By Shannon Fagan, WEIS Sports Director

MONTGOMERY – Prior to the start of the Spring Garden Lady Panthers’ basketball season in November, head coach Ricky Austin had one request of his players.

“I said I need you to be a good teammate. I said everything else will take care of itself,” Austin said.

Austin said if he was going to expect that of his players, he had to be a “good teammate” too.

“I’ve got to be a good teammate to my coaching staff. I’ve got to be a good teammate to these players,” he said. “I think when we did that this year, everything else was kind of easy. We worried about taking care of each other more than anything else out there. I told them to let me do the game planning, you take care of each other. We know there’s going to be highs and lows. Y’all just be good teammates.”

The result was a 33-1 record and a second consecutive Class 1A state championship.

And, for the second straight year, Austin is the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s choice for Class 1A Girls Basketball Coach of the Year. The organization released its all-state basketball teams early Saturday morning.

“That means a lot to us players,” Austin’s daughter and junior point guard Ace Austin said of her dad’s selection. “We’re thankful to have a coach that puts that much effort into us. There aren’t many schools that don’t have the coaches who want to put all their effort into helping them win. We’re thankful we have him and our assistant coaches who put in the effort.”

Coach Austin credited his assistants – wife Dana, Damon McDonald, Darian Austin and Madison Sides – for his coaching success.

“When we saw the matchups and time slots for the 1A regionals, Coach (Damon) McDonald comes to me and says ‘I’m going somewhere. Which direction do you want me to go?’ He could’ve gone two hours to Hanceville. He could’ve gone three hours to Montgomery. As soon as our game was over, he’s in his car and he’s on the road. It’s about let’s do what anybody would do,” Coach Austin said. “Let’s do what South Carolina’s doing. Let’s work that hard as a staff and a team. Let’s work as hard as LSU’s working. Let’s work as hard as the University of Alabama’s working. I think all of our coaches do that, and I think all of our players do that. I think we’re that serious about it.”

Ace Austin, an Alabama commitment, also earned a spot on the Class 1A First Team, as did Lady Panther senior shooting guard Libby Brown. Senior center Chloe Rule claimed a spot on the Class 1A Third Team.

Ace Austin averaged 20.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, 7.1 assists and 3.6 steals per game. Brown averaged 13.3 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 2.4 steals. Rule posted 12.2 points, five rebounds, an assist and 1.4 steals per game.

“To get three (on the all-state teams) is powerful,” Coach Austin said. “I feel about these other girls like I do Ace.

“I’m proud for Libby because she most definitely got a lot of attention when people’s matchups started, like in the championship game (Marion County). They were not going to let Libby touch the ball. They went to a zone for just maybe 1:40 or two minutes and she hit back-to-back threes. That blew it out. When they did that, that opened up the lane for Ace. She only got to make two shots, but those two shots defined who she’d been all season for us. That was a great moment for her. This is a great moment for her and I’m very proud.

“It’s the same thing with Chloe. For her to make all-state two years in a row, I think her upside is still in front of her. I think there’s so many great things that can come for her. She’s still growing. She’s still maturing. I do think she’s going to have an opportunity to play college basketball.”

Spring Garden also had a second-team selection on the 1A boys team in junior forward John Welsh. Welsh averaged 17.1 points, 10.1 rebounds, two assists, 1.9 steals and a block for the Panthers (27-4).

In Class 2A girls, Sand Rock senior guard Katelyn St.Clair earned a first-team selection after averaging 23.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.5 steals for the Lady Wildcats (25-8).

Several area basketball players were chosen to their respective class third teams, including Cherokee County senior guard Mary Hayes Johnson, Piedmont senior guard Ava Pope, and Collinsville junior center Jake Middlebrooks.

Johnson averaged 14.6 points, four rebounds, three assists and 4.9 steals for the Class 4A Lady Warriors (28-5) last season. Pope posted 14.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, two assists and two steals for the Class 3A Lady Bulldogs (18-11). Middlebrooks managed 16 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.1 assists and a steal for the Class 2A Panthers.

Class 1A Gaylesville had an honorable mention in senior guard Kyler Bradley. Bradley averaged 21 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 4.6 steals for the Trojans (17-16) last season.

The complete 2023-24 ASWA All-State Basketball Teams can be found on the WEIS radio website, weisradio.com.