 Click on the picture above to view a video of former UK great Anthony Epps talking about daughter Makayla. |
Dominique Hawkins of Madison Central and Makayla Epps of Marion County both led their teams to state championships, both have now been named the state’s top players and both may well end up playing at Kentucky.
They were named Mr. Basketball and Miss. Basketball Friday night in Louisville by the sponsoring Kentucky Lions Eye Foundation.
Now Epps, who scored over 3,300 points, will be off to Chicago to play in the McDonald’s All-American Game on Wednesday while Hawkins heads to Florida for spring break and awaits word on whether he’ll get a scholarship offer from UK coach John Calipari.
Kentucky signee Derek Willis of Bullitt East went into the season as the Mr. Basketball favorite and had a splendid season, but Hawkins was sensational in March — including three games at the state tourney when Calipari watched himplay.
He scored a school-record 2,453 points in his career and averaged 20 points, five rebounds and three assists per game.
Hawkins had hoped to find out Friday if UK would offer, but that process was put on hold even though Calipari visited him earlier in the week. He has offers from South Carolina, Purdue, Morehead and Western Kentucky.
Epps, a guard just like Hawkins, signed with UK after originally giving Louisville a verbal commit. She averaged 23 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists this season to help Marion got 39-0.
She beat Duke signee Becca Greenwell of Owensboro Catholic and teammate Kyvin Goodin-Rogers, another UK signee, to be named Miss Basketball.
By LARRY VAUGHT
Normally John Calipari holds his press conferences before practice on the day before Kentucky plays. Today he changed that — but he had a good reason.
Calipari was in Rupp Arena to watch Madison Central beat Wayne County in the opening game of the state tournament because he wanted to watch Central star Dominique Hawkins play.
Hawkins scored 25 points in an 81-56 win. The 6-1 senior hit 11 of 17 from the floor on mostly layups.
Hawkins’ cousin is former Central and UK standout Marquis Estill, who is now a UK graduate assistant. Hawkins remembers going to watch Estill play in high school
“He has put a bug in their (UK coaches) ear about me. That’s one reason they are calling,” Hawkins said after the game.
He said the UK staff had talked to his coach about scholarship possibilities.
“They have one left, so hopefully they might give it to me,” Hawkins said.
He said he didn’t know how decisions by top five players Julius Randle and Andrew Wiggins, who have UK in their final lists of schools, could impact his chances of joining the Wildcats.
He has four offers, including Western Kentucky and Morehead. He’s visited Western, the first school that offered him a scholarship.
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