Travis Perry Named 2023 Kentucky Sports Figure of the Year

Kentucky Wildcats frequently earn the title of ‘Kentucky Sports Figure of the Year.’ On this rare occasion, a future Kentucky Wildcat is taking home the hardware. Travis Perry is the 2023 Kentucky Sports Figure of the Year.

The Lexington Herald-Leader polled 130 media members around the state. The Lyon County star edged out two other finalists, Mr. Basketball Reed Sheppard and Juli Fulks, the women’s basketball coach who led Transylvania to an undefeated season and a National Championship.

Perry cemented his legendary status in the Commonwealth in the best setting for high school basketball in the state. In the opening round of the 2023 KHSAA Sweet 16 at Rupp Arena, Perry knocked down a couple of free throws to surpass ‘King’ Kelly Coleman as the state’s all-time scoring record. The King was a mythic figure in the sport whose record stood for 68 years. Perry took down a titan and earned a spot as the Kentucky Sports Figure of the Year.

In the same calendar year, the Lyon County sharpshooter surprised Kentucky fans across the Commonwealth. A four-star talent ranked as the No. 87 player in the On3 Industry Ranking, John Calipari recruited Perry, but few believed he would actually end up in Lexington. Ole Miss, Cincinnati, Missouri, and a host of Big Ten schools went all in to land a commitment from Perry, yet on his decision day he stuck with his home state school and made a surprising commitment to Kentucky.

“At the end of the day I decided to stay home and play for my home state school,” Perry told On3’s Joe Tipton. “Growing up I played for the West KY Wildcats and now I’m excited to join the Kentucky Wildcats.”

Last week Perry surpassed 5,000 career points. He now is one of the top 10 scorers nationally in the history of high school basketball. He’s just the third high school star to win the award, following Richie Farmer and Tim Couch.

Top 10 Kentucky Sports Figure of the Year Vote Getters

Another high school star, Reed Sheppard, finished second in the voting. Per Kentucky Sports Figure of the Year rules, the latest Kentucky basketball season was not under consideration. Sheppard’s status in the award was based purely on his accolades at North Laurel High School, which were pretty great as well. He was named Mr. Basketball after taking the Jaguars to their second straight Sweet 16.

10. Daniel Thomas, Bell County Running Back
9. Montana Fouts, Alabama softball pitcher
8. Jamal Murray, Denver Nuggets guard
7. Brandon Pfaadt, Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher
6. Jeff Brohm, Louisville football coach
5. Ray Davis, Kentucky running back
4. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens quarterback
3. Juli Fulks, Transylvania women’s basketball coach
2. Reed Sheppard, North Laurel basketball guard
1. Travis Perry, Lyon County basketball guard