VOLLEYBALL: Alexander sets tone for Apaches
Arcadia High School senior has become vocal leader.
Above: Arcadia High School setter James Alexander. (SGVN/Staff Photo by Walt Mancini/SXCity)
By Scott Galetti, Staff Writer
He didn't even consider volleyball until his freshman year in high school, but James Alexander eventually honed his skills in backyard volleyball with his brother to make an impact on the court for Arcadia High School.
As he developed as a setter, the Apaches senior slowly transformed from a quiet personality into a team leader.
"I never talked much, but being a setter you can't be quiet, you have to be telling your guys what to do and where to go," Alexander said.
Behind Alexander's leadership, the Apaches are hoping to go places during the CIF-Southern Section Division II playoffs.
They'll be going to Stevenson Ranch to face off against West Ranch in a first-round match Friday night.
At first, Alexander had aspirations of following in the footsteps of his brother Dan, a 6-foot-7 redshirt sophomore middle blocker at Long Beach State, as a hitter, but the Apaches senior settled in as a setter.
"We were just kind of goofing around in the backyard and Dan wanted to work on his outside hitting and all of a sudden I was able to set," Alexander said. "I thought, well, I was an outside hitter my freshman year. Then I realized that I wasn't growing as fast as my brother so I thought being an outside hitter in college isn't going to be a likely thing, so I tried setting.
"I find it more fun than hitting."
Alexander's change in position to setter has been a beneficial one as he has led the Arcadia offense the past two seasons.
"He's a pretty intelligent setter and he's able to set misdirections really well," Arcadia coach Chuck Freberg said. "His biggest improvement is an overall awareness of who should get set, where the ball should go and how to make the team better."
Added Apaches senior middle blocker Scott Novak: "If he were taller, he'd be getting Division I scholarships all the time. He's got some hops and he's going to work at it, and hopefully he'll go somewhere."
In the meantime, Novak is glad Alexander is his teammate.
"He makes our team better," Novak said. "Our whole team's improved, but he's just gone beyond belief."
Alexander believes the biggest improvement in his game has been reading blockers.
"Now I'm able to look and check the blockers in-between the pass and me setting it," Alexander said.
With the combination of young players learning the system and a rash of injuries, making the team better hasn't been easy for Alexander.
"We've had probably six or seven lineup changes so he's had to adjust to all kinds of stuff," Freberg said. "I guess the best thing that defines him is that he went out to the club in Manhattan Beach and took over as starting setter," Freberg said. "He's just a real fine player and anybody would be happy to have him on their team. He adds a lot and we've been happy to have him for two years."
As a sophomore, Alexander played varsity basketball, but opted to drop all other sports to concentrate on volleyball prior to his junior year.
"I played that one year of varsity and then decided to play club and just stick to volleyball," Alexander said.
Playing for Riptides South Bay under Long Beach State assistant coach John Crutchfield, has made the Apaches setter develop both as a player and as a person.
"Playing tournaments, you have to yell and scream, so I broke out of my shell a little bit," Alexander said. "Everything that I've learned is through that club team."
Not only did he break out of his shell, Alexander became a well-rounded player by adjusting to the quicker play. He found the game speed to be the biggest difference between high school and club.
"I came back from club and I'm sending balls high and safer," Alexander said. "When it's club, it's pass, set, hit, done. There are very few rallies and it keeps you on your toes."
After he graduates, Alexander is planning on attending a junior college to further work on his skills before attempting to play at a Division I university.
"I'm hoping to go to either Irvine Valley College or Long Beach City College, then I'll transfer to Cal State Long Beach," Alexander said.
In the meantime, Alexander hopes to transfer his team into the second round with a win on Friday.
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Melendez worked as a correspondent for the San Gabriel Valley Tribune for three years and later landed a job as a freelance writer at the Los Angeles Times before accepting an offer at The Orange County Register covering high schools. Melendez covered Major League Soccer at The Register for three years before being promoted to report on the Lakers, Angels and Dodgers for the Web. Melendez also worked for the Daytona Beach News-Journal, Fresno Bee, Oakland Tribune and The Boston Globe. E-mail opinions, suggestions and tips to miguel.melendez@sgvn.com. |
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