# Ohio Valley Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year

The Ohio Valley Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year is an annual award given to the Ohio Valley Conference's (OVC) most outstanding player. The award was first given following the 1962–63 season.
Fifteen players in OVC history have claimed more than one player of the year award, the most recent of whom was Terry Taylor in 2020 and 2021. 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.
Both of the schools with the most awards left the OVC in 2022. Murray State, which has dominated the award's selection, with its players having received the award 21 times (which at the Racers' departure was equal to the total of the next three programs on the list), joined the Missouri Valley Conference. Second-place Austin Peay, with eight awards, joined the Atlantic Sun Conference. Among schools remaining in the OVC after 2022, Morehead State has the most awards with eight. Five current OVC members have yet to produce a winner, but three (Lindenwood, Little Rock, Southern Indiana) played their first OVC seasons in 2022–23 and Western Illinois played its first OVC season in 2023–24. Among former members, the only one that was a member during the award's existence that did not have a winner is East Tennessee State.
Three ties have occurred for player of the year: 1976, 1983 and 2013. No OVC Men's Basketball 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: Helms Foundation College Basketball Player of the Year (1904–05 to 1978–79) UPI College Basketball Player of the Year (1954–55 to 1995–96) Naismith College Player of the Year (1968–69 to present) John R. Wooden Award (1976–77 to present) |
| Player (X) | Denotes the number of times the player has been awarded the OVC Player of the Year award at that point |

## Winners

| Season | Player | School | Position | Class |
| 1962–63 | Harold Sergent | Morehead State | PG | Sophomore |
| 1963–64 | Jim Jennings | Murray State | F | Senior |
| 1964–65 | Clem Haskins | Western Kentucky | SG | Sophomore |
| 1965–66 | Clem Haskins (2) | Western Kentucky | SG | Junior |
| 1966–67 | Clem Haskins (3) | Western Kentucky | SG | Senior |
| 1967–68 | Wayne Chapman | Western Kentucky | SG / SF | Senior |
| 1968–69 | Claude Virden | Murray State | SF | Junior |
| 1969–70 | Jim McDaniels | Western Kentucky | C | Junior |
| 1970–71 | Jim McDaniels (2) | Western Kentucky | C | Senior |
| 1971–72 | Les Taylor | Murray State | SF | Junior |
| 1972–73 | Les Taylor (2) | Murray State | SF | Senior |
| 1973–74 | Fly Williams | Austin Peay | PG | Sophomore |
| 1974–75 | George Sorrell | Middle Tennessee | PF | Senior |
| 1975–76$^†$ | Johnny Britt | Western Kentucky | PG | Senior |
| 1975–76$^†$ | Tim Sisneros | Middle Tennessee | C | Senior |
| 1976–77 | Otis Howard | Austin Peay | SF | Junior |
| 1977–78 | Otis Howard (2) | Austin Peay | SF | Senior |
| 1978–79 | James Tillman | Eastern Kentucky | F | Junior |
| 1979–80 | Gary Hooker | Murray State | PF | Senior |
| 1980–81 | Jerry Beck | Middle Tennessee | PF | Junior |
| 1981–82 | Jerry Beck (2) | Middle Tennessee | PF | Senior |
| 1982–83$^†$ | Glen Green | Murray State | SF | Senior |
| 1982–83$^†$ | Joe Jakubick | Akron | SG | Junior |
| 1983–84 | Joe Jakubick (2) | Akron | SG | Senior |
| 1984–85 | Stephen Kite | Tennessee Tech | F | Junior |
| 1985–86 | Marcel Boyce | Akron | SF | Junior |
| 1986–87 | Bob McCann | Morehead State | PF | Senior |
| 1987–88 | Jeff Martin | Murray State | SG | Junior |
| 1988–89 | Jeff Martin (2) | Murray State | SG | Senior |
| 1989–90 | Popeye Jones | Murray State | PF | Sophomore |
| 1990–91 | Popeye Jones (2) | Murray State | PF | Junior |
| 1991–92 | Brett Roberts | Morehead State | SF | Senior |
| 1992–93 | Carlos Rogers | Tennessee State | C | Junior |
| 1993–94 | Carlos Rogers (2) | Tennessee State | C | Senior |
| 1994–95 | Marcus Brown | Murray State | SG | Junior |
| 1995–96 | Marcus Brown (2) | Murray State | SG | Senior |
| 1996–97 | Bubba Wells | Austin Peay | SF | Senior |
| 1997–98 | De'Teri Mayes | Murray State | PG / SG | Senior |
| 1998–99 | Bud Eley | Southeast Missouri State | C | Senior |
| 1999–00 | Aubrey Reese | Murray State | PG | Senior |
| 2000–01 | Trenton Hassell | Austin Peay | SF / SG | Junior |
| 2001–02 | Henry Domercant | Eastern Illinois | SG | Junior |
| 2002–03 | Ricky Minard | Morehead State | PG / SG | Junior |
| 2003–04 | Cuthbert Victor | Murray State | SF | Senior |
| 2004–05 | Willie Jenkins | Tennessee Tech | C / PF | Senior |
| 2005–06 | J. Robert Merritt | Samford | PF | Senior |
| 2006–07 | Drake Reed | Austin Peay | SF | Sophomore |
| 2007–08 | Lester Hudson | UT Martin | PG | Junior |
| 2008–09 | Lester Hudson (2) | UT Martin | PG | Senior |
| 2009–10 | Kenneth Faried | Morehead State | PF / C | Junior |
| 2010–11 | Kenneth Faried (2) | Morehead State | PF / C | Senior |
| 2011–12 | Isaiah Canaan | Murray State | PG / SG | Junior |
| 2012–13$^†$ | Isaiah Canaan (2) | Murray State | PG / SG | Senior |
| 2012–13$^†$ | Ian Clark | Belmont | SG | Senior |
| 2013–14 | J. J. Mann | Belmont | SF | Senior |
| 2014–15 | Cameron Payne | Murray State | PG | Sophomore |
| 2015–16 | Evan Bradds | Belmont | PF | Junior |
| 2016–17 | Evan Bradds (2) | Belmont | PF | Senior |
| 2017–18 | Jonathan Stark | Murray State | PG | Senior |
| 2018–19 | Ja Morant | Murray State | PG | Sophomore |
| 2019–20 | Terry Taylor | Austin Peay | PF | Junior |
| 2020–21 | Terry Taylor (2) | Austin Peay | PF | Senior |
| 2021–22 | KJ Williams | Murray State | PF | Senior |
| 2022–23 | Mark Freeman | Morehead State | PG | Senior |
| 2023–24 | Riley Minix | Morehead State | SF | Graduate |
| 2024–25 | Ray'Sean Taylor | SIU Edwardsville | SG | Graduate |

