All-State Basketball Selections Led By Hargett As Coach Of The Year

MADISON- Alissa Hargett, Madison Academy first-year head basketball coach of the Lady Mustang’s program, was named Class 4A Coach of the Year and sophomore sensation Jaden Langford was named First Team All-State by the Alabama Sports Writer Association. They were joined on the first-team selections by senior Darron Howard of Sparkman as Class 7A All-State First-Team selection for the 2018 squads.

The Lady Mustangs (29-7) repeated as state champions with a 56-43 win over Deshler, with Langford named the Final Four Most Valuable Player, while the Madison Academy boys’ team lost in its bid to take the 4A title with a heartbreaking 56-54 loss to Cordova in the state title game. Calvin Walker, a 6-4 senior guard for the Mustangs, was named to the Third Team All-State.

In Class 7A, the boy’s all-state selections included a second team spot by Garrett Hicks of James Clemens, a 6-0 junior guard who averaged 17 points and four rebounds per game, and Malik Tyson of Sparkman, a 6-4 junior guard third team pick.

Howard averaged 17 points on the season for the Senators who lost in the state semi-finals 64-61 in an overtime thriller to McGill-Toolen. He made a remarkable turnaround from a season ago where he tallied just five points per outing as a junior. “I matured and worked hard during practices and games and worked on my shooting technique all during the off-season at our open gym time and at a local recreation center,” said Howard. “My work paid off and my improvement helped me and our team play as well as we did. I’m honored to be chosen among the best in the state.”

Howard is currently looking at several schools for college including Coastal Alabama Community College, Gadsden State and Freed-Hardeman. He carries a 3.4 grade point average and looks to study physical therapy or sports management.

In girls 7A, two Lady Senators made the spotlight as Derienne Black (Sr., F, 5-8) was named to the second team and Deyana Dodd (Jr., G, 5-4) was chosen to the third team. The Lady Senators also lost in the semi-finals of the state tournament to McGill-Toolen in a fight to the finish 50-49.