Alexander has formula for success at Tenn. State
ED HILL
Special to the BCSP
Prior to his arrival, the once-proud Tiger program was wracked with a myriad of on- and off-court problems accentuated last season by charges of bringing a gun on campus that ended the tenure of his predecessor.
Amidst the turmoil, TSU's athletic director, a female, made history
by coaching the men's team for two games last season. Not even she could stop
a 21-game losing streak that lasted through the end of last season.
But the confident Alexander is no stranger to restoring respectability to a basketball program as he did at South Carolina State. During 13 years, he won 277 games that included five Mid Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament titles, five 20-win seasons and five NCAA Tournament appearances. The Bulldogs had captured just one MEAC title prior to his arrival.
'The first order of business was to restore some discipline in the program from an image standpoint," explains Alexander. "Secondly, we wanted to be organized, both coaches and players. And third, we want to re-condition the thinking on learning how to win."
A season-opening win over Trevecca proved to be an aberration as the Tigers reverted back to what they were used to, as they dropped 10 games in a row, five coming after having double-digit leads in the second half.
"When you have lost as much as the players had, you find yourself looking for ways to lose rather than believing you can win," says Alexander.
But Alexander did not panic and he decided to take a basic approach to turn things around.
"We decided to eliminate all the non-conference games from our minds and focus on the Ohio Valley Conference games," explained Alexander, always the master motivator.
"I told the players and coaches we were going to focus on one game and that was our conference opener. They bought into it and we defeated Jacksonville State at home. It was the first time that TSU had won an OVC game in two years."
The mind-set continued for Alexander and his team two nights later when they came from behind to defeat Samford and go 2-0 in the OVC. The Tigers are currently 3-5 in the conference, but what is important to Alexander is the improvement he has seen.
"We are playing hard and competing every night. We do not yet have the talent level to win consistently. But the fans are beginning to come out again and they appreciate our efforts."
TSU features two very talented players in Bruce Price and Roshaun Bowers, who average almost 34 points between them. Price is an outstanding 6-3 freshman guard who Alexander feels has a very strong chance of being the conference rookie of the year. Bowens is a 6-6 junior forward who has multiple skills.
But Alexander says that more help is on the way. Four top level players including 6-7 Eric King, a transfer from St. John's and Andre Belton, a 6-4 shooting guard have Alexander excited about the future.
"We have some players coming here in the next two years that are difference-makers and have the ability to play at a high level," he says confidently.
For the immediate future, Alexander says the plan is to finish in the Top eight (there are 11 teams in the conference) in the OVC regular season in order to make the tournament. That would be a significant accomplishment since the Tigers have not made the tournament since 2000.
Having been successful in the MEAC and the challenge of competing in the OVC, Alexander notes the differences.
"First of all, the facilities are of a higher quality in the OVC," says Alexander. "The 1, 2 and 3 positions are of the same quality. It is at the 4 and 5 positions where the OVC has an advantage.
"And then there is the exposure factor. Select OVC games are televised on both ESPN2 and the Fox Sports Channel. The MEAC is underexposed. People don't get to see some of the outstanding players and coaches they have in the conference."
After doing such an outstanding job at South Carolina State, Alexander was passed over for several head coaching jobs in the past, but he says he is not bitter and is in fact in the right place at the right time.
"I am getting unbelievable support from the president, athletic director and the fans here at Tennessee State," says Alexander. "In the next two years, we are going to be a force to be reckoned with."
© 2004 Azeez Communications, Inc.