Selma High School point guard Keyshawn Ford is set to compete with some of the state’s best rising seniors.

Ford was recently selected to play in the 2013 North-South All-Star basketball game as a part of Alabama All-Star Sports Week in July.

Ford said it’s a great honor to be selected to the South team, and he’ll use the game as a stepping stone to work harder to accomplish his goals.

“It’s very special to be chosen. I just want to be competitive against some of the best juniors in the state,” Ford said. “I’m going to work hard so I can try to accomplish my goals and win a ring. It means a lot. I just want to play ball, have fun and play on the next level.”

Woodie Jackson, head boys basketball coach of Selma High School, said Ford displayed great leadership as the season progressed.

“Since I’ve been here — this is my fifth year here — we’ve had some outstanding athletes and Keyshawn makes the seventh athlete to have participated in the North-South game,” Jackson said. “Going into his senior year, I think he’s learned a great deal midseason and definitely the latter part of the year, he began to work harder to show more leadership.”

Jackson added he’s hoping to see Ford work even harder and take on more responsibility in his senior season.

“Going into his senior year, we’ll be definitely depending on him starting during the spring to work extremely hard, to work hard during the summer and try to improve on all parts of his game,” Jackson said. “Being a point guard, he’s not the biggest point guard, but he also can score the ball, so when you’re small you’ve got to be tough and you’ve got to be gritty. And that has been my philosophy my entire coaching career is to be gritty. We hope that Keyshawn has turned the corner now and that he’s working hard toward a good senior year.”