Growing up, basketball was everything.

I had dreams of being recruited, getting to sign my name on posters of myself and maybe even write for the Players Tribune about my experiences playing ball. I think all young athletes dream about things like that--getting to play in college or at the professional level. I played in high school during the era of Nike Elite socks and brightly colored leggings. I remember when I first started playing basketball at CSUSM, I showed up to practice in that same gear. I didn't mean to be flashy, but that was all that I owned. At our end of the year meeting that year, Coach B.J. Foster casually mentioned to me that I didn't need to stand out 'like that' on the court. This was the first lesson I ever learned from Coach: how to conduct myself in certain situations. The first of many lessons I would be learning over my time at Cal State San Marcos as both a member of the men's basketball team and a member of the community.

Let's take a step back and tell you how I got here in the first place. Believe it or not, I applied to CSUSM because my mom saw an advertisement for the school on a billboard while driving down the 15 freeway. Unlike others, I wasn't heavily recruited, but I did know someone connected to the CSUSM basketball program. So I applied, got in, and started my time at school as a normal student. I roomed with regular guys at the UVA, one of which I still live with today. I made friends with regular students and student-athletes, and immersed myself in activities both inside and outside of athletics. My experience at CSUSM opened me up to different perspectives, and I was able to attend a broad range of events that pertained to both basketball and to the general student life. My teammates knew that I was the go-to guy if anyone wanted to know what was going on at school. Getting to be so involved in both areas allowed me to impact my team with opportunities outside of basketball. It was also enlightening because the culture is different everywhere on campus, and it helped me figure out how to build relationships with people who were different from me, just like on my team.

Looking back at my time here, I have treasured the five years that I have been a part of the men's basketball team. While being an student-athlete is important to me, if I've learned anything so far, it is that life is much bigger than sports. Being on the team and playing for a coach like Coach B.J. showed me that I could be an impact player both on and off the court. I learned the fruit of not complaining; that if I could give my all in the locker room, on the bench, and on the court, I could still make a difference. There are two ways to approach a situation like this. You could complain about playing time, bring everyone down and not be involved. The second approach is supporting from the bench, being a motivator in the locker room and creating a relationship with players off the court. To me, it wasn't all for the sake of basketball. I wanted to build a relationship with all the guys, share aspects of my faith and help lead them to experience the same kind of love and support that I have experienced. That is what's important to me: being impactful in other ways. Coach B.J. keeping me for the last four years instilled the idea that I could truly make a difference in a way that wasn't x's and o's. Who we are off the court matters too. 

So if I could tell my first-year self anything, I would tell him that life is more than basketball.
-Alec