By JACOB POLACHECK
Trey Alexander, the 6-foot-3, 160-pound shooting guard from Heritage Hall (OK), is down to seven schools.
Ranked the No. 18 shooting guard nationally in the Class of 2021 by 247Sports.com, Alexander is down to Grambling State, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Georgia, Auburn and Ole Miss.
He broke down his top seven for ZAGSBLOG:
Grambling State: “I love how I’ve gotten some love from HBCU’s. A lot of people look at my list and say they don’t think Grambling has any chance, but Grambling is actually a good school. They play good teams throughout the year. They need a player that’s able to score the ball and be their main guy. I feel like I would be able to do that for them, especially being at an HBCU would be even better.”
Kansas: “It’s Kansas, you know? They send guys to the league. That’s my main goal, getting to the next level and finding a way to be successful at the next level because as a player I want to be great at the highest level I can be great at. Coach [Bill] Self has talked to me a lot. I’ve talked with coach [Kurtis] Townsend a lot. They need a point guard after this next coming year, so I feel like I could be that guy to come in at the one or the two. I could be a guy that scores and facilitates to help lead the team.”
Oklahoma: “OU is my hometown school. Bijan [Cortes] is there. C.J. [Noland] is there. They’re trying to get Daimion [Collins]. They really have a nice recruiting class. They’ve always pitched to me that they would let me play and let me be the guy to go. I love OU. I love coach [Lon] Kruger. Coach Kruger has recruited me very well. He makes sure he keeps in contact with me and let’s me know that they need me. I always say I want to somewhere that I’m needed and wanted. That’s definitely a good place to go.”
Arkansas: “Coach [Eric] Musselman is in contact, like every single coach, every single day. They’ve been consistent in recruiting me. They let it be known that they need me just as much as OU does. They let it be known that they will put the ball in my hands come freshman year. Even being in the SEC, it’s as great conference for guards. It would be a great opportunity to come in my freshman year and have free rein, be able to be with another great recruiting class, play the one or the two and have coaches that actually believe in me, that have been at the top level before.”
Georgia: “Their pitch has definitely been the previous guys that they have led to the NBA, guys like Anthony Edwards. People like him are generational-type players. Coach [Tom] Crean has come to me and said that they would love to have me on campus and be that guy for the next coming year or two, however long I decide to stay. He said I could end up being that guy that could take just as many shots as Anthony Edwards did last year.”
Auburn: “Auburn is definitely a place that I would like to go. They’ve sent a lot of guys to the league and they’ve had a lot of deep tournament runs. They almost won their conference last year. The coaches have talked to me about coming in and being the guy. If Sharife [Cooper] decides to stay two years, I could come in and play alongside him at the two or the one. I love their play style. They have a great pace, push the ball and shoot a lot of threes. Coach [Bruce Pearl] instilled in me and said, ‘if you come here, it’s live and die by the three. We always take the first shot and try and turn people over’. So, I love the way they play and love the way he coaches his guys and gets the best out of them.”
Ole Miss: “They’ve been showing me interest since my sophomore year. Ole Miss is definitely a school that I like for the simple fact that they have a coaching staff that’s willing to let their players play. They probably haven’t had as much success that they’ve had in previous years, but they have a good recruiting class this year at Ole Miss. They have a great recruiting class coming in. Daeshun [Ruffin] is a guy that I’m cool with. He’s definitely a big reason they made my list. Playing alongside him would be great. We already have great chemistry because we played a couple games together during AAU ball. That would be fun. Ole Miss is definitely a school that I’d look to because of the way I could come in my freshman year, make a great impact on the team and hopefully turn the organization around if I were to go there.”
Despite being unable to take in-person visits, Alexander says he has taken virtual visits to all seven schools.
“I would love to be on campus with these schools, but if that’s not able to happen, me and the coaching staffs are pretty cool, so hopefully we’ll be able to do a couple more virtual visits, talk basketball with them.”
Alexander says he is unsure whether he will cut his list again before he announces.
“Me and my father have been talking and we’re either going to do a Top 3 or Top 4 before December or we’re just going to commit in December,” Alexander said. “It’s one of the two. I’ll definitely put it out there and let people know what I decide.
“I’m definitely going to commit before the year is over with.”
In terms of his decision, Alexander says it will mainly come down to “coach-player relationships”.
“Nobody wants to play for a coach that runs an offense down the court and doesn’t let them play their game, showcase their talent,” he said. “I know there are a couple college coaches that just want to win, but their style is ‘it’s my way or the highway’.
“The best coaches adapt to the players they have,” he said. “Play-style, coach-player relationship, as well as player development, knowing how to get a player to the next level is big. There are a couple deciding factors for me.”
Last season, Alexander averaged 26.6 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 2.8 steals per game for Heritage Hall.
“I play hard the whole time,” he said. “Whatever team I’m on, I’m going to be very vocal, telling guys where they should be and anything like that.
“Mainly I’m a winner and a scorer. I love to score the basketball. I can distribute the ball as well, playing the one. I rebound the ball well. I’m more of an all-around guy. I play defense and usually guard the best player on the other team. Whatever it takes to win, that’s what I’m doing.”
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