It was a packed house at Sand Mountain Park and Amphitheater on Monday as Alabama Crimson Tides star freshman Ace Austin hosted over 130 north Alabama kids that ranged from ages 7-17 for the 1st annual Ace Austin Basketball Academy. SMPA hosted the camp from June 16 through June 18, went over a variety of basketball skills that included shooting, passing, speed, ball handling and defense.
“This is an awesome day,” Austin said. “This is the first-ever Ace Austin camp and it just means a lot to see this many kids show up who support and care about you.”
The two-time Class 1A Player of the Year was ranked as the 55th best recruit according to ESPN before signing on with the Crimson Tide. Austin led Spring Garden to three Class 1A state championships and was named to the All-State first team four times.
“My own camp means a lot especially when I saw the whole line of kids lined up ready to register,” Austin said.
That was me when I was growing up. They are walking in the same footsteps as me and I don’t think they really realize that I was also once there too. It is special.”
Running the Ace Austin Basketball Academy was Brian Domalik who owns and runs Shooters Paradise Alabama. Domalik is a Georgia Tech basketball alum who played from 1988 through 1991.
“I own and run a basketball service called Shooters Paradise Alabama. I started out here in 2020 and I trained a lot of the players in the north Alabama area,” Domalik said. “I started working with Ace when she was in eighth grade. As she has gotten older, she has developed into an amazing player, and it has just been amazing to watch. She was the first lady in Alabama history to win back-to-back Gatorade Player of the Year and State Player of the Year. She is just so humble, and she is a great Christian kid. You want someone like her to be successful.”
During the first day of the Academy the kids got to listen to a special guest speaker as Georgia Tech basketball alum Willie Reese came to speak to the large crowd.
“Our speaker today was Willie Reese who played at Georgia Tech from 1984 through 1989.” Domalik said.
He was an assistant coach at Georgia Tech from 1999 through 2011. In 2004, Georgia Tech went to the NCAA Finals, where they would lose to UConn. Reese recruited four of the five starters on that team. He was responsible for recruiting and sending six players to the NBA, which included Chris Bosh.”
Austin would like to thank her friends and family for helping with her first annual camp.
“Without their help, just the little things, it wouldn’t have been able to turn out with this amount of kids.” Austin said.
You need all the help you can get. They have helped build me too. Without Brian, this definitely wouldn’t have been possible. It has been great, and I am so thankful for Sand Mountain. I am so blessed to have this opportunity, as not many people get to do this.”