Western Kentucky has won its past four games.

A possible reason for the success?

A large chain with a cartoon graphic of the Hilltoppers’ mascot, Big Red, dunking a basketball.

Since introducing the award dubbed the MVT – or Most Valuable Talker – chain, WKU has reeled off four straight wins.

“It started like three games ago,” WKU sophomore point guard Dayvion McKnight said after Saturday’s 85-80 victory over Eastern Kentucky. “It just gets everybody talking, having a gold chain that looks real, feels real. Having that awarded after the game is pretty good.”

The large chain is given to the Hilltopper the coaching staff deems the best communicator on the court that night. It’s a new concept that was introduced after WKU’s Nov. 24 win over Alabama A&M.

The 88-62 victory over the Bulldogs snapped a three-game losing streak, and McKnight was the first winner after his four-point, seven-rebound and five-assist night. The Hilltoppers had 27 assists on 33 made field goals in the game.

Jairus Hamilton was the second winner of the MVT Award. He had 24 points and 11 rebounds in the Hilltoppers’ 81-66 win over UT Martin. Noah Stansbury was given the award after the Nov. 30 win over Rhodes College. He had seven assists, four rebounds and a steal in the 105-35 win in which WKU had 27 assists.

Camron Justice was the latest winner of the award in the Hilltoppers’ toughest game in the stretch. WKU was without Josh Anderson, its best defender who missed the game due to COVID-19 protocols, and Hamilton, its leading scorer who was out due to a back injury.

Justice had 18 points, three rebounds and six assists in 36 minutes against an EKU team that plays an up-tempo style with its defensive pressure and quick trigger from behind the arc.

“We, as coaches, that’s one thing we stress every day – talk,” WKU head coach Rick Stansbury said. “We start practice with a talking drill. The game’s so much about talking – offensively and defensively, who can talk? Again, we want to try to find something to motivate somebody to talk. Who wants to win the award?

“Talking sounds like a little thing, but it’s such a big thing. You’ve got to talk defensively on how to switch. You’ve got to talk offensively with what you’re doing. Nowadays, there’s a lot of guys that can’t talk. Let’s be real about it. They just can’t talk. Some of them can’t see it happen to talk. Come up and wanted to do it to try to help motivate that part of that game a little bit.”

The chain was acquired by director of basketball operations Talvis Franklin and came from Championship Chains. It’s made of brass with a gold lacquer on top with a custom dunking Big Red centerpiece.

“It is a pretty good looking chain, isn’t it?” Stansbury said.

The winner gets to pose with the chain and has his picture posted on social media after the game. While WKU’s sixth-year coach isn’t well-versed in what’s going on in the Twitterverse, he’s seen the MVT chain pay dividends on the court.

“You all know how it is with young men nowadays. They love the social media part of it. That’s something everybody can see that they’re talking, so if that motivates you a little bit, I think that’s good,” Stansbury said. “I’m not concerned about that part of it. I’m concerned about between those lines. Does it help you talk one more time on a switch? Does it help you talk one more time on which defense we’re in? That’s where it comes in between the lines. Outside that, that’s kind of y’all’s world.”

The Hilltoppers have another tough test Wednesday when Buffalo comes to E.A. Diddle Arena to close out WKU’s five-game homestand.

A big key in trying to win that one?

“Honestly, just talking and communication,” said center Jamarion Sharp, who was in the running for the award with his 17-point, 14-rebound, four-block effort against EKU where his 7-foot-5 presence in the middle of WKU’s zone was big.

“Even though we’re doing good on that, we’ve still got to do more,” Sharp said. “There’s always more room for improvement and we’re going to work on that.”{&end}