with our team. That would be big to me,” Jenkins said. “But I don’t pay attention to it. I just play. I appreciate every honor I get but you always have to move on and have another goal.”
Jenkins had her teammates with her at the ceremony just as she promised she would.
The Anderson County four-star player is the 11th UK player to be named Miss Basketball but the first since Maci Morris of Bell County in 2015.
The 5-10 Jenkins averaged 20.7 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 4.1 steals per game this season. She shot 53 percent overall from the field, 45 percent from 3-point range and 73 percent at the foul line.
She helped Anderson win its third straight 8th Region title and finished her prep career with 2,212 points and 739 rebounds. Birdwhistell said no other Anderson girl will wear Jenkins’ No. 20.
Before state tournament play started Sacred Heart coach Donna Moir said she felt Jenkins should be Miss Basketball.
“She is good. She gets to the rim, shoots the 3. She makes Anderson County go,” said Moir before her team won the state title.
Birdwhistell said he thought she had “earned the honor because what she has done for Anderson County” has been huge the last three years.
“Every time you see her she is better. I think she is also the best defender in the state. She had to do a lot for us,” the Anderson coach said.
