He dethroned a ‘King.’ Travis Perry is the 2023 Kentucky Sports Figure of the Year.

In the lore of basketball in Kentucky, the exploits of 1950s high school superstar “King” Kelly Coleman loom so large that even now, 68 years after his prep hoops career ended, he remains an almost mythic figure.

From the time Coleman said goodbye to high school basketball by scoring a state tournament-record 68 points for Wayland in the 1956 Sweet Sixteen consolation game, “King” Kelly, with his 4,337 career points, had reigned as the all-time scoring leader in Kentucky boys high school basketball.

Having endured for almost seven decades, many believed Coleman’s scoring mark would stand forever — which is why it was a moment of genuine historical consequence last March when, under the bright lights at Rupp Arena, Lyon County junior star Travis Perry passed Coleman as Kentucky’s all-time leading scorer.

Largely on the strength of having broken one of Kentucky’s most venerable sports records, Perry has been elected the 2023 Lexington Herald-Leader Kentucky Sports Figure of the Year in voting by 130 sports media members, both active and retired, from across the commonwealth.

“’King’ Kelly Coleman is ‘the Babe Ruth of Kentucky high school basketball,’” Steve Moss of WKYT-TV wrote. “Many thought his scoring record could never be broken. Perry not only snapped a mark which stood for more than 60 years, he crushed it and will push that number higher than anyone ever could imagine.”

Wrote Darrell Bird of The Cats’ Pause: “In all the years of the Kentucky Sports Figure of the Year, there has never been a more obvious choice than Travis Perry. … Perry broke (the all-time scoring) record last March and is bearing down on becoming the state’s first 5,000-point scorer in boys basketball. More than that, Perry is an unassuming, gracious leader of Lyon County, a school of just 300 students vying to reach the Sweet 16 for the third straight year with hopes of bringing the crown home to Eddyville.”

After having led Lyon County to its second straight 2nd Region title last March, Perry came to Rupp Arena for a state tourney opening-round matchup with Newport needing 21 points to pass Coleman for the all-time scoring lead. He got the 21st point he needed on a free throw midway through the fourth quarter.

In becoming the 43rd Kentucky Sports Figure of the Year, Perry is the third high school athlete to win the award, following Clay County basketball star Richie Farmer (1988) and Leslie County football star Tim Couch (1995).

Perry is part of a historic 1-2 finish for high school basketball players. Ex-North Laurel star Reed Sheppard finished second in the voting. In the history of an award that originated in 1981, athletes being recognized for their high school achievements have never before finished 1-2.

Late in 2023, Sheppard, of course, got off to a storybook start to his college career at UK. The Kentucky Sports Figure of the Year voting instructions, however, direct voters to evaluate the basketball season “that ended in the calendar year that the award covers,” which in this case was the 2022-23 season.

That meant Sheppard’s candidacy was based on his senior season at North Laurel, where he led the Jaguars to a second straight 13th Region title and earned both Mr. Basketball honors and the designation as a McDonald’s All-American.

The son of former Kentucky Wildcats basketball standouts Stacey Reed and Jeff Sheppard, Reed Sheppard committed to follow in the footsteps of his parents and play at UK prior to his high school senior season.

“Reed Sheppard probably faced more pressure than any high school recruit since Rex Chapman,” wrote Dick Gabriel of WLAP-AM 630 and the UK Sports Network. “He handled it all with grace, dignity and maturity.”

Added Les Dixon of the Corbin Times-Tribune: “Sheppard signifies what a Sports Figure of the Year should be. Not only does he excel as an athlete, but he also represents the state (in a way) that everyone can/should be proud of.”

Juli Fulks, who coached the Transylvania women’s basketball team to an undefeated season (33-0) that included the NCAA Division III national title, finished third in the Sports Figure voting. She was followed by ex-Louisville Cardinals star and current Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson in fourth; Kentucky Wildcats running back Ray Davis was fifth; and Louisville football coach Jeff Brohm was sixth.

All six of the top vote-getters received significant first-place support, but it was Perry who logged the most with 39. He appeared on the most ballots with 99.

In addition to shattering Kentucky’s all-time boys hoops scoring record, Perry averaged 31.6 points and made a state-best 175 3-point shots last season. He led his team (31-6) to the state quarterfinals for the second straight time. Perry ended 2022-23 with 4,359 career points — and another high school season to score more.

In November, Perry’s profile within the state was raised even more when he surprised the recruiting gurus by committing to play in college for UK.

“Perry broke ‘King’ Kelly Coleman’s all-time scoring record in the first half of the year and committed to UK in the second, giving fans another opportunity to cheer for a home-state hero in 2024,” Tyler Thompson of KentuckySportsRadio.com wrote.

Added Maggie Davis of WLEX-TV: “It was an incredible season for Perry, and yet it feels like he’s just getting started.”

Travis Perry is the 2023 Kentucky Sports Figure of the Year.