Mercer County Community College’s Kevin Alexis controls the ball during an 82-58 home win over Morris on Feb. 3. (Photo by Albert Rende.)
The Mercer County Community College men’s basketball team was one of the best kept secrets in the county for most of this season, and Nottingham High School graduate Kevin Alexis was one of the best kept secrets on the Vikings.
As of mid-February, MCCC had a glittering 19-3 record and was in first place in the NJCAA Region 19 Division II standings. The region tournament was scheduled to start Feb. 26. The Vikings have plenty of stars scoring points, but they also have the unsung Alexis.
“He’s pretty much our first or second guy off the bench,” coach Howie Levy said of the 6-foot guard. “Kevin’s job is to come in and defend, make a shot, throw some passes. He’s been really good at that. He’s gotten better as the season progresses. He’s hit some great shots, thrown some great passes. I can put him on one of the opponent’s better players and he does a good job.”
It’s a new role for Alexis, who was used to being a starter in high school. But it’s one he has embraced. He’s able to watch the game and get a feel for what his imapct will be when he enters.
“I’ll watch and see how the other guy is being guarded and I try to expose that, and if we need more offense I try to score more,” he said. “Or, if not, I’ll feed the other guys who have the hot hand. It is better for me to watch the game and then come in and impact the game. “
It’s a subtle impact, but one that’s important. And it was a pleasant surprise for Levy, who wasn’t expecting a whole lot from the freshman.
“I probably thought more that he’d be a guy that would develop over the course of this year and be a contributor next year, but I wasn’t really counting on much,” the coach said. “He’s definitely become a big part of team.”
The escalation in Alexis’ playing time bears out that statement, as he went from a garbage time player to a role player.
“In the beginning, I played two or three minutes and as the season progressed he started keeping me in more,” Alexis said. “I was surprised to be in for like, 12, 15 minutes. I thought I was gonna be a practice player and if they needed me I’d come in. But he put me in and expected me to affect the game, so it’s kind of cool.”
And Levy asks him to affect it in different ways.
“He’ll tell me come in and shoot against a zone,” Alexis said. “If someone has the hot hand I’ll just be the playmaker and let them make plays.”
As a former Princeton University player who learned under the legendary but ultra-pessimistic Pete Carril, Levy isn’t getting a chance to complain.
“His grumpy coach is pleased for the most part,” Levy said. “As coach Carril once said, ‘These are tough times for a pessimist.’”
Pessimistic is the last thing that Alexis is.
“He’s a funny kid, has a good personality,” Levy said. “He’s always smiling.”
He is especially always smiling when it comes to playing basketball, which is something Alexis has done since he was a child. He played for Trenton PAL before moving over to Hamilton PAL. He and former Northstars teammate Shaquan Worthy teamed up for three straight championships in Hamilton. He also played AAU ball and in some leagues in Newark.
Alexis got immediate playing time at Nottingham but transferred to Trenton Catholic for his junior year before returning to Nottingham.
“I didn’t really like it there, it wasn’t for my game,” he said. “I just didn’t like the way coach wanted me to play.”
When it came time for college, Alexis got some interest from Penn State-Abington and Rowan, but said “I just thought this is the school where I should start.”
Levy was well aware of Alexis, just as he is with most of the county players. He had him on his radar, as it’s always a coup to get local players to the local school.
“We definitely stay on top of the Mercer scene,” the coach said. “We got to see him play. I’d seen him play a bunch over his career and liked him. He expressed some interest. I got one of those forms in my mailbox that he was interested, and it led to something. You end up often times getting things here from Mercer kids and they don’t show up. He’s shown up, he’s doing well on the court, doing good in school. I’d say he’s exceeded expectations.”
Alexis is not only doing well in school, but he has also suddenly found excitement in learning.
“At Mercer, they make sure you get in that library,” he said. “They’re teaching me how to study, how to prepare myself for a test. They provide for studying. I’m enjoying being a student.”
He’s also enjoying playing on a team that wins all the time and gets along with each other.
“We have a great team, coach is teaching me how to play better basketball, I’m real happy with my decision,” Alexis said. “It’s fun. We win, we have a ball. We all just stick together.”
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