The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

EMANIEL Alexandre was glad to be back home.

Alexandre was back on familiar grounds in the CI Gibson Gymnasium after he teamed up with Saheed Sanusi, Jaden Strachan, Bryan Rolle, Collin Storr and Charles Joseph on the CI Gibson Rattlers senior boys and Providence Storm basketball club teams.

The 20-year-old Alexandre and his Bahamian team-mates helped the Northeast Community College Hawks men’s basketball team to a 15-17 win-loss record and a loss to Iowa Lakes Community College in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region II Tournament quarterfinals.

After graduating with his associate degree in sports management, Alexandre came back home and made his presence felt at the CI Gibson Gymnasium where he worked as an instructor in the Kevin Johnson Basketball Camp.

“I feel pretty good. Besides the cold, it wasn’t that bad,” said Alexandre, who is now preparing to transfer to Texas A&M International University.

“School was pretty nice. The teachers and everyone were looking out for you, making sure that you didn’t fail.

“Sports wise, it wasn’t bad either. We didn’t have a good year last year during our first season, but we had a pretty good season this year.

“Most of us were in our sophomore year, so we knew the system and we understood what was going on.”

Alexandre, who has grown to about 6-feet and is now about 170 pounds, played in all 32 games during the season.

He averaged 16.1 points per game, shooting 39.2 percent from the field, 33.8 from the three-point arch and 65.5 percent from the free throw line, while dishing out 3.3 assists and grabbing 7.4 rebounds.

“It was a learning opportunity. It was a start, but it’s only preparing me for the bigger level,” Alexandre said.

“It was a learning opportunity for me. I think I will only get better when I move to our next college.”

Looking back at where he came from, Alexandre said he was delighted to be able to share with the next generation of players in the basketball camp.

He encouraged the players to “just keep working and trust in your coach because when you get over there, if you don’t listen to them, you won’t make it. You have to listen.”

Coach Kevin ‘KJ’ Johnson, in welcoming Alexandre home, said he remembers when he was a member of his Rattlers’ team, along with the other players. “He’s now an all-academic, having made a 3.4 grade point average and he’s doing well,” Johnson said. “As a freshman, he led the team in scoring and now he’s graduated with his associate degree and is heading onto Texas A&M International.

“So I’m very proud of him. He’s a young man who is very focused and he understands the importance of being able to make the adjustment to the environment that he’s going through right now.” Johnson said he’s been just as pleased with the performances all of the other players on the team. He noted that they are went off to Northeast Community College and they performed exceptionally well.

Through the example that they demonstrated, Johnson said he’s looking forward to the next group of basketball players coming out of his Rattlers and Providence Storm basketball club to make the transition from high school to college.

The rest of the Bahamian connection at Northwest Community College this past season were: Sanusi, a 5-9 guard, played in all 32 games, averaging 3.0 points, 1.3 rebounds and 1.1 assists; Strachan, a 6-1 guard, played in 28 games and averaged 4.7 points, 3.4 rebounds and 0.7 assists; Rolle, a 6-7 forward, played in 30 games with an average of 3.3 points, 2.6 rebounds and 0.5 assists and Storr, a 6-5 forward, averaged 14.5 points, 8.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 30 games played. Joseph, a 6-8 center, didn’t play this season.