BY LISA STAYTON
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN

INEZ — Martin County’s Brady Dingess is one of 19 nominees announced Friday for boys’ high school basketball’s highest honor, Mr. Kentucky Basketball.

Dingess was voted 15th Region Player of the Year by the Kentucky Association of Basketball Coaches, the first-ever from Martin County.

The players of the year make up the finalists for the Mr. Basketball award that will be presented among other honors during a live ceremony March 20 at Lexington Griffin Gate Marriott Resort.

“There are so many great players out there that even being mentioned – and especially being named – is a great honor and true blessing,” Dingess said.

The 6-1 senior point guard led the Cardinals to a 20-plus season and a No. 1 seed in the 57th District. His high level of play has caused teams to turn their full attention to him and try to slow him down. That didn’t stop him from scoring a single-game school record 50 points Feb. 1 (shooting 75 percent) or breaking 30-plus points in several games this season, including a 33-point triple-double in a road game against Lawrence County.

Dingess is averaging 27 ppg this season and has accumulated over 2,600 career points despite being the No. 1 target of opposing defenses.

The KHSAA ranks Dingess No. 8 in scoring in the state among all classes, while Kentucky Prep Report ranks him top 10 in Kentucky and the No. 2 point guard, Future 150 ranks him the No. 1 player in the state, and 123 ranks him No. 1 in the country.

The Lexington Herald all-state player has also accumulated more than 850 assists in his career and has an 8:1 assists/turnover ratio.

Dingess’ game at Martin County got to shine during his sophomore campaign when he led Martin County to the 15th Region title in 2020, the first in 37 years for a Martin County team. He was named Most Valuable Player in the tournament.

Although the joy of winning the regional title turned to disappointment when the KHSAA canceled the state tournament due to the coronavirus pandemic, Dingess had an extensive list of awards. He was named Lexington Herald all-state, Mountain Sports captain first team, Retaliation Sports captain first team, D&D Sports first team, WYMT (coaches) first team, All-Region, and Mountain Citizen player of the year and captain first team.

None of Dingess’ achievements came without hard work.

“I’ve always had a mentality of a blue-collar worker with the mindset to outwork everyone,” he said.

During the offseason, Dingess shows an unmatched work ethic driving himself to make 500-1,000 shots a day and get in one to three workouts. He puts in extreme hours honing his skills at On Point Ballers and strength-training at Hayes Training Systems.

“Happy are those who dream dreams and are willing to pay the price to make them come true,” said Dingess.

Dingess started playing basketball at age 2 and has played countless games through the years in both school and travel ball. He has played on AAU teams sponsored by NBA player Gorgui Dieng and NFL player Troy Brown. His current team is sponsored by Under Armour.

“I’ve pretty much covered the East Coast and played all the way to Texas over the years,” said Dingess.

Dingess is also a standout student with a GPA that exceeds 4.0.

His immediate plan is to lead the Cardinals to 57th District and 15th Region championships.

Martin County Coach Jason James is excited and proud of Dingess and his selection as Player of the Year and candidate for Mr. Kentucky Basketball.

“This is well deserved,” James said. “Brady is a great player. He has had a great year, and his team has had a great year. He’s worked so hard for it and deserves everything he gets.”

Dingess’ recognition is not without his gratitude. He voiced his thanks and appreciation for his family for supporting his dream, coaches for preparing him along the way, and teammates for showing him “so much love and friendship.”

“What a great bunch of guys to play with,” he said.

Dingess also expressed gratitude for the coaches who supported and voted for him, in the region and state, and his Martin County community “for always showing so much love and support.”

“My circle has been nothing but positive supporters,” he added. “And I thank the Mountain Citizen for providing a positive platform for myself and all athletes. Thank you.”

Dingess’ advice to young ballers?

“Outwork everyone if you want your dreams to come true,” he said. “Let the negative motivate you to work hard. Just be different.”

Nominees for 2022 Mr. Kentucky Basketball include:

Region 1: Brant Brower, McCracken County.

Region 2: Jabrion Spikes, Caldwell County.

Region 3: Trey Lovell, Muhlenberg County.

Region 4: Turner Buttry, Bowling Green; Cade Stinnett, Greenwood.

Region 5: Jay Milburn, Campbellsville.

Region 6: Hunter Coleman, Bullitt Central; Darian Lewis, Fern Creek.

Region 7: Maker Barr, Ballard; Mekhi Smith, St. Xavier.

Region 8: Brant Smithers, Walton-Verona.

Region 9: Mitchell Rylee, Covington Catholic.

Region 10: Justin Becker, Robertson County.

Region 11: Will Hardin, Madison Central.

Region 12: Luke Imfeld, Boyle County.

Region 13: Jordan Akal, Harlan.

Region 14: Landon Napier, Perry County Central.

Region 15: Brady Dingess, Martin County.

Region 16: Brady Bell, Russell.