## Winners by school

| School (year joined) | Winners | Years |
| Murray State (1948) | 21 | 1964, 1969, 1972, 1973, 1980, 1983$^†$, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2004, 2012, 2013$^†$, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2022 |
| Austin Peay (1962) | 8 | 1974, 1977, 1978, 1997, 2001, 2007, 2020, 2021 |
| Morehead State (1948) | 8 | 1963, 1987, 1992, 2003, 2010, 2011, 2023, 2024 |
| Western Kentucky (1948) | 7 | 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968$^†$, 1970, 1971, 1976$^†$ |
| Belmont (2012) | 4 | 2013$^†$, 2014, 2016, 2017 |
| Middle Tennessee (1952) | 4 | 1975, 1976$^†$, 1981, 1982 |
| Akron (1980) | 3 | 1983$^†$, 1984, 1986 |
| Tennessee State (1986) | 2 | 1993, 1994 |
| Tennessee Tech (1949) | 2 | 1985, 2005 |
| UT Martin (1992) | 2 | 2008, 2009 |
| Eastern Illinois (1996) | 1 | 2002 |
| Eastern Kentucky (1948) | 1 | 1979 |
| Samford (2003) | 1 | 2006 |
| SIU Edwardsville (2008) | 1 | 2025 |
| Southeast Missouri State (1991) | 1 | 1999 |
| East Tennessee State (1958) | 0 | — |
| Jacksonville State (2003) | 0 | — |
| Lindenwood (2022) | 0 | — |
| Little Rock (2022) | 0 | — |
| Southern Indiana (2022) | 0 | — |
| Western Illinois (2023) | 0 | — |

## Footnotes

* ↑ Three charter OVC members left before the award was established: Louisville after the league's first season in 1949, and Evansville and Marshall in 1952.
* 1 2 3 Austin Peay State University, Belmont University, and Murray State University left the OVC in 2022. Peay joined the Atlantic Sun Conference (then branded as the ASUN Conference), and Belmont and Murray State joined the Missouri Valley Conference.
* ↑ Western Kentucky University left in 1982 to join the Sun Belt Conference, and is now in Conference USA (CUSA).
* ↑ Middle Tennessee State University left in 2000 to join the Sun Belt Conference, and is now in CUSA.
* ↑ The University of Akron left in 1987 to become an Independent. The Zips are now in the Mid-American Conference.
* 1 2 Eastern Kentucky University and Jacksonville State University left in 2021 to join the Atlantic Sun Conference (then branded as the ASUN Conference). JSU moved to CUSA in 2023.
* ↑ Samford University left in 2008 to join the SoCon.
* ↑ East Tennessee State University left in 1978 to join the Southern Conference (SoCon). The Buccaneers returned to the SoCon in 2014 after nine seasons in the Atlantic Sun Conference.