At 6-foot-tall, Jake Alexander doesn’t have ideal basketball size.
What he does have, though, is a love for the game, a shooter’s form, and a desire to lead Industrial back to the playoffs in his senior season.
“I’ve loved basketball my whole life,” Alexander said. “I’ve been playing it forever. I’ve been in the gym since my brothers (Kyle and Brandon) were in there. I was shagging balls for them.
“Ever since I (was born) I had a basketball in my hand. It’s been a love for me my whole life.”
Even though he qualified for the Class 3A state golf tournament last spring, finishing tied for 16th, basketball takes precedence.
Over the summer, Alexander tried to improve his size, strength, and quickness in the offseason, pushing himself to run a lot and to get up shots and work on his ballhandling skills.
The extra work has helped lead the Cobras to 15 wins so far by averaging 16.5 points, three rebounds, three assists, and one steal a game.
“I feel like a lot of these guys look up to me in a way that allows me to lead them better than last year, and to be more vocal on the court and off,” Alexander said. “We like to have fun, but when it’s time to get serious, we’ve got to get serious. They all know that, so I feel like they all respect me pretty much.”
Industrial Head Coach Andrey Vanduren said he sees Alexander taking charge on the floor.
“He’s more of a vocal leader,” Vanduren said. “He leads by example. When he barks, he barks, and when he barks, guys listen. They take it to heart. They hear the message in his barking.”
While Alexander had set goals for himself of averaging 20 points a game, that figure isn’t as crucial as in the past, his coach said.
“I told him this year you may not get 20 a game,” Vanduren said. “We have a better team. So 20 a game this year is (actually) 15 a game, because we’ve got four or five guys who could get us five to 10 points a game.
Gi’Ziah Lopez has stepped into a much more expanded role in the offense and others, such as Brady Koop, have also contributed more.
“Everybody knows their roles this year,” Vanduren said. “(Defenders) can’t just focus on getting (Alexander). These other guys are stepping up. Last year we didn’t have guys step up and (defenders) ran a Boxand- One. This year he’s getting played straight up.
“That’s been different,” Vanduren added. “Last year we had (faced) all these gimmick defenses, and now they’re just playing him straight up because we have more guys that’s bringing more to the table.”
Alexander’s defense has gotten better, as well.
“He’s always been a really good defensive player,” Vanduren said. “I want to say he’s going to go guard the best player, but in the scheme, he’s a great scheme defender for us. He gets steals, he blocks out, he does all the little things. That’s where his game has taken off from last year.”
During the summer, the Cobras competed in the Palacios Summer League and the Red-and-White League, Vanduren said, which provided nearly 15 more offseason games.
“We stole some games in the spring and summer,” Vanduren said.
The extra reps have shown up in four more wins by the start of January than the varsity reached last season, Vanduren’s first with the team.
Just piling up wins outside of District 25-3A play isn’t enough. The team wants a district title and a long playoff run, not the easiest task with two-time defending district champ Edna, Columbus and others in the way.
For the Cobras to achieve their goals, they’ve got to finish games, Alexander said.
“We always get off to a great start, usually, then we get too comfortable and kind of let it slip away. That’s something we worked on preseason.”
Runner-up finishes in both the Van Vleck and Snook Tournaments early in December helped the team find its footing and confidence, he said.
“(There were) a lot of high-quality teams that we had to really step up,” Alexander said. “These tournaments have really helped us a lot in terms of getting better, putting more ball pressure on us, and just working on our games.”
The Cobras dropped their first District 25-3A game to Rice Consolidated, 59-51, but beat Tidehaven, 45-33, to kick off another streak of six wins before an overtime district loss to Yoakum on Friday.
Alexander credited the team’s 15-9 record to better focus this season.
“Last year we started off kind of slow,” Alexander said. “Everyone was getting off the football field. Everybody was still kind of in the football mindset.
“I think this year, we’ve got a lot of guys who love basketball a lot. They love playing it and they’re a lot more devoted, I feel.”
The Cobras hosted Hallettsville Tuesday in a district game. They travel to Edna Friday for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff, then host Palacios on Tuesday.
Pass it!
Industrial senior guard Jake Alexander looks for an open teammate during a recent game
