Her name is actually Jaci Ace Austin, but few call the Spring Garden basketball star anything except Ace.

How appropriate.

Austin was named Alabama Sports Writers Association Miss Basketball on Tuesday.

“It’s very exciting, a fun experience to go through,” said Austin, Spring Garden’s first Miss Basketball winner. “It shows that all the hard work you put in, it’s going to pay off, but without the support that I have from the coaches and my teammates, them being there, pushing me every day, it’s really helped me. It’s been fun and it’s very exciting to be able to represent Spring Garden.”

Buckhorn’s Caleb Holt was named Mr. Basketball while girls and boys players of the year for each of eight classes were also named along with the Super All-State team.

The awards were sponsored by ALFA Insurance and presented today at a Montgomery banquet sponsored by the Alabama High School Coaches & Athletic Directors Association.

Austin averaged 19.7 points, 7.1 rebounds and 7.1 assists with 117 steals, converting 239-of-480 field goals for 50 percent while making 83-of-111 from 3-point range for 37 percent. Spring Garden compiled a 167-9 record during her five seasons in the program, winning three Class 1A state championships, including the 2024 title with a 33-1 record.

She has 2,901 points, 1,058 rebounds and 1,175 assists in her career.

Austin is only the third junior to earn the honor in the 35-year history of Miss Basketball. Eufaula’s Gwen Jackson was the first junior Miss Basketball in 1998 — the award was started in 1988 — and West Morgan’s Hayden Hamby was named 2011 Miss Basketball as a junior.

No player has ever repeated as Miss Basketball, but Alabama commit Austin has a chance to become the first despite rumors of bypassing her senior season and heading straight to the Tide.

“I’m staying here,” Austin said. “I don’t know why I would leave. I got Spring Garden, a place that I love and I’ve always been here my whole life and skipping out a year is nothing that I’ve ever been interested in. I will definitely stay until next year.”

The list of accomplishments for Austin is long.

In addition to earning Miss Basketball, Austin was also named Gatorade state Player of the Year and is a five-time ASWA all-state selection. She was named second-team all-state as a seventh-grader and selected to the first team each of the past four years. She was Class 2A first team in 2021 and 2022 and Class 1A first team the past two seasons, including class Player of the Year in 2023 and 2024.

“There are a lot of things she brings to the table,” said Spring Garden coach Ricky Austin, who’s also her father. “Obviously she’s very skilled, very fundamentally sound. She works hard, she loves the game and has a passion to compete, all those things that a coach cannot really create.

“To me, her best quality is how she can make everybody on the floor around her better. She’s very patient with her game and she knows when she needs to be assertive for us to be able to win, but at the same time she doesn’t think she has to be it every game.”

She’s part of an extremely athletic and successful family, all playing high school sports at Spring Garden.

Ricky made it to the state tournament as a senior for the Panthers before playing two years at Southern Union Junior College. He has a 754-168 career record coaching the girls program at Spring Garden with eight state championships.

Wife and Spring Garden assistant coach Dana along with twin sister Jana McGinnis — she’s Jacksonville State’s head softball coach — led the Panthers to their first state championship in 1987. Both were high school all-America and played basketball for Jacksonville State. Dana is the school’s all-time leading scorer and Jana is the assist leader.

Even the names of the Austin children presaged basketball prowess.

The youngest Austin got her name from former Tennessee guard Ace Clement, who was a member of the Vols 1998 national championship team under Pat Summitt.

Ace has two older brothers, Riley and Cooper, both star athletes for the Panthers. Riley is named for former L.A. Lakers star and coach Pat Riley while Cooper is named for Lakers great Michael Cooper.

The brothers proved a big part of the younger Austin’s development and playing style.

“My brothers have always pushed me since I was young and playing in the backyard, playing pickup basketball with them,” she said. “I was always the short one and the one that they would never throw the ball to.

“Playing basketball with them has helped me learn certain other styles of gameplay, playing a little more like a boy than a girl, being able to use your body, hitting layups and being more athletic. I definitely would not be here without them.”

