‘Family’ was the central theme of the career of Alonzo Alexander ’93, who flourished in the close-knit atmosphere of the men’s basketball program. The Chicago native attended North Central College in the interest of remaining close to his family, and wound up discovering a second one in Naperville in the process of becoming one of the Cardinals’ most accomplished players ever.
Coming out of high school, Alexander entertained scholarship offers from several larger universities before making a connection in the summer that led him to North Central.
“I competed in a city-suburban all-star game, and there was a player on the other team named Michael Patterson,” Alexander said. “After the game, we started talking, and then I saw him walk over to (North Central head coach) Bill Warden ’55. I had heard of (Warden), because my physical education teacher at the time assigned the officials for the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin.
“I introduced myself and we talked for a while. Michael and I both had received interest from the University of Wisconsin, and I asked him if he was really considering North Central College. I said, ‘if you’re going to commit, I am too.’ That summer we played together and met each other’s families, and at that point I knew it was a done deal.”
Warden is the Cardinals’ all-time leader in coaching victories in addition to being their all-time leading scorer. He became one of the first to welcome Alexander into his new extended family in Naperville.
“For me, it was like playing for another dad,” Alexander said. “He encouraged us and pushed us to be our best. Right away, he told me there were a lot of guys here who could play, so I would have to wait my turn. That isn’t what a freshman wants to hear coming in, but he just told me to be patient and my time would come. The way he spoke to me was so encouraging and directing, you had to believe him.”
During the 1988-1989 season that would see the Cardinals post a 19-9 overall record and win a share of the CCIW championship, Alexander came off the bench most of his first year before entering the starting lineup in the final three games. As a sophomore, he averaged 13.4 points and 6.6 rebounds per game, earning First Team All-CCIW honors, as North Central went 21-6 and won the CCIW title outright.
An injury forced Alexander to sit out the entire 1990-1991 season, but he returned the following year to average a career-high 21.8 points and 7.7 rebounds while shooting 60.4 percent from the floor, setting a school record that would stand for 14 years. He became the second North Central basketball player to earn the CCIW’s Player of the Year Award.
“That was not because of me,” he said. “It was because of my teammates. They were excited when I came back, and they showed me they believed in me. My coaches put me in a position to be successful. At that point it started to click, and I started to believe. You look back at the statistics, and there’s no way I would have thought the numbers were what they were.”
Alexander finished his career in 1993 ranked fifth in the Cardinals’ history in career scoring (1,372) while also ranking in the program’s career top 10 in field goals made, field-goal percentage, rebounds and assists. He was the sixth player in North Central history to earn All-CCIW honors three times. The most valued product of his collegiate athletic experience, however, remains the family bonds forged in his time on campus.
“People ask me all the time, and I tell them that no matter what you’re going to study or what sport you’re going to play, if you’re looking for a family, North Central is the place to come,” he said. “Playing here was a joy. They invest in people here. Once you invest in each other, all the athletic success seems to come together after that.”
