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MSU's Stark Named OVC Male Athlete of the Year

MSU's Stark Named OVC Male Athlete of the Year
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By MSU Athletics
May. 24, 2018 | MURRAY, KY
By MSU Athletics May. 24, 2018 | 10:20 PM | MURRAY, KY
Murray State's Jonathan Stark became the Racers 10th winner of the Ohio Valley Conference Male Athlete of the Year when the league announced the news from the home office in Brentwood, Tennessee.

Out of Munford, Tenn., Stark recently capped a record-setting senior season for the Racers that saw the team win the OVC regular season and tournament titles and compete in the NCAA Tournament for the 16th time in school history.

Stark marks the Murray State's 10th winner of the award, following recent recipients Cameron Payne (2015) and Isaiah Canaan (2012). All 10 of MSU's winners have come from men's basketball. Gary Hooker was the Racers' first winner in 1980. Jeff Martin (1988, 1989) and Popeye Jones (1991, 1992) are MSU's only two-time winners.

The honor for Stark comes after he led the OVC in scoring for a second-straight season with an average of 21.4 points per game. His scoring average put him 19th in NCAA D-I.

Stark earned a trio of awards that few in the game ever get enjoy. He was named the OVC Preseason Player of the Year, OVC Player of the Year and OVC Tournament MVP. He was the first to sweep the awards in the OVC since the tournament MVP was first given in 1994. Stark's trophy case became as crowded as former Racer greats and current NBA players Isaiah Canaan and Cameron Payne. Stark was the 16th MSU player to earn Associated Press All-America honors as an honorable mention selection. He was also named to the CollegeInsider Lou Henson All-America Team, USBWA All-District IV Team, NABC All-District Team and College Mid-Major Madness First Team.

Stark's resume from the 2017-18 season was unmatched in the OVC. He made 110 3-point shots to break his Murray State record from the 2016-17 season and rank 14th in the nation. His average of 3.44 made threes per game was eighth nationally and first in the OVC. Stark's 685 points was tops in the OVC and in the top-40 in the nation and if it were possible after his outstanding junior season, Stark was better as a senior, because he became more efficient. He took 78 fewer shots than he did as a junior and his overall field goal percentage rose from .438 to .451. His improved efficiency was proved in the KenPom.com national offensive rating as he went from third as a junior to first in the OVC.

Game by game, Stark produced consistently, even as opponents tried to contain him. He had 19 games in the season of 20 or more points and four of 30 or more. He scored a season-high 36 points at home against Southeast Missouri on 9-of-16 from the field and 4-of-7 from the 3-point line. He hit a season-high seven 3-pointers against Jacksonville State and had nine games of five or more.

Stark was also lethal from the free throw line. He tied a Murray State record with a perfect 14-of-14 against Southeast Missouri and he had four games of reaching the free throw line for 10 or more attempts. He set the Murray State record when he made 39 consecutive free throws and ranked 17th in the nation and second in the OVC with a percentage just shy of 90 percent.

He also shared the basketball with his teammates. Stark's 3.9 assists per game ranked him sixth in the OVC.

Stark's defensive performance improved as a senior as well. He was seventh in the OVC with 1.74 steals per game and many times was given the responsibility of stopping the opponent's best guard.

Stark was an iron man and peak physical condition helped him avoid injuries. He started every game for the Racers and was on the floor for more than 90 percent of the minutes MSU played in 32 games. Five times, Stark played all 40 minutes in a game.

Apart from outstanding individual achievement, Stark will also go down in Murray State history for being on a team that won its 26th OVC regular season championship and first since 2015. Having to face four of the top teams on the road at the outset of the OVC season, the Racers went 2-2 and then ran the table to finish 16-2 and deliver the title. The Racers were the favored No. 1 seed in the OVC Tournament and again, came up big when it was needed most. In the OVC semifinals, the Racers held off Jacksonville State for a 70-63 win. In the championship clash with Belmont, the Racers overcame a three-point halftime deficit and outscored the Bruins 39-19 in the second half to win the OVC title 68-51. The win sent the Racers to their 16th NCAA Tournament appearance. MSU represented the OVC in San Diego and fell in a first round game with West Virginia.

The sum of Stark's career in the collegiate game became nationally known as the Racers kept on piling up wins. He was the only active player in NCAA D-I with 2,220 points and 570 assists when combining his stats from Tulane and Murray State. He also owns the best two-year run at MSU leaving as the all-time two-year scorer with 1,408 points.

Stark was selected to compete in the 2018 State Farm College 3-Point Championship at the Final Four in San Antonio. He placed second in the friendly competition after leading the field in the first two rounds of the event when he hit 40-of-50 shots. He was the second Racer to be invited to the event, following Isaiah Canaan who was the first in 2013. Stark was also invited to play in the prestigious Portsmouth Invitational.

 

OVC Male Athlete of the Year Award Winners

1979-80 Gary Hooker

1987-88 Jeff Martin

1988-89 Jeff Martin

1990-91 Popeye Jones

1991-92 Popeye Jones

1994-95 Marcus Brown

1997-98 De'Teri Mayes

2011-12 Isaiah Canaan

2014-15 Cameron Payne

2017-18 Jonathan Stark

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