April 18, 2012
San Antonio – Kevin Kotzur is about to get a new complement down low.
Justin Alexander, a 6-foot-10 center/post from Central Connecticut State, has signed on to join the St. Mary’s men’s basketball program, Rattlers coach Jim Zeleznak announced Wednesday.
Alexander, a redshirt this past season for the NCAA Division I Blue Devils, played in nine games as a freshman in 2010-11, logging several minutes a game.
“We liked Justin out of high school,” said Zeleznak of Alexander, a San Antonio native who will come to St. Mary’s as a redshirt sophomore. “He’ll give us a presence inside. He’s a very good defender, a good rebounder. He’s a low-block player offensively and will certainly add some much-needed size and depth in the post area.”
Alexander graduated from Southwest High School, where he starred for coach Ryan Purtell as a First Team All-District 29-5A selection as a senior.
He will be in line to be a logical replacement for departed senior post Ray Marshall (El Paso, Texas), who started alongside Second Team All-Region selection Kevin Kotzur (La Vernia, Texas) down low for the Rattlers a year ago, when they went 19-9 and won the Heartland Conference postseason championship.
Last season, St. Mary’s also made its first national-tournament appearance since 2008, falling to eventual South Central Region champion Midwestern State in the opening round.
“He will certainly help us in a couple areas,” Zeleznak said of Alexander. “We thought at times we were deficient in defending bigger post players and lacked the depth. We certainly expect him to make a contribution right away with the departure of Ray.”