Speed on Top 60 list

Hoosier Basketball Magazine's list of the 60 best senior girls basketball players in Indiana includes a Jay County Patriot.

A week after being selected to the top 100, Pazia Speed earned a spot on the latest list released by the magazine Thursday. She will participate in the Top 60 workout Sunday at Marion University in Indianapolis.

"For her being our only senior this year, and all the extra stuff she had on her back, to improve as much as she did this season ... to put her in the top 60 in the state (is outstanding)," said JCHS coach Luke Cummings. "In our community I think we all knew she was (a top-60 player), but to get the statewide recognition of that is definitely an honor for her."

Speed will participate in the first of two sessions in the Top 60 workout Sunday at Marian University from 1 to 3 p.m.. The event is open to the public, and the admission fee is $6.

The workout, which will be run by four-time state champion coach Rick Risinger of Heritage Christian, is part of the selection process for players for the Indiana-Kentucky All-Star series.

"It's amazing," said Speed. "I didn't think out of ... over 1,600 girls I was going to get picked.

"It's good to play with players that are going D-I. I think it'll be fun.

"(To make the Indiana All-Star team) would be a dream come true ..."

Speed led the Patriots in scoring (14.8 points per game), assists (96), steals (57) and 3-pointers (30) while shooting 44 percent from long distance this year. She also averaged 4.2 rebounds per game.

The signature moment of her season came against Muncie Central.

Jay County trailed 41-40 when Speed received an inbounds pass in the backcourt with just 5.7 seconds remaining in the game. She juked a pair of Central defenders and then split two more Bearcats in the paint before laying the ball off the glass for the game-winning lay-up as time expired.

Cummings said he feels Speed's work ethic is what helped her reach the next level this year.

"As soon as our season was over, she was still in here next week working," he said. "She's still going to be at open gyms even though her career (at Jay County) is done."

Speed, who led the Patriots to a 16-7 record despite losing two starters to season-ending knee injuries, credits Cummings with helping transform her game while coaching JCHS to its third straight season of 16 or more wins.

"Overall, I think we did pretty good, overcoming everything that we had," she said. "We had a lot of underclassmen step up and help a lot. ... I liked the way we played this year.

"(Cummings) gave me a lot of discipline. ... That made me a lot better, I think."

The Top 60 list has 14 players who have committed to play next season at Division I universities, including Butler recruits Sarah Hamm of Winchester and Mandy McDivitt of Connersville.

Others on the list from teams Jay County played this year are Kaleigh Andrews and Alex Bess of Rushville, Taylor Foley from Huntington North, Mur Hagerman from Pendleton Heights and Jenelle Wilson of Norwell.

Speed has made a verbal commitment to play next season at Huntington University, and is scheduled to sign with the Foresters later this month

Three of her future teammates - Foley, Sam Ricks of Tri-West and Amy Kramer of Danville - also made the Top 60 list. Another, Betty Elliott of Crawfordsville, was on the Top 100 list last week.

Cummings, who was in his first season at Jay County this year, said he was just as impressed with Speed off the court as on it. He described his only senior, who has a 3.875 grade point average this year, as a high-character player who has been extremely coach-able.

"Huntington doesn't just take good basketball players," he added. "They take good kids."[[In-content Ad]]