UNOFFICIAL COPY 24 RS BR 2511
Page 1 of 2
XXXX 3/28/2024 4:08 PM Jacketed
A RESOLUTION honoring the Morehead State University Eagles men's basketball 1
team, 2024 Ohio Valley Conference champions. 2
WHEREAS, on March 9, 2024, at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana, the 3
Eagles of Morehead State University defeated the Trojans of the University of Arkansas 4
at Little Rock by a score of 69 to 55 to win the 2024 Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) 5
men's basketball championship; and 6
WHEREAS, the victory earned the Eagles the school's ninth trip to the National 7
Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NCAA) Division I men's basketball tournament; 8
and 9
WHEREAS, in the OVC tournament, the third-seeded Eagles defeated Southern 10
Illinois University-Edwardsville in the quarterfinals and the University of Tennessee at 11
Martin in the semifinals before defeating the top-seeded Trojans; and 12
WHEREAS, in the OVC championship game, Morehead State saw a 17-point first-13
half disappear with more than 15 minutes still to play. The Eagles more than held their 14
nerve, with OVC Player of the Year Riley Minix, who led all scorers with 26 points, 15
pouring in timely bucket after timely bucket to lead the Eagles to the victory; and 16
WHEREAS, senior guard Drew Thelwell had 21 points and graduate student guard 17
Kalil Thomas made a trio of three-pointers to help key the Eagle's win in the 18
championship game; and 19
WHEREAS, 2024 marked the third time in the last four years that Morehead State 20
played in the OVC tournament title game, winning the 2021 event, and reaching the title 21
game in 2022; and 22
WHEREAS, in their impressive run of success over the last four years, head coach 23
Preston Spradlin’s Eagles have amassed 94 wins against 39 losses, a winning percentage 24
of over 70 percent, and have won at least 20 games in four straight seasons for the first 25
time in school history. The school's 94 wins over the last four season are more than any 26
other Division I men's basketball team in the Commonwealth during that time; and 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 24 RS BR 2511
Page 2 of 2
XXXX 3/28/2024 4:08 PM Jacketed
WHEREAS, the Eagles were led all season by a trio of outstanding guards: Riley 1
Minix, the OVC Player of the Year who averaged more than 20 points and almost 10 2
rebounds per contest over the course of the season; Kalil Thomas, who set a school 3
record for three pointers made in a single season; and four-year senior Drew Thelwell, 4
who set a Morehead State record for assists in a single season and whose 6.4 assists per 5
game average ranked 11th in the nation; and 6
WHEREAS, Drew Thelwell also has the distinction of having been part of 94 7
victories, more than any other basketball player in school history; and 8
WHEREAS, although the Eagles fell short in their first NCAA tournament game 9
against a highly ranked University of Illinois squad, their final record of 26 wins against 10
nine losses set a new mark for the most wins in one season in program history; and 11
WHEREAS, the dedication, skill, and achievements of the Morehead State Eagles 12
men's basketball team should be a source of pride, not only for Eagle fans, but all citizens 13
of the Commonwealth, and it is wholly appropriate that the Senate gives them public 14
recognition; 15
NOW, THEREFORE, 16
Be it resolved by the Senate of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of 17
Kentucky: 18
Section 1. The members of the Senate join Senator Robin Webb in recognizing 19
the incredible achievements of the 2024 OVC champion Morehead State University 20
Eagles men's basketball team, saluting their hard work, dedication, and skill, and wishing 21
all coaches, team members, and staff good fortune in all future endeavors. 22
Section 2. The Clerk of the Senate is directed to transmit a copy of this 23
Resolution to Senator Robin Webb for presentation to the team. 24