Last Wednesday Eastern Washington beat NAU 73-64 in the Big Sky women’s tourney title game to earn an automatic bid to this week’s NCAA tournament. The Eagles had 4 straight losing seasons from 2019-2022 but are heading back to the NCAA tourney for the 1st time since 1987. Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with Eastern Washington SO G Aaliyah Alexander about her team’s remarkable run.
You are from Washington: what made you choose Eastern Washington? I wanted to go far away from home at 1st but once I took my campus visit here I liked the college vibe/campus/community and felt comfortable committing here.
Your parents Diann and Corey both coached your high school team: what was the best part of having your parents as your coaches, and what was the not-so-best part (if any)? The best part is that they know me and knew how to push me and had a higher standard for me, which I appreciated. My dad is my biggest cheerleader so it was magnificent to have that in a coach. Sometimes it was hard to be in the middle of everything of 1 of teammates had a problem with 1 of the coaches because I was like, “Hey that is my mom/dad!”…but it was not too bad.
You play for Coach Joddie Gleason: what makes her such a good coach, and what is the most important think that you have learned from her so far? When she came in both her and her staff changed things completely around. 1 of her sayings is FEO (For Each Other) and she does everything with love. She has taught us how to be great leaders and get involved in the community. The staff taught us to compete/expect to win and I love what they have done here at Eastern.
You are majoring in exercise science: why did you choose that subject? I am studying pre-occupational therapy because I like being active and have always wanted to help people. If it does not work out, then I would like to do something in sports. It focuses on the minor movements, which I really like compared to athletic training. I am planning to graduate in June and am excited about the path forward.
In 2021 you started 21 games as a freshman: how were you able to come in and contribute right from the start? The prior coaching staff wanted me to play a big role as a freshman, so I came in with no fear and accepted the PG role, which was challenging. I played more of a 2/3 guard on my AAU team so there was a lot of learning to make sure that everyone was in the right spot.
You did not play in 2022 due to a torn ACL: how bad was it, and how were you able to get back onto the court? I tore it right before the conference tourney during my freshman year. My range of motion was inhibiting me at 1st so I wanted to take my time and make sure that everything was healthy. I sat back, watched the new coaching staff, and learned a lot.
Your 104 FTM this year are most in the conference: how much of your offensive game is focused on getting to the FT line? As good of a shooter as I am, I think that 1 of my strengths is getting to the basket. Knocking down those FTs is something I look forward to doing.
In the Big Sky tourney title game last Wednesday you scored 12 PTS in a 9-PT win over Northern Arizona: what did it mean to you to win a title, and what was the reaction like in your locker room afterward? It has just been amazing! We have worked so hard during the past 3 years and 1 of our goals was to win that title game. To celebrate with everyone and feel the love in the locker room was a great feeling.
In the past 3 years your team’s win total has improved from 9 in 2022 to 19 in 2023 to 29 (so far) this year: how has your team been able to improve so much during that span? After every season we would come together each spring and discuss our high standards. When we came back to campus each August/September we pushed each other to win more games. We lost in the tourney semifinals last year so we really wanted to win it this year. We stayed resilient and were able to get it done.
How do you feel about being a 14-seed, and what do you know about Oregon State? We played them last year and it was a close game. We are just focused on us and what we can do better. We will not put too much pressure on ourselves: we just need to fine-tune some things and be in this moment because it is super-exciting!