King Kelly Coleman | Eastern Kentucky Basketball Legend

King Kelly Coleman

 

A note from Gary about the King

Everyone has their own personal heroes in life i guess.  Well this ol hillbilly is no different.  I was 9 years old when King Kelly Coleman became Kentucky's Mr. Basketball in 1956.  He was and is my one true hero in high school basketball.  I grew up and played high school basketball and other sports, as well as playing basketball in college.  One thing alot of my friends didn't know till they read this, when i walked on a basketball court i would think about the King before the tipoff, and hope that on that night i could be like the King for that particular game.  Whether or not i ever was would be up to the fans who watched the game.  King Kelly you were the greatest high school basketball player Kentucky ever saw!

Gary Holbrook

 

 

 

Career highlights

 

The Kentucky Mr. Basketball honor recognizes the top high school senior basketball player in the state of Kentucky. The first Kentucky Mr. Basketball was "King" Kelly Coleman of Wayland High School in 1956. The winner of the Mr. Basketball award wears #1 on his jersey in the summer all-star series against the Indiana High School All-Stars. 1940 was the first year for the Kentucky/Indiana High School All-Star Series, that year, the Indiana All-Stars defeated the Kentucky All-Stars 31-29.



Amazing facts about King Kelly



Kelly Coleman, without question the greatest Kentucky high school prepster of all time, finished his amazing high school basketball career by gathering 4,263 points in 127 games for a nifty 33.6 per game mark in his four-year career at Wayland High School in the hills of Floyd County.



During the 1955-56 season, the agile performer chalked up 1,919 counters, a 46.8 point per game average that should last forever.



As a junior, he hit 1,174 points in 36 contests, in his sophomore year, 784 in 30 games, and as a 14-year-old freshman he bucketed 386 in 20 games.



In the 1956 Kentucky State High school basketball tournament, Kelly broke four of the individual records himself and his Wayland team established four more.



The marks he set were:



Most points in one state tournament game, 68, breaking his own record of 50 set against Shelbyville in the opening game.



Memorial Coliseum one-game record, breaking Cliff Hagan's mark of 51 set against Temple for Kentucky.



Four-game individual total of 185 points, breaking the 127 record of the previous year.



New individual point-per-game average of 46.25 breaking the old mark of 31.75.



University of Kentucky basketball coach, Adolph Rupp, called Kelly "The greatest high school player who ever lived...A combination of Cliff Hagan, Frank Ramsey, and all of the other great stars who have played at Kentucky."
 
 

Articles about the King

 

Kelly Coleman"King" Kelly Coleman. Kelly Coleman, without question the greatest Kentucky high school prepster of all time, finished his amazing high school basketball ...

Read www.bigbluehistory.net/bb/NorthSouth/kelly_coleman.html
 
Wayland On The Web/King KellyWayland On The Web/King Kelly Click on the pages below. News From Up The Holler · King Kelly Coleman's History · March Of Champions ...


Read www.kingkellycoleman.com/
 
Kentucky Mr. Basketball - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The first Kentucky Mr. Basketball was "King" Kelly Coleman of Wayland High School in 1956. The winner of the Mr. Basketball award wears #1 on his jersey in ...


Riding With “King” Kelly Coleman – Tim Webb WorkshopsHe is “King” Kelly Coleman, one of the greatest high school players to ever play basketball in the state of Kentucky. He still owns many of the state ...


Read www.timwebbworkshops.com/?p=592  
 
TheDraftReview - Kelly Coleman2 posts - 2 authors - Last post: Apr 26


Nicknamed the King at the age of 17, Coleman was considered by University of ... Kelly Coleman was without a doubt in my mind the greatest ...

Read www.thedraftreview.com/index.php?option=com...id... 
 
King Kelly Coleman Book Signing October 16, 2005 - Prestonsburg ...King Kelly Coleman, Gary P. West & Autographed Basketball Hi-bidder Willard Kinzer King Kelly Coleman, Gary P. West & Autographed Basketball Hi-bidder ...


Read www.prestonsburgky.org/photo_gallery_view.php?id=6
 
KET

Basketball in Kentucky
Video Clips and Interviewees“King” Kelly Coleman I: The Real Reason To Play Basketball Kelly Coleman of the coal-mining town of Wayland became “King” Kelly, a true member of Kentucky's ...

Read www.ket.org/basketball/interviews.htm  
 
King Kelly Coleman

FacebookWelcome to the Facebook Community Page about King Kelly Coleman, a collection of shared knowledge concerning King Kelly Coleman.

Read www.facebook.com/pages/King-Kelly-Coleman/110397162306662
 
Kelly Coleman - Email, Address, Phone numbers, everything ...TOM CHANEY: Of Writers and Their Books/King Kelly Coleman biography ... In four games Kelly Coleman became the most legendary player to ever perform at . ...


Read www.123people.com/s/kelly+coleman
 
Get the amazing book here King Kelly Coleman Gary P. West (Hardcover - Oct 1, 2005)
 
Tags:  King Kelly Coleman Wayland High School Kentucky Basketball