Murray State University Athletics
Photo by: Dave Winder-Murray State Athletics
Williams & McMahon Named To OVC’s Top Honors
3/1/2022 1:01:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The Murray State Racers reaped the rewards for their 28-2 season with a pair of top OVC basketball season honors and three All-OVC selections
The Murray State Men's Basketball 2021-22 season netted two major Ohio Valley Conference awards and three All-OVC selections in a vote of the league's head coaches and communications directors.
KJ Williams was named OVC Player of the Year and Matt McMahon the OVC Coach of the Year and the Racers saw Williams join Tevin Brown and Justice Hill on the All-OVC First Team.
Williams becomes MSU's 16th different player to win the OVC Player of the Year award and the 21st MVP award. He's the first Racer to win since Ja Morant in 2018-19. McMahon is the 11th MSU coach to win the OVC award and the 17th for a MSU coach.
Heading into this week's OVC Tournament in Evansville, this year's awards also saw MSU's Katelyn Young named the OVC Women's Player of the Year. Coupled with the award for Williams, it marks just the second time both MSU teams have won the OVC Player of the Year award since 2017-18 when Jonathan Stark and Ke'Shunan James were honored.
Williams and Brown are now the 14th and 15th MSU players to be named All-OVC at least three times and the first since Isaiah Canaan in 2013. They are also the first teammates in Murray State history to be All-OVC three years in a row together.
Justice Hill also makes All-OVC to give the Racers three all-league selections for the first time since the 2017-18 season when Jonathan Stark, Terrell Miller and Ja Morant were honored.
Coach Matt McMahon – 7th Season at Murray State
McMahon's Racers were picked third in the OVC Preseason Poll and became just the sixth team in league history to run the table and go undefeated and the first to do it in an 18-game conference schedule. At 28-2, the Racers have the most wins in NCAA D-I and are ranked in the national top-25 for the first time since 2015 and the Racers are the second MSU team to be ranked in consecutive weeks in 41 seasons following the team from 2011-12.
McMahon was the obvious choice for the OVC Coach of the Year award as he becomes the first MSU coach to win it since Steve Prohm won his second in the 2014-15 season. McMahon is in his seventh season as head coach at MSU and in his 11th season overall after Prohm hired him as an assistant in 2011. McMahon is the first MSU coach to have three seasons of 25 or more wins and his 2021-22 team recorded the 32nd 20-win season in the 97-year history of the program. McMahon joins Carlisle Cutchin (1925-41) and Steve Prohm (2011-15) as the only coaches in MSU history with four 20-win seasons.
McMahon's outstanding success for the Racers now has him at 151-66 (.695) in seven seasons and 93-
31 (.750) in OVC games. In his last five seasons, McMahon's Racers are an incredible 118-35 (.771).
KJ Williams – F – Jr. – Cleveland, Miss.
Arriving at MSU in 2017, KJ Williams has made significant advances culminating with him becoming the third Racer to score 1,500 points and grab 800 rebounds as he joins Racer greats Popeye Jones and Isaac Spencer.
Williams won OVC Player of the Week five times this season and had three games of 30-point scoring, including a career-high 39 points against Tennessee State. He was also named the Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week twice.
Williams has 10 double-doubles this season and in NCAA D-I, he ranks fourth in field goals made (223), 29th in total rebounds (255), 41st in field goal percentage (.544) and 63rd in points per game (18.2). In the OVC, Williams is first in the league in points per game, total points and field goals made.
Tevin Brown – G – Jr. – Fairhope, Ala.
Crowned the OVC 3-point king when he broke the record that had stood for 24 seasons, Tevin Brown joins Williams to give the Racers one of the greatest dynamic duos in OVC history.
This season, Brown scored his career-high of 33 points against Chattanooga and he had six games of 20-point scoring or more. He also won three-straight OVC Player of the Week awards in December when the Racers surged with big wins over Memphis and Chattanooga.
Brown ranks 12th nationally in 3-pointers made (94), 15th in 3-point attempts (239), 19th in 3-pointers made per game (3.13) and as one of the workhorses in the game, he is 76th in minutes played per game (34:48). He leads the OVC in four stat categories and his 16.4 per game scoring average is fourth in the OVC. Brown is the only player in the OVC who ranks in the top-11 in scoring (4th), rebounding (11th) and assists (11th). He hit five or more 3-point baskets in five games this season and the Racers were winners in each of them.
Brown joined MSU greats Isaac Spencer and Glen Green as the only Racers to score 1,500 points, grab 500 rebounds and dish out 350 assists.
Justice Hill – G – So. – Little Rock, Ark.
