Kentucky’s 2026 Mr. and Miss Basketball winners have been announced

We officially have our Kentucky Mr. and Miss Basketball winners for the 2025-26 high school hoops season.

It was announced Sunday night that Madison Central’s Jake Feldhaus and Assumption’s Ashlinn James have been honored as the recipients of this season’s Mr. and Miss Basketball awards. Feldhaus is a 6-foot-8 forward committed to Belmont who fueled the Indians to a 30-4 overall record this season, averaging 20.7 points and 13 rebounds per game. James is signed to play college ball at Indiana after leading the Rockets to a runner-up finish in the Sweet 16 while averaging 14.9 points and 4.5 rebounds per contest.

The state’s top individual basketball honor was awarded to Feldhaus and James at the Griffin Gate Marriott in Lexington. Feldhaus was also named the Kentucky Gatorade Player of the Year earlier this month, while James is only the second player from Assumption to win Miss Basketball (Jenni Benningfield in 2000).

Congratulations to 2026 Mr. Kentucky Basketball Jake Feldhaus pic.twitter.com/8icdNmRFix

— Mr&MissKYBasketball (@Mr_MissKYBball) March 23, 2026

Congratulations to 2026 Miss Kentucky Basketball Ashlinn James pic.twitter.com/xCb2I8j1jT

— Mr&MissKYBasketball (@Mr_MissKYBball) March 23, 2026

Feldhaus is the son of Deron Feldhaus, who was also named Kentucky Gatorade Player of the Year in 1987 at Mason County, but missed out on winning Mr. Basketball, an honor that went to John Pelphrey. Deron Feldhaus and Pelphrey went on to play for the University of Kentucky as part of the “Unforgettables” team in 1991-92.

Keeping it within the bloodline, Jake Feldhaus played for his uncle, Allen Feldhaus Jr., while at Madison Central. Jake’s grandfather is the late Allen Feldhaus Sr., who played for UK under Adolph Rupp before coaching at Mason County. The younger Feldhaus is the second player from Madison Central to win Mr. Basketball, joining former Kentucky guard Dominique Hawkins, who did the same in 2013.

As for James, she played six years of varsity basketball (starting as a seventh grader), helping lead Assumption to win the school’s first 7th Region championship since 2007 earlier this year. She’s considered the top player from the state of Kentucky in the 2026 recruiting class by Rivals and the No. 73 overall senior in the country. She committed to Indiana in Oct. 2024 over the likes of Marquette and Miami (FL).

Join KSR Plus! With a KSR Plus membership, you get access to bonus content and KSBoard, KSR’s message board, to chat with fellow Cats fans and get exclusive scoop.