“My wife described her game the other day,” Ricky said. “I thought, ‘you know, that sums it up pretty good.’ She has a quiet, humble game and it doesn’t have to be about her. There are moments when her teammates have an opportunity to really do good things for us and that’s the best way for us to win and she’s very patient with that. When she needs to really turn it up, step on the gas pedal, she has that ability to do it as well.

“She’s very versatile, very versatile. She’s probably the most versatile player I’ve ever coached.”

Austin is the Class 1A Player of the Year along with Hewitt-Trussville’s Jordan Hunter (7A), Hazel Green’s Leah Brooks (6A), Jasper’s Missy Odom (5A), Good Hope’s Ivey Maddox (4A), Trinity’s Maddie Smith (3A), Mars Hill Bible’s Belle Hill (2A) and Glenwood’s Takayla Davis (AISA).

Austin, Hill and Brooks are two-time class players of the year.

The Super All-State team consists of the top five players in the state regardless of class. Austin heads the girls team along with Brooks, Hunter, Maddox and Hill. Austin and Brooks were also Super All-State last season.

MISS BASKETBALL

Ace Austin, Spring Garden

SUPER ALL-STATE

(top 5 players regardless of classification)

Ace Austin, Spring Garden (Miss Basketball)

Leah Brooks, Hazel Green

Jordan Hunter, Hewitt-Trussville

Ivey Maddox, Good Hope

Belle Hill, Mars Hill Bible

CLASS PLAYERS OF THE YEAR

7A: Jordan Hunter, Hewitt-Trussville

6A: Leah Brooks, Hazel Green

5A: Missy Odom, Jasper

4A: Ivey Maddox, Good Hope

3A: Maddie Smith, Trinity

2A: Belle Hill, Mars Hill Bible

1A: Ace Austin, Spring Garden

AISA: Takayla Davis, Glenwood

COACHES OF THE YEAR

(originally named March 16)

7A: Krystle Johnson, Hoover

6A: Freeah Smith, Park Crossing

5A: Blake Laney, Jasper

4A: Justin Aby, Good Hope

3A: Blake Smith, Trinity

2A: Jamie Pruett, Ider

1A: Ricky Austin, Spring Garden

AISA: Haley Rosa, Evangel Christian

ALL-TIME MISS BASKETBALL

2024: Ace Austin, Spring Garden

2023: Reniya Kelly, Hoover

2022: Samiya Steele, Hazel Green

2021: Karoline Striplin, Geneva County

2020: Sarah Ashlee Barker, Spain Park

2019: Annie Hughes, Pisgah

2018: Zipporah Broughton, Lee-Montgomery

2017: Bianca Jackson, Brewbaker Tech

2016: Jasmine Walker, Jeff Davis

2015: Shaquera Wade, Huntsville

2014: Shakayla Thomas, Sylacauga

2013: Marqu’es Webb, Hoover

2012: Jasmine Jones, Bob Jones

2011: Hayden Hamby, West Morgan

2010: Kaneisha Horn, Ramsay

2009: Jala Harris, Bob Jones

2008: Courtney Jones, Midfield

2007: Katherine Graham, Ramsay

2006: Shanavia Dowdell, Calera

2005: Whitney Boddie, Florence

2004: Starr Orr, Speake

2003: Sidney Spencer, Hoover

2002: Kate Mastin, Boaz

2001: Donyel Wheeler, Huffman

2000: Natasha Thomas, Lawrence County

1999: Tasheika Morris, Butler

1998: Gwen Jackson, Eufaula

1997: April Nance, Butler

1996: Nicole Carruth, Sulligent

1995: Heather Mayes, Fyffe

1994: Pam Duncan, Carrollton

1993: Leah Monteith, Cherokee County

1992: Yolanda Watkins, Decatur

1991: Tonya Tice, Hamilton

1990: Karen Killen, Mars Hill Bible

1989: Leslie Claybrook, St. James

1988: Jeaniece Slater, Hartselle