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PAGE 4B March 2026
Joe Jolley Insurance Agency LLC AUTO | HOME | LIFE | BUSINESS | MOTORIZED RECREATION JAX STATE FOOTBALL - Jax State football has agreed to a home-and-home game series with North Dakota State. The Gamecocks will open the 2026 season at Gate City Bank Field at the Fargodome on August 29 for a Week zero game against the Bison. North Dakota State will be playing their first season as an FBS and Mountain West member. On September 22, 2029, the Bison will make the return trip to AmFirst Stadium in Jacksonville. ALL-ACADEMIC CUSA BOWLING TEAM - Six athletes have been named to Conference USA’s 2026 All-Academic Team. Players and programs earning recognition include Kaylee Back (4.0 in Accounting from Arkansas State), Emma Yoder (4.0 in Integrated Studies from Jacksonville State), Jenna Stretch (3.939 in English from Louisiana Tech), Megan Prettyman (4.0 in Biology from Sacred Heart), Sarah Rubi (3.890 Graduate Student in Computer Science from Tulane), Aleesha Oden (3.91 in Applied Engineering from Wichita State). CUSA CHAMPIONSHIP AGREEMENT - Conference USA has extended its partnership with the City of Huntsville to host an expanded slate of championship events through 2029. The agreement will bring the next three CUSA Basketball Championships (2027-29), the next three CUSA Beach Volleyball Championships (2027-29) and the 2026 and 2028 CUSA Cross Country Championships to the Rocket City. AHSAA BASKETBALL CHAMPIONS - A total of 14 Alabama High School Basketball teams earned state championship honors during the 2026 state tournament. The teams listed by Classification and their final overall season record include: VARSITY BOYS • Class 1A - Brantley (25-7) • Class 2A - Section (25-10) • Class 3A - Montgomery Academy (28-7) • Class 4A - Fairfield (26-10) • Class 5A - Wenonah (27-5) • Class 6A - Oxford (30-4) • Class 7A - Tuscaloosa County (29-6) VARSITY GIRLS • Class 1A - Winterboro (35-2) • Class 2A - North Sand Mountain (27-8) • Class 3A - Saint James (33-4) • Class 4A - Good Hope (30-8) • Class 5A - Guntersville (33-4) • Class 6A - Hazel Green (31-2) • Class 7A - Hoover (35-1) JAX STATE WOMEN FALL TO FIU - Jax State was outscored 22-8 in the third quarter of the 2026 women's Conference USA Basketball Championship quarterfinal loss to FIU. After leading by as many as nine in the first half, the Panthers used a 44-31 second half advantage for a 76-66 victory over the Gamecocks. AUBURN FALLS IN SEC TOURNAMENT - Auburn's Tahaad Pettiford scored 28 points and helped the Tigers pull ahead by 10 points with 10 minutes to play in the second round of the 2026 SEC Tournament. However, fifth-seeded No. 25 Tennessee scored 20 consecutive points to defeat Auburn 72-62 at Bridgestone Arena. The Tigers earned a 79-61 victory over Mississippi State in the opening round of the Tournament. Auburn (17-16) now awaits Selection Sunday and the Tigers hope that previous wins and strength of schedule merit an invitation to the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. VOLS FALL TO VANDERBILT - The fifth-seeded University of Tennessee men's basketball team fell to fourth-seeded Vanderbilt, 75-68, in the 2026 SEC Tournament quarterfinals on Friday, March 13, 2026. Senior guard Ja'Kobi Gillespie paced No. 25 Tennessee (22-11, 11-7 SEC) with 21 points, but it was not enough against No. 22 Vanderbilt (25-7, 11-7 SEC) in the teams' third matchup in 20 days. UAB FALLS IN CONFERENCE TOURNEY - The UAB Men’s Basketball team (20-12, 11-7 American) Season might have come to an end against No. 5 Charlotte (16- 16, 9-9 American) 83-78 on Friday, March 13, 2026 in the American Conference Tournament. Daniel Rivera led the team with 20 points and nine rebounds for his second straight 20+ point game. KyeRon Lindsay-Martin (12) and Quaran McPherson (14) both scored in double digits. UAB shot 51% from the field (32-for-63), 21% from three (4-for- 19), and 59% from the free-throw line (10-for-17). UAB will await its fate to see if the NIT will select the Blazers to participate in post season play. ALABAMA FALLS TO OLE MISS - The No. 15 Alabama men’s basketball team dropped its opening game in the 2026 Southeastern Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament, falling to Ole Miss, 80-79, in the quarterfinals on Friday, March 13, 2026. The Crimson Tide (23-9) was led by Labaron Philon Jr.’s game-high 28 points to go with a team-leading four assists. Aden Holloway (18) and Aiden Sherrell (14) also reached double figures, while Amari Allen pulled down a game-high 11 boards. Ole Miss (15-19), who entered the week as a No. 15 seed having dropped 12 of its previous 13 contests, won for the third time in as many days and have not trailed throughout this year’s tournament. The Rebels were led by AJ Storr’s 17 points while Ilias Kamardine added 16 points, six rebounds and four assists. SIDELINE SPORTS
Photo Courtesy of CUSA
No. 6 Kennesaw State hoisted the CUSA Basketball Championship trophy for the first time in program history after defeating No. 4 LA Tech 71-60 on Saturday, March 14, 2026 in Huntsville. Redshirt sophomore guard RJ Johnson, the CUSA Men’s Basketball Championship Most Valuable Player, scored 13 points with six rebounds, four assists and two steals in the 11-point win on Saturday night. The Huntsville native averaged 17.0 points and 5.3 assists in the Owls’ three contests in three days. Jaden Harris scored a game-high 18 points on 5-9 shooting while All- Tournament Team member Amir Taylor poured in 17 points. The Owls became the first No. 6 seed in a CUSA Tournament to win the title. They will be making their second appearance in the NCAA Tournament after going in 2023. Missouri State won the CUSA Women's Championship. Kennesaw State Wins Men's CUSA Tournament The Pride of Spring Garden Ricky Austin Set To Be Inducted into 2026 AHSAA Hall of Fame
