6 Questions With Holy Cross Basketball Guard Alex Smith

Friday, February 08, 2013

John Barone, GoLocalWorcester Sports Contributor

Junior guard Alex Smith.

Alex Smith picked up her second career Patriot League player of the week honor on Monday. The junior guard averaged 19 points, 3.5 assists and three rebounds in helping the Holy Cross women’s basketball team to a pair of victories from Jan. 28-Feb. 3. A native of Delran, N.J., Smith leads the Crusaders in scoring at 15 points per game. She netted her 1,000th career point on Jan. 19, becoming the 29th player in program history to reach that plateau.

GoLocalWorcester: What are your primary goals for this season?

Smith: My primary goals are to win a Patriot League championship and have fun.

GoLocalWorcester: What are the biggest differences between playing high school and college basketball?

Smith: The main difference I have noticed is the time commitment. A lot more preparation goes into games at the college level. We start preseason workouts (lifting, conditioning, pickup) in September. Practices start the beginning of October and you are in the full swing of things until March. After the last game, we get 1-2 weeks off and then postseason workouts (lifting, conditioning, pickup) start up again.

GoLocalWorcester: What are your strengths as a player?

Smith: My strengths are shooting and assists. I love to shoot, but at the same time, I get much more satisfaction from putting my teammates in the perfect place to score.

GoLocalWorcester: What areas of your game need improvement?

Smith: I need to work on going to the basket and getting to the foul line. I want to be a driver and a shooter to make it even harder for the defense.

GoLocalWorcester: Who introduced you to basketball?

Smith: I was introduced to the game by my parents and a friend’s father who coached high school basketball, Jack Burk. At a very young age I always looked up to Mr. Burk. He coached me from second grade until eighth grade and taught me the basics of basketball.

GoLocalWorcester: Who is the best coach you’ve played for and why?

Smith: The best coach I played for is my high school coach, Sean Casey. He was the Naismith coach of the year my senior year of high school. The things he taught me in four years were unbelievable. He was a great leader and made my love for basketball grow.