By Shannon Fagan, WEIS Sports Director

SPRING GARDEN – As the final seconds ticked off the clock in top-ranked Spring Garden’s 70-2 gnashing of Gaylesville in the Class 1A, Area 12 girls basketball tournament Saturday, the fans at Dale Welsh Gymnasium had their signs ready to wave.

Those signs commemorated Ricky Austin’s 1,000th coaching win.

After public address announcer Brian Jennings made the special announcement following the game, Spring Garden principal Brian Clowdis presented Austin a plaque at mid-court, to which Panther fans rose to give the 29-year coaching veteran and 59-year-old a standing ovation on the court that bears his name.

Austin is in select company in high school basketball wins. T.R. Miller’s Ronald Jackson, who retired after the 2023-24 season, is the only coach in the Alabama High School Athletic Association with more combined wins. He finished his career at 1,032-339, with 773 girls wins.

Austin’s girls and boys combined record now stands at 1,000-351. The Lady Panthers are now 30-1 this season.

“It’s very hard to put into perspective,” Austin said. “It’s way more than me. I’ve just been the lucky guy to open the front door of the gym every day. There’s been a bunch of great people come through that door with me.

“Obviously there’s been some great players, great administrators who have really helped me. I’ve had great parents and our fans. How can you not win at a place like this? Everything’s here. It’s been an honor for me to open the front door. I’m just fortunate so many people have wanted to follow in behind me.”

One of those followers through that front door is his daughter, senior point guard and University of Alabama signee Ace Austin.

After posing in family pictures with her father, she hugged him and – in her father’s fashion – said ‘Six more (wins) to go,’ referring to six more wins to their third straight 1A basketball title.

“That sounds like something I would tell her. She reminded me real quick,” Coach Austin said. “She grounded me like I would her after a big night. I think a little bit of the coaching came out in her. She let me know real quick to enjoy it for 24 hours and then forget about it, like I tell them with some big wins. I appreciate her saying that. That tells me she’s right where she needs to be. Her thought process is where it needs to be.”

That mentality for the younger Austin began when she was in elementary school, when she would go on scouting trips with her father.

“I was probably second or third grade when I was writing scouting notes for him,” Ace said. “This is the game plan. This is what you’re going to do. I knew me and him were going to have many wins together.

“Once I saw those signs go up (in Welsh Gymnasium), it was a different moment. You’re like ‘Wow, you were just part of one of his biggest milestones.’ It’s meant a lot. He deserves every bit of this.”

Speaking of notes, many past and present Panthers were asked to jot down some of their thoughts of their coaching mentor.

Senior guard/forward Maggie Jarrett, who led the Lady Panthers on Saturday with 15 points on five 3-pointers, said her note to Coach Austin was more than just a memory of a particular game.

“I wrote a lot about how he’s supported me since I was a young’un, coming up through Spring Garden, on and off the court,” Jarrett said. “He’s been with me every step of my career. If I needed something, he’s one I would go to because I know he’d be there for me. It’s a good feeling to know your coach would do that.”

In return for what he’s done, Jarrett and the rest of her teammates wanted to “go harder” on Saturday for him.

“It’s a good feeling to have him get his 1,000th win and be a part of it,” Jarrett said.

With all the accolades, honors and championships he’s achieved, one might think Coach Austin might be ready to hang up his coaching whistle, but he hasn’t given any indication he’s leaving the game of basketball at Spring Garden anytime soon.

“I feel like I could do this for 29 more years really,” he said. “This is who I am. I don’t do a lot of other things. I’m getting to that time where I could retire and do some (other) things, but I think I’d just dry up and blow away. This is what I do. It’s not something I want to think about. I want to keep this thing going forward.”

Avery Steward added 11 points for the Lady Panthers. Olivia Law netted nine points. Ace Austin delivered seven points, eight assists, eight steals and four rebounds. Lacie Jo McMurray made a pair of treys and also had seven points. Addie Word finished with six points.

Abbie Bishop scored Gaylesville’s only basket with 7:49 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Spring Garden will face Jacksonville Christian in Monday’s area title game at 6 p.m. Jacksonville Christian defeated Faith Christian 54-39 in Saturday’s other tournament semifinal.

“He said in the locker room how great this (win) was, but he said ‘This isn’t what I want. We know what we want,’” Ace Austin said. “We know what he would like better than 1,000 is another state championship. We’re working our tails off for him.”

Added Jarrett: “It’s not over yet. We’ve definitely got some improvement we can do. We’re going to keep putting in the work to get there.”