What UT Chattanooga basketball fans will get from Montgomery-area star recruit Ava Card

After a long recruiting process, Saint James multi-sport star athlete Ava Card announced her commitment to play college basketball at the University of Tennesse at Chattanooga.

The Saint James senior had a list of offers from schools such as Alabama State, Jacksonville State, George Washington and Tennessee State. Card's decision to commit to UT Chattanooga came from her love for the city and the plan the staff had in place for her next fall.

"What really made me choose UT Chattanooga was the staff and environment there and I could really see myself fitting in their style of play," Card said. "They had a clear vision for me and a place in their program for me to succeed."

Here's what UT Chattanooga basketball fans are getting in highly recruited Ava Card:

Two-Sport Athlete

As successful as Card was in basketball joining the Saint James 1,000 career points club in her junior season, she also led the Trojans volleyball team in kills and aces.

This past summer, Card participated in the AHSAA All-Star game for both sports making AHSAA history as one of few athletes two participate in multiple events during All-Star week. In addition, Card was named the girls basketball All-Star game MVP leading the South All-Stars with 10 points and four rebounds.

"I love participating in both sports because it gave me the opportunity to show off my versatility," Card said. "It's fun managing both especially in my last year it's all about experiences."

Clutch Gene

During her sophomore year at Saint James, Card helped lead the Trojans to the school's first 4A state championship since 1990 after a game-winning basket with seconds remaining on the clock. In a tie score against New Hope, Card capped off a 26-point performance with a turnaround hook shot to give the Trojans the lead.

Her father Nigel Card is the head coach of the Saint James boys basketball team. He explained how the pandemic help Ava blossom into the player she is today as basketball was not her first sport of choice.

"She started her athletic journey as a soccer player and she was terrific at that," coach Card said. "Once she got on the basketball court she enjoyed it and it was something she looked forward to doing on Saturday mornings. As she continued to work at it she got better and better, The pandemic allowed us to work on some skill level techniques and after that she took off."

Leadership

Card's main goal her final year at Saint James is to win a state championship, however she spoke on how she wanted to continue to improve her leadership in preparation for her time at UT Chattanooga.

"This basketball season I really want to challenge myself as a leader and that comes with pushing my self during practice and during games," Card said. "I want to work towards a state championship and go out with a bang. In preparation for that next level I'm focused on getting better everyday."

The 2023 basketball season is set to begin Thursday, Nov. 2. with the playoffs beginning the first week of February in 2024.

Jerry Humphrey III is a sports writer for the Montgomery Advertiser who covers area high school sports, Auburn recruiting and Alabama State athletics. Follow him on Twitter @jerryhump3

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: What UT Chattanooga basketball fans are getting in star recruit Ava Card