Selected from a list of four finalists, Central-Phenix City freshman basketball player Jabria Lindsey has been voted the ITG Next Alabama Female Athlete of the Month for February 2023, receiving 46.70% of the possible votes.
If there was one word to describe Lindsey’s game at such a young age, “special” might come to mind.
“Jabria is one of the top prospects in her class nationally,” said Central-Phenix City assistant coach Rodgetta Williams. “She is definitely an elite scorer with an above-average skill set. She is able to score ambidextrously, which complicates the defense.
“What gives her an edge is her ability to maneuver through traffic to score the ball,” Williams added. “She has an insatiable offensive mind and has willed us to many wins this season. She is hard to contain and even harder to stop. There have been double, and sometimes even triple, teams, and she still comes through for the team, which is fun to watch. In addition to being a scorer, her overall presence offensively keeps teams on edge. She finds a way to counteract their defense to get offensive production.”
For the season, Lindsey averaged 23 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 3.6 APG, and 4.2 SPG for a Central-Phenix City team that reached the Class 7A playoffs. She ranked among the state’s leaders in points and steals per game.
“Jabria has been a joy to coach, really,” Williams said. “For her to be as good of a player as she is, she is still very humble and doesn’t realize her own impact. For our team, she is a facilitator. Players know they have to bring their best defensive game when she steps on the floor. In many of the close games that we have played, she has put the team on her back and carried us to victory.
“She plays well on both ends of the floor, averaging over 23 points per game, yet for the season she has over 120 steals,” Williams added. “She plays with passion and she’s able to get her teammates involved. She has over 100 assists on the season as well. She’s a team player, who is maturing into a leadership role on and off the court. In short, she’s a fantastic player, who makes her team better, and with her youth, we are looking forward to many great seasons with her.”
Included in Lindsey’s 2022-23 season was also a memorable month of January, when she was one of the top players in Class 7A, as well as the state overall.
In nine games, a span in which Central-Phenix City went 7-2, Lindsey averaged 26.7 PPG, along with 6.7 RPG, 4 APG, and 4.7 SPG. Lindsey also posted three notable double-doubles, one of which included a season-high 17 rebounds against Russell County, as well as another season high with 10 steals against Smiths Station.
Lindsey scored 20+ points in each of those games, and two were 30+ point performances: a 34-point showing in a win over Opelika and 33 points in the aforementioned contest against Smiths Station, both of which were area games.
“I am excited that Jabria is getting this recognition,” Williams said. “Finishing her ninth grade year with over 1,600 points is an amazing accomplishment. The sky’s the limit for her and I am thrilled to be a part of the process.”
Congratulations to Central-Phenix City’s Jabria Lindsey, the ITG Next Alabama February 2023 Female Athlete of the Month.
