Two UK Signees Finalists for Morgan Wootten Player of the Year

LEXINGTON, Ky. – A pair of University of Kentucky men’s basketball signees have been selected as finalists for the McDonald’s All American Game’s Morgan Wootten Player of the Year Award. Edrice “Bam” Adebayo and Malik Monk are two of the final five finalists for the boys’ award, which will be announced March 9. 

The award recognizes a male and female recipient for outstanding character, leadership, and the values he embraces while being a student-athlete in the classroom and in the community. 

Adebayo will join Kentucky out of High Point Christian Academy in High Point, N.C., where he has averaged 22.0 points, 15.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game during his senior season. He’s ranked in the top 10 by Rivals (No. 6) and ESPN (No. 6). 247Sports (No. 14) and Scout (No. 15) tab him as a top-15 prospect in the 2016 class. He has prior USA Basketball experience and was named a MaxPreps All-American in 2013. Adebayo is a 2,000-point scorer for High Point Christian Academy. 

Monk is considered the top shooting guard in the class. At 6-foot-4, 185 pounds, Monk is a long and athletic guard that can both shoot it and make plays off the dribble. The consensus five-star prospect is ranked No. 5 overall in the 2016 class by 247Sports and ESPN and No. 6 by Rivals and Scout. Monk’s highlight to his senior season includes breaking a single-game scoring record with 53 points in a game for Bentonville High. He’s averaged 30.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game during his senior season.

Adebayo and Monk will join fellow Kentucky signees De’Aaron Fox and Sacha Killeya-Jones in the McDonald’s All-America Game on March 30 at the United Center in Chicago.