[Red and Black]

Lowell Hughes from Prestonsburg. Here’s an excerpt taken from the 1959 UK Media Guide.

“LOWELL HUGHES—Junior—Guard—Prestonsburg, Ky.—One of the finest all-around athletes in Kentucky schoolboy history since Wah Wah Jones, Lowell is the lone "switch hitter" on the Wildcat cage team. As soon as the grid season is completed, he switches his ability to the basketball court and lends important help as a guard reserve. In the spring, after football practice, he moves over to the baseball diamond for second baseman duty. In order to follow in his brother Delmar's (older brother John Delmar Hughes) footsteps on the Kentucky gridiron, Lowell turned down a reported fat baseball contract offered by the Giants in his senior year at Prestonsburg High in the Eastern Kentucky mountains. It's difficult to point to the one sport that Lowell is best at since he excells in all. During the past season, he operated as Kentucky's number one quarterback and was one of the passing leaders of the Southeastern Conference. Because of the necessity for reporting after football season, Hughes is late in developing his basketball potential. But he does very well as evidenced by the fact that he was the most proficient of the Wildcat cagers last season in a system based on points scored and time played. Appearing in seven games for a total of 37:03 and scoring 23 points, Hughes averaged a point every minute and a half. Although best known as a schoolboy All-America quarterback, who was the nation's tenth best passer in his senior campaign, Lowell also made the All-State basketball team while at Prestonsburg with a 40.2 scoring average—second only to the record set by Kelly Coleman in 1956—and was considered an excellent professional baseball prospect. Hughes was accorded All-SEC Sophomore team honors by sportswriters for his stellar second year grid play in 1957. He is majoring in personnel management. Basketball high point production was 29 as a freshman against Lee's Junior College. His varsity high last year was six points in the Utah State game.
One more item we should add:  Lowell Hughes once scored 46 points in a high school game. It was January 31, 1956 against Wayland, but Prestonsburg lost that game 80-107 as Kelly Coleman had 63 points in that game.

That one night of tremendous individual  scoring tells the story  of the offense of the 1956 players in the 15th Region. It also happened  across the state that year. No three pointers. The bonus situation on free throws was non existent. Clock stoppage had different rules, also.

But the all around athleticism of Prestonsburg's great Lowell Hughes is something that will be remembered and discussed in many conversations for years to come.”