Athlete of the Week: Alex Vassila

The women’s basketball team’s 6’-1’’ senior star, Alex Vassila, has emerged this young season as a force in the middle of the court for the Jays. Vassila leads the team in points per game with a 12.1 average, while scoring at an impressive .440 field goal percentage and leading the team with 10.2 rebounds per game.  Even more remarkable, this Saturday, Vassila became the all-time blocks leader with 150 blocks for her career, surpassing Katie Kimball in the program’s record books.

However, things have not started as expected for the Lady Jays these first nine games. The team has gone 3-6 overall, with a 1-4 conference record. The Lady Jays have struggled to hold on to leads late in the second half, a consistent trend when breaking down losses. But the season has just begun, and Hopkins has ample time to right the ship, as the meat of the team’s schedule does not begin until after winter break.

The News-Letter caught up with the Vassila, after their most recent fourth quarter collapse in a loss at home against Dickinson, to hear her remarks as she enters the final season of her now historic career.

N-L:  Alex, you enjoyed a career day on Saturday, notching 22