Bryan Milburn, a former Vanderbilt player, admits he was hard on his son Jay last season. (Kelly Milburn Photo)
In 1991 the Kentucky all-star team split games with Indiana — winning in Indianapolis but losing in Lexington.
One of the players on that team was Bryan Milburn, who went on to play basketball at Vanderbilt and was on the 1993 SEC championship team there that made the NCAA Sweet Sixteen.
Now fast forward 31 years and 6-7 Jay Milburn, Bryan’s oldest son, is on the Kentucky all-star team that will play Indiana twice this weekend. Jay had a sensational senior season at Campbellsville High School after playing the previous three years at Russell County.
Jay averaged 16.7 points and 13.5 rebounds per game. He also averaged 4.2 blocks per game and was named Fifth Region Player of the Year after helping his team win 23 games.
“He did not technically lead the state in rebounding because the award was based on the regular season but when you add in postseason play he led the state in total rebounds and rebound average,” Bryan Milburn said.
His father admits he was not expecting his son to be a Kentucky all-star when the season started. Jay had mainly played on the perimeter at Russell County because that is where he was needed. Campbellsville coach Keith Adkins needed him to play more with his back to the basket.
“He had to learn to post up, something he had never really done,” Bryan, who moved to Campbellsville to work on Adkins’ staff, said. “He can shoot but learning to post up is a different dynamic. He made a big leap from his sophomore to junior year and then the leap this year was enormous.”
“He will be a stretch 4 in college (at Campbellsville University) and his best days are in front of him. He is a 6-7 athlete who is very skilled.”
Bryan was an assistant coach at both Campbellsville University and Lindsey Wilson. He is now helping Adkins with the high school and middle school teams at Campbellsville after he had been out of coaching for five years.
Adkins’ youngest son is a seventh grader and Bryan’s youngest son, Ty, is an eighth grader. The two boys have been “friends forever.”
Bryan admits he was “pretty hard” on Jay this season after not being on the bench as a coach during his son’s three years at Russell County.
“This year maybe was not as much fun for him because I was hard on him but he still had a really good year,” Bryan said. “There was only one kid back on the team who had played much. We started three sophomores, one junior and Jay. But they still found a way to win 23 games.”
Bryan is not exactly sure what role his son will play for the Kentucky team. He says Miami University signee Mitchell Rylee of Covington Catholic is the “best post player” on the team.
“He can really score with his back to the basket, has great footwork and is strong,” Bryan said. “But Jay is fine with whatever they need from him. We are all just thrilled he gets to be part of this.”
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So many father-son combinations have played for the Kentucky all-star team.
If you know of one, let me know because I have only been able to think of one more.