If there was an award for most improved player in the OVC, that would have to be Justice Hill, who becomes an All-OVC pick for the first time in 2021-22.
Taking over point guard duties in a Racer program that is well known for its famous guards, Hill led the Racers in assists in 19 games this season and had 12 games with only one, or zero turnovers. Hill has is +101 this season in assists to turnovers and his 152 assists is currently tied for 10th all-time for a single season at MSU.
Hill's rank nationally in assist-turnover ratio is 13th and second in the OVC (2.98). He is also 34th in NCAA D-I with 5.1 assists per game which ranked him third in the OVC.
He turned heads when the Racers rolled into Nashville and defeated Belmont 82-60. He made the game a rout by scoring a career-high 36 points, as it was the top scoring game in the OVC season at the time.
OVC Championship Presented By TicketSmarter
The 2022 OVC Men's and Women's Basketball Championships presented by TicketSmarter will be held March 2-5 at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana. It marks the fifth-straight year the event will be held at the venue. The Ford Center, which opened in November 2011, is an 11,000-seat arena located in the core of Evansville's downtown district. The 290,000-square foot facility serves as home of Evansville Thunderbolts of the Southern Professional Hockey League and the University of Evansville men's basketball team. The Ford Center also serves as host to numerous sporting events and concerts on an annual basis.
The Racers (28-2, 18-0 OVC) are the top seed in this week in Evansville and they enter the postseason with the most wins in NCAA D-I and tied with South Dakota for the nation's longest win streak at 18.
Ford Center Clear Bag Policy
As part of an ongoing commitment to safety and security, the Ford Center is aligning with the best practices at major entertainment and athletics venues. Fans should be aware that there is now a "Clear Bag Policy" in effect at the Ford Center.
Racer Basketball Legacy Fund
The new fundraising initiative invites Racer supporters to have a lasting impact on the Murray State men's and women's basketball programs. Those interested in learning more about how you can support the Racer Basketball Legacy Fund initiative may contact Director of Development-Athletics, Taylor Mudd at (270) 809-3517 or tmudd3@murraystate.edu for more information.
About Murray State Athletics
Located in Murray, Kentucky, the athletics department of Murray State University is a NCAA Division I member and plays in the Football Championship Subdivision. The Racers have 15 programs including men's teams for baseball, basketball, cross country, football and golf and women's teams for basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, track & field and volleyball, as well as a mixed gender rifle team. Currently a member of the Ohio Valley Conference, the Racers will join the Missouri Valley Conference on July 1, 2022.
KJ Williams was named OVC Player of the Year and Matt McMahon the OVC Coach of the Year and the Racers saw Williams join Tevin Brown and Justice Hill on the All-OVC First Team.
Williams becomes MSU's 16th different player to win the OVC Player of the Year award and the 21st MVP award. He's the first Racer to win since Ja Morant in 2018-19. McMahon is the 11th MSU coach to win the OVC award and the 17th for a MSU coach.
Heading into this week's OVC Tournament in Evansville, this year's awards also saw MSU's Katelyn Young named the OVC Women's Player of the Year. Coupled with the award for Williams, it marks just the second time both MSU teams have won the OVC Player of the Year award since 2017-18 when Jonathan Stark and Ke'Shunan James were honored.
Williams and Brown are now the 14th and 15th MSU players to be named All-OVC at least three times and the first since Isaiah Canaan in 2013. They are also the first teammates in Murray State history to be All-OVC three years in a row together.
Justice Hill also makes All-OVC to give the Racers three all-league selections for the first time since the 2017-18 season when Jonathan Stark, Terrell Miller and Ja Morant were honored.
Coach Matt McMahon – 7th Season at Murray State
McMahon's Racers were picked third in the OVC Preseason Poll and became just the sixth team in league history to run the table and go undefeated and the first to do it in an 18-game conference schedule. At 28-2, the Racers have the most wins in NCAA D-I and are ranked in the national top-25 for the first time since 2015 and the Racers are the second MSU team to be ranked in consecutive weeks in 41 seasons following the team from 2011-12.
McMahon was the obvious choice for the OVC Coach of the Year award as he becomes the first MSU coach to win it since Steve Prohm won his second in the 2014-15 season. McMahon is in his seventh season as head coach at MSU and in his 11th season overall after Prohm hired him as an assistant in 2011. McMahon is the first MSU coach to have three seasons of 25 or more wins and his 2021-22 team recorded the 32nd 20-win season in the 97-year history of the program. McMahon joins Carlisle Cutchin (1925-41) and Steve Prohm (2011-15) as the only coaches in MSU history with four 20-win seasons.
