Darby Madden’s secret for getting to the foul line so much is really no secret at all.
It’s an attitude.
“I always try to play with the mindset that when I get the ball on the block, I’m not gonna be stopped,” said Madden, a senior at Red Bay who led all Franklin County players in free throws made (190) and attempted (259) last season. “Any time I can catch the ball down there, I’m going up strong. If somebody is there or if no one is there, either way, I’m going up hard. If I get fouled, great. If not, I wanna make the shot.
“That aggressive mindset, being able to play through contact, helps me get to the free throw line.”
Madden, who earned Player of the Year honors from the Free Press as a junior after leading the Lady Tigers in scoring at 15.7 points per game, attributes the development of that aggressive mindset to the summers she’s spent playing travel ball with the Southern Stars out of Huntsville.
“In AAU ball, you’re usually playing against kids who are bigger and taller and stronger than you,” said the 5’11 Madden, who also led Red Bay last season in rebounds and blocked shots. “It’s just a different level. Then when you go back to playing high school ball, it helps you be stronger and more aggressive and play with physicality.”
That aggressive on-court nature should serve Madden well at the next level. She recently committed to continue her basketball career in college at the University of North Alabama, choosing the Lions over an offer from Faulkner University and interest from Jacksonville State.
“I had planned on majoring in elementary education from the get-go, so I was really excited to get an offer from UNA,” Madden said. “They have a great education program there. Faulkner offered me, and Jacksonville State had been keeping in contact with me very frequently, but I already knew my heart was with UNA.
“It was great to get to commit and stay around here and not have to go too far to get a great education degree.”
Madden’s designs on entering the field of education are fitting—she’s been schooling opponents in the low post for years. As a sophomore in 2015, she was named to the All-Tournament team at the Northwest Regional in Hanceville after totaling 36 points and 16 rebounds on 12-for-19 shooting from the field (and 11-for-13 from the foul line) in wins over Tanner and Cold Springs. The following week, after scoring 18 points in a semifinal win over Holy Spirit and then helping Red Bay rally past Geneva County in the Class 2A championship game, Madden was named state finals MVP.
She took another step forward last season as a junior, topping the 20-point mark eight times and establishing a new career-high with 486 total points scored. Roughly 39 percent of those points came at the foul line, where Madden shot a solid 73 percent. That sure stroke extended to the perimeter, allowing Madden to knock down 10 three-pointers and diversify an already well-rounded offensive game even further.
Many high school post players find themselves undersized at the college level and transition to the wing; Madden’s versatility (she can post up, face up, drive and shoot the three) should give UNA head coach Missy Tiber plenty of options in that regard.
“I’ll probably stay at forward, but I might pop out on the wing some,” Madden said. “With the offense Coach Tiber runs, her post players don’t have to be big. Her post offense is based off pick-and-rolls, and she likes post players who can shoot and run.”
The jump to the college level is always a challenge, but it’s one that Madden is prepared for. She delivered her best performances last season in some of Red Bay’s biggest games against tough competition from across the Mississippi line: 25 points in a November loss to Olive Branch; 24 points in a December showdown with New Site, which the Lady Tigers won 53-50; and 26 points in a three-point loss to Tupelo in late January. Then there’s her experience playing AAU ball, which Madden says helped her feel right at home last week at AHSAA All-Star Week in Montgomery. [Madden and Red Bay classmate Allie Kennedy were both selected to play for the North All-Stars, who lost 57-53 to the South on Wednesday night.]
“It was an honor to be picked as an All-Star and get to go there and represent Franklin County and Red Bay High School,” said Madden, who was also a first-team All-State selection in Class 2A by the ASWA last season. “I was so happy I got to experience it. There was a lot of talent on both sides. The South had two really big players who were good inside, and some good guards as well. It was kind of like playing AAU ball, in a sense. There was not a bad player on either team. You couldn’t leave anybody open, because they all could shoot. It was an All-Star game, so everybody was good.
“It was a really great experience, just getting to play with All-Stars from north Alabama and seeing what the South had, too. I knew a bunch of the girls from AAU, and to get to have that experience with them was great. I just hate we couldn’t win.”
Madden has won plenty at Red Bay the past two years, helping Hall of Fame coach Donnie Roberts and the Lady Tigers compile a 51-14 record. She’s been remarkably consistent, reaching double-figures in scoring in 53 of those 65 games and providing solid interior defense on a nightly basis.
With her college hoops future now settled, Madden can focus on finishing strong as a senior and helping the Lady Tigers bounce back from last year’s regional semifinal loss to Tanner. Red Bay will be seeking an 18th county title in the last 19 years, a seventh straight regional berth and a fifth state championship under Roberts.
“Definitely. I was so excited to get committed and get it behind me,” she said. “Now, as a senior, I don’t have to worry about where I’m gonna be playing. I can put all my effort into my last year of high school and doing everything I can to help my team win a state title.”
After that, UNA awaits. Another reason the school appealed to Madden was her familiarity with a handful of players already on the Lions’ roster, including former Belmont star Katelyn Nunley and recent Lauderdale County graduates Emma, Ella and Ivy Wallen.
“I know some of the girls who are already playing for UNA, and Coach Tiber is so nice,” Madden said. “I went to their Elite Camp and got a tour of the campus. I got a chance to see what it’s all about, and I fell in love from the start.
“I love basketball, and I’ve always wanted to have a chance to play at the next level. I’m excited that I get to continue playing four more years, hopefully, and also get my college paid for as well.”
