Pasco guard is first county player picked for Florida Athletic Coaches Association North-South All-Star game since '98.
By JAMAL THALJI
Published March 16, 2004
DADE CITY - Alicia Badger will play on the biggest stage of her career Saturday: the Florida Athletic Coaches Association North-South All-Star game.
The Pasco senior point guard will close out her prep career representing District 18, which includes Pasco, Hernando, Citrus, Lake and Sumter counties, playing alongside some of the state's top seniors for the North team.
Badger was voted the district's Class 3A player of the year by the coaches, and Ridgewood point guard Crystal Ayers was named 4A player of the year.
Former Pasco star Jackie Pugh was the last county player to appear in the game in 1998, according to coach Tony Vasquez.
"I'm very excited to make the Florida all-star team," Badger said. "I actually didn't know anything about it. I knew there was going to be an all-star game, but not of this magnitude.
"Coach told me about it, and he told me the only player before me to get named to play in this game was Jackie. Then I knew it was a pretty big game to play in."
Tipoff is 2 p.m. for the girls game and 4 p.m. for the boys, which will be at Embry-Riddle University's ICI Center in Daytona Beach.
Ayers was voted the District's MVP, which traditionally receives the all-star berth. But Ayers tore her right mensicus Jan.28, an injury that ended her senior season. Ayers had arthroscopic surgery March 4 but is still out.
So the all-star nod went to the coaches' second choice, Badger.
The 5-foot-5 Badger, a four-year starter for the Pirates, averaged 15.4 points, 6.7 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 4.2 steals en route to a 19-3 record this season. She has led Pasco to consecutive playoff appearances and a region quarterfinal victory last season.
"I'm pretty excited that she's going, too," Vasquez said. "It's not too often we get someone from the area to play in an all-star game like that."
Badger will receive an all-star uniform with her name and a certificate. But the game is more than an end for the senior. She hopes it's a means to a college scholarship.
Vasquez and Badger hope that a strong performance will boost her stock with college coaches. So far Badger has received interest out of state from Division I-A schools Coppin State College in Baltimore and Belmont University in Nashville. Vasquez said Nature Coast Tech coach Jason Montgomery strongly recommended Badger to Belmont.
In state, Vasquez said there has been interest from Division II schools such as the University of Tampa, Florida Southern, the University of North Florida and Saint Leo University.
The problem is, Badger said, there has been nothing but interest. She said nothing solid has come from any college program, certainly no offers. Badger, who has a 3.4 grade-point average, said it has been a disappointing process.
"At the end of my junior year, a lot of people said I should have a lot of options at the end of my senior year," Badger said. "But at the end of the season, not many options have come my way."
Not only could the all-star game change that, Badger hopes, but it also will be a way for her to measure herself against the state's best.
"To play with the girls, to challenge some of the top athletes in Florida," Badger said, "will help me see where I need to improve, and where I'm standing right now among those players."
Nevertheless, Vasquez said, the all-star game is quite an honor.
"It's awesome," he said. "It's a fitting end to a pretty good career. I'm going to miss her. She grew into leaps and bounds as a basketball player and as an individual.