McMahon's outstanding success for the Racers now has him at 151-66 (.695) in seven seasons and 93-
31 (.750) in OVC games. In his last five seasons, McMahon's Racers are an incredible 118-35 (.771).
KJ Williams – F – Jr. – Cleveland, Miss.
Arriving at MSU in 2017, KJ Williams has made significant advances culminating with him becoming the third Racer to score 1,500 points and grab 800 rebounds as he joins Racer greats Popeye Jones and Isaac Spencer.
Williams won OVC Player of the Week five times this season and had three games of 30-point scoring, including a career-high 39 points against Tennessee State. He was also named the Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week twice.
Williams has 10 double-doubles this season and in NCAA D-I, he ranks fourth in field goals made (223), 29th in total rebounds (255), 41st in field goal percentage (.544) and 63rd in points per game (18.2). In the OVC, Williams is first in the league in points per game, total points and field goals made.
Tevin Brown – G – Jr. – Fairhope, Ala.
Crowned the OVC 3-point king when he broke the record that had stood for 24 seasons, Tevin Brown joins Williams to give the Racers one of the greatest dynamic duos in OVC history.
This season, Brown scored his career-high of 33 points against Chattanooga and he had six games of 20-point scoring or more. He also won three-straight OVC Player of the Week awards in December when the Racers surged with big wins over Memphis and Chattanooga.
Brown ranks 12th nationally in 3-pointers made (94), 15th in 3-point attempts (239), 19th in 3-pointers made per game (3.13) and as one of the workhorses in the game, he is 76th in minutes played per game (34:48). He leads the OVC in four stat categories and his 16.4 per game scoring average is fourth in the OVC. Brown is the only player in the OVC who ranks in the top-11 in scoring (4th), rebounding (11th) and assists (11th). He hit five or more 3-point baskets in five games this season and the Racers were winners in each of them.
Brown joined MSU greats Isaac Spencer and Glen Green as the only Racers to score 1,500 points, grab 500 rebounds and dish out 350 assists.
Justice Hill – G – So. – Little Rock, Ark.
If there was an award for most improved player in the OVC, that would have to be Justice Hill, who becomes an All-OVC pick for the first time in 2021-22.
Taking over point guard duties in a Racer program that is well known for its famous guards, Hill led the Racers in assists in 19 games this season and had 12 games with only one, or zero turnovers. Hill has is +101 this season in assists to turnovers and his 152 assists is currently tied for 10th all-time for a single season at MSU.
Hill's rank nationally in assist-turnover ratio is 13th and second in the OVC (2.98). He is also 34th in NCAA D-I with 5.1 assists per game which ranked him third in the OVC.
He turned heads when the Racers rolled into Nashville and defeated Belmont 82-60. He made the game a rout by scoring a career-high 36 points, as it was the top scoring game in the OVC season at the time.
OVC Championship Presented By TicketSmarter
The 2022 OVC Men's and Women's Basketball Championships presented by TicketSmarter will be held March 2-5 at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana. It marks the fifth-straight year the event will be held at the venue. The Ford Center, which opened in November 2011, is an 11,000-seat arena located in the core of Evansville's downtown district. The 290,000-square foot facility serves as home of Evansville Thunderbolts of the Southern Professional Hockey League and the University of Evansville men's basketball team. The Ford Center also serves as host to numerous sporting events and concerts on an annual basis.
The Racers (28-2, 18-0 OVC) are the top seed in this week in Evansville and they enter the postseason with the most wins in NCAA D-I and tied with South Dakota for the nation's longest win streak at 18.
Ford Center Clear Bag Policy
As part of an ongoing commitment to safety and security, the Ford Center is aligning with the best practices at major entertainment and athletics venues. Fans should be aware that there is now a "Clear Bag Policy" in effect at the Ford Center.
Racer Basketball Legacy Fund
The new fundraising initiative invites Racer supporters to have a lasting impact on the Murray State men's and women's basketball programs. Those interested in learning more about how you can support the Racer Basketball Legacy Fund initiative may contact Director of Development-Athletics, Taylor Mudd at (270) 809-3517 or tmudd3@murraystate.edu for more information.
About Murray State Athletics
Located in Murray, Kentucky, the athletics department of Murray State University is a NCAA Division I member and plays in the Football Championship Subdivision. The Racers have 15 programs including men's teams for baseball, basketball, cross country, football and golf and women's teams for basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, track & field and volleyball, as well as a mixed gender rifle team. Currently a member of the Ohio Valley Conference, the Racers will join the Missouri Valley Conference on July 1, 2022.
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