The Kentucky Association of Basketball Coaches released their Region Players of the Year on Friday, those selected also now nominees for Mr. and Miss Kentucky Basketball.
Three from Northern Kentucky won Region Players of the Year. The 9th Region boys winner was Covington Catholic’s Athens McGillis. The 9th Region girls winner was Ryle’s Jaelyn Jones. Campbell County’s Isabella Jayasuriya split the girls 10th Region award with George Rogers Clark’s Teigh Yeast.
The KABC Region Player of the Year award is a senior only award. It is voted on by coaches specific to their respective region. Exact ties result in a co-Player of the Year.
Athens McGillis, Covington Catholic
McGillis continues to climb up the Covington Catholic all-time scoring list. Averaging 22.8 points per game this season for the current No. 1 team in the state, McGillis is currently at 1,967 career points, fourth all-time on the scoring list. He needs just 14 points to pass Andy Listerman for third and 21 to pass Evan Ipsaro for second. With 33 more points, he’d be just the second player all-time in Covington Catholic history to score 2,000 career points. Cole VonHandorf’s 2,244 points is the only other Colonel to do so.
McGillis’ senior season can be defined by efficiency. He’s hitting 55/38/80 splits from the field while pulling down three rebounds per game. Covington Catholic currently sits at 26-1 on the season and ranked No. 1 in the latest Elite 16 statewide media poll. They are the heavy favorite to win the 9th Region and head to Rupp Arena.
McGillis is headed to Nova Southeastern in Florida, one of the top Division II programs in the country. They won the 2025 Division II national championship and are ranked No. 1 in the country right now.
Jaelyn Jones, Ryle
Jones recently surpassed the 1,500-point mark for her career and pulled down her 500th career rebound. She’s a Western Illinois commit and is averaging 20.5 points per game and 4.8 rebounds per game this season for the 18-8 Lady Raiders.
In Jones’ career, she’s scored 1,629 points, grabbed 522 rebounds, hit 160 three-pointers and knocked down 349 free throws. She’s led Ryle in scoring the past two seasons. For all-time ranks at the storied program, she’s sixth in scoring, 12th in rebounding, 10th in assists with 247, eighth in steals with 236, eighth in blocks with 92 and ninth all-time with 136 games played.
Isabella Jayasuriya, Campbell County
Jayasuriya is a Thomas More commit who does it all for the Camels. She leads them in scoring, rebounding, 3-pointers and free throws made. She’s posting 15.8 points and 9.9 rebounds per game. She’s knocked down 50 3-pointers at a 36% clip and hit 77% of her free throws. She’s helped lead Campbell County to a 20-5 record and the top of the 37th District and 5-0 in region play as they’ll look to chase down George Rogers Clark in the region tournament.
In her career, she’s posted 1,576 points, 877 rebounds, made 188 three-pointers and knocked down 366 free throws. She’s led the team in scoring and rebounding the past three seasons.
The full list of Players of the Year in their respective region is in a slideshow below. The Mr. and Miss Kentucky Basketball Award winners will be announced at the ceremony on March 22 at the Griffin Gate Marriott in Lexington.
