By Shannon Fagan, WEIS Sports Director

COMING FRIDAY: All-Cherokee County Boys Team

When she was younger, Spring Garden senior point guard Ace Austin remembers seeing her mother Dana and Aunt Jana’s basketball banners hanging from the rafters in Jacksonville State University’s Pete Mathews Coliseum.

At the time, she didn’t fully understand why they were there.

“They must like them or something,” Ace thought. “But the more I grew up, the more everybody talked about how good they were.”

Many of those people expected Ace would follow in her family’s footsteps at JSU, but there’s a certain amount of pressure that goes along with that, which can be a hard thing to deal with.

All of the outside expectations aside, Ace said her mother has told her one thing throughout her varsity career that’s stuck with her.

“She really didn’t say it a lot, but the one thing she said was ‘Just go be Ace,’” she said. “Those words can motivate you every day.”

Ace has certainly been Ace, using those words of wisdom to their fullest potential.

A starter on Spring Garden’s varsity girls basketball team since seventh grade, Ace has been a member of four Class 1A state basketball championship teams, along with two others in volleyball. She became Spring Garden’s all-time basketball career leading scorer with her 43-point effort against seven-time defending Class 6A state champion Hazel Green on Jan. 21 in a 63-46 win, surpassing Paige Anderson McDonald’s 3,667 points. Ace finished her career at Spring Garden with 3,940 points.

Ace is also a two-time Gatorade Player of the Year, and the state’s reigning Miss Basketball. She is the odds-on favorite to repeat that honor when the award is announced on April 17 in Montgomery.

Another honor Ace is repeating is the Cherokee County girls basketball coaches’ selection as their Most Valuable Player. It’s the fifth straight year she’s received the award.

Last season, she averaged 26 points, eight rebounds, six assists, four steals and two blocks per game for the three-time defending state champion Lady Panthers (36-1).

“It does mean a lot just because I know there are a lot of other good players in the county,” Ace said. “It’s not all about the points you score. There were plenty of games against county teams I really didn’t score a lot of points but it was the assists. It just shows the coaches have the mindset that it’s not all about points. It’s just what you do for your team.”

“She’s worked that hard,” Ace’s father and head coach Ricky Austin said. “Anything she gets I know the hours she’s put in. I know how serious it’s been to her. It’s not just about winning, but winning the right way – involving her teammates, building team chemistry, and having a team culture. I know that’s important to her. It’s been a blessing to see teammates who want to play with her and want to play hard for her. That’s one thing I’ve really noticed, how hard her teammates want to play with her and for her. That’s just been a lot fun and it’s been an honor to be a part of that.”

It’s also been an honor for both Ace and her father to see the positive role model status she’s developed in the public. She’s become a great ambassador for high school athletics. It’s not uncommon for the University of Alabama signee to have kids, and even some adults, approach her for a picture or an autograph.

Just like any award she’s received, Ace said she’s humbled and honored by the attention.

“It does mean a lot when tons of little kids come up to me and ask for a picture,” she said. “Sometimes there’s little kids who come up to me who’ll be like ‘I want to play basketball because you play basketball.’ I think that’s one of the things that just sticks with me the most, knowing they’ve watched me so they want to be who I am.

“I know there’s little kids around our school and their parents will say ‘Yeah, our kid will be in their room and you can hear them screaming ‘Ace Austin with a 3.’ It’s little things like that. There are other players who have done the same. I’ve had plenty of parents message me on Instagram or Facebook and say ‘Could you write my kid a letter and mail it to me?’ I’ve done that plenty of times. It does give you a little motivation, but it also tells you all eyes are on you and to keep being who you are.”

Coach Austin said the positive impact Ace has had on the lives of others is “the coolest thing I’ve gotten to witness.”

“It’s not making threes. It’s not the flashy passes. It’s the big eyes of kids who just want to come up and touch her, talk to her. That’s something I keep telling her. You better enjoy it now because when you go to Alabama and miss some free throws in a game that might be going away,” he joked.

Speaking of Alabama, Ace is excited about the challenge college will bring. She said it would be nice to start her freshman year in Tuscaloosa, but she’s also being realistic at the same time.

“That’s not what it all means. It’s not where you start, it’s where you finish,” Ace said. “It’s pretty hard and rare for freshmen to start and get that much playing time, no matter how hard you work and how much work you put in. Your freshman year is tough, not just in sports, but it’s a whole different world you’re stepping into. Everybody wants to get playing minutes, but sometimes that’s just not how it pans out. Either way, it’s not going to change the way I think. It’s just going to make me work harder.”

Coach Austin said he’d love to continue coaching his daughter, but he realizes it’s time for her to face new challenges.

“Right now, the point she’s at, she could coach a Spring Garden girls team. She knows everything I know,” he said. “Selfishly, I would love to coach her again, but she wouldn’t get any better from me right now. It’s time for her to go to Alabama.

“This book’s not closed, but this chapter’s closed, and another chapter is beginning.”

Joining Ace Austin from Spring Garden on the all-county girls team is senior guard/forward Maggie Jarrett, senior forward Olivia Law and junior center Montana Highfield.

Jarrett averaged almost 14 points, four rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block per contest. Law delivered nine points, six boards, two steals, two assists and a block. Highfield had five points, four rebounds, an assist and a steal.

Selected from Sand Rock is sophomore guard Maddie Clanton, junior forward Macey Pruitt, sophomore guard Molly Grace Lay and sophomore guard Peyton Johnson.

Clanton collected 13 points, 11 rebounds, three steals and an assist per game. Pruitt posted eight points, five boards, two assists and two steals. Lay delivered eight points, five assists, three rebounds and three steals. Johnson came away with 11 points, four rebounds, two steals, an assist and a block.

Chosen from Cherokee County is junior guard Ellisan Givens, junior guard/forward Nevaeh Gaidurgis and junior forward/center Deannia Starr.

Givens tallied 13 points, six steals, five rebounds and three assists per contest. Gaidurgis gained 13 points, eight boards, three steals and three assists. Starr came away with seven points, nine rebounds, two steals, two assists and two blocks.

Junior guard Kylie Vadon and senior forward Caley Bruce represent Cedar Bluff. Vadon averaged 19 points, six rebounds, four steals and two assists. Bruce managed 11 points, eight boards, a steal and an assist.

Freshman guard Lydia Reynolds was selected from Gaylesville. Reynolds averaged eight points, five rebounds and four steals.