By Bill Plott, AHSAA Mention the Spring Garden community in Cherokee County, and Coach Ricky Austin comes to mind immediately – and for good reason. Austin is one of 12 individuals the Class of 2026 set to be inducted into the Alabama High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame. The induction banquet will be Monday, March 23, at 6 p.m., at the Montgomery Renaissance Hotel and Convention Center. “Ricky Austin’s immense pride in his hometown school is like a script right out of a movie,” said Newman. “The success of the student athletes does not end when they complete his program. His players enter life after high school, being able to value challenging work, they have been taught to have commitment and pride in whatever they do and how to overcome adversity. Most of all, they have become the kind of productive citizens every community desires," said Centre Elementary School Principal Wes Newman. Austin, an outstanding basketball player and leader as the team’s point guard in his playing days, graduated from Spring Garden High School in 1984. His time away from school and community was brief. He attended Southern Union Junior College, then Jacksonville State University, receiving a bachelor’s degree in physical education and health in 1995. He has earned a master’s degree in sport management. After graduation he returned home to teach and coach at Spring Garden High School. Beginning with girls’ basketball, he has compiled a record of 790-169 over a span of 29 years. His teams have made 17 Final Four appearances, winning nine state championships including three consecutive titles in 2023, 2024, and 2025. They were runners-up twice. Except for the first two seasons when he was establishing his program and starting his career, he has not had a losing season. His teams have thirteen 30-win seasons and twelve 20-win seasons. His girls’ teams have had four seasons of fewer than 20 wins. More than 40 players have been named to All-State teams. His daughter Ace Austin, currently a freshman on the University of Alabama’s women’s basketball team, was named Miss Basketball as the AHSAA Girls’ Player of the Year by the Alabama Sportswriters Association in 2024 and 2025. Also, former player Paige (Anderson) McDonald was named Class 1A Player of the Year in 2006 and 2008. Sons Cooper and Riley were both high school basketball players, and both are coaches at Spring Garden. Austin’s wife Dana, also a teacher and coach at Spring Garden, has been a key component to the girls’ basketball program as well working alongside her husband for many years. She and her twin sister Jana were legends at Spring Garden and Jacksonville State University. In 2005 Coach Austin and Dana were named Health, Physical Education and Recreation Department’s Male and Female Alumni of the Year at Jacksonville State University. Austin’s dedication to Spring Garden High School led him to take charge of the boys’ basketball program
mid-season in the 2008-09 school year. He coached both girls’ and boys’ teams for 14 years, His boys reached the Final Four in 2018-19 and compiled a 216-182 record under his tutelage. His combined record for girls and boys was 1,006-351 following the 2025 season – making him one of only a handful of coaches to reach the 1,000-win milestone in the AHSAA. The basketball court at SPHS gymnasium was named the Ricky Austin Court in 2018. Add his more volleyball wins and his total number of coaching wins exceeded 1,600. “I believe he played a transformative role in elevating girls’ basketball within our community,” said former player Lauren Hudson Hatcher. “At a time when our small 1A school could have remained under the radar, he put us on the map. It has been gratifying to wear my Spring Garden attire and, on numerous occasions, be asked about our girls’ basketball program – a testament of his influence.” In 1996, Coach Austin added another sport – volleyball. Hatcher, who also played volleyball for Austin, recalled: “I am particularly proud to say that I was part of his inaugural volleyball team. When he took on the role of volleyball coach, he had not attended a single game. However, through his determination and dedication, we quickly evolved into a competitive force.” How competitive? Two years after establishing the program, Spring Garden reeled off 12 consecutive seasons of 25 or more wins. They won more than 40 matches twice and more than 50 matches twice with a state championship in 2007. Coach Austin was called back into volleyball service in 2018. Since then, he has had eight consecutive winning seasons through 2025, a school record 54-5 mark, and state championships in 2023 and 2024. His overall volleyball record is 688-323 with 14 All State players. Another former player, Darian Austin, commented on the far-reaching influence of Coach Austin: “He has a strong commitment to excellence, togetherness, and character. Coach leads by example. Former athletes that have played for him come back very often to express how much he has impacted their lives – not only as a coach but as a mentor, role model, and positive force in the development of who they are today. “I have been lucky enough to be one of those players who got to experience his impact firsthand. I not only considered him as my basketball coach but as a life coach. The lessons he taught me on the basketball court carried over into life lessons.” Jake Scott said he was not happy as a junior when Coach Austin took over the basketball program mid- season. After two weeks, he quit. “I regretted this almost immediately, calling his house phone to apologize and ask to be back on the team. “He could have done that. It would have been the easy thing to do, but he did not,” said Scott. “He stood his ground. That was the best thing that could have happened to me. Coach wanted the best out of me, and I folded. Had he let me back on the team, I would not have learned two of the great lessons he could give, actions have consequences and never quit. “He taught me more about life with that stance more than any single thing else he did. As an adult, you could opt out or quit on an everyday occurrence. After that situation with Coach, I vowed never to quit anything again. The following year I rejoined the team, once again as a captain, and finished out the season with Coach Austin at the helm.” Austin has coached in the Alabama-Mississippi All Star game, the AHSAA North- South All Star game, and the Alabama Southern Starz Nike EYBL team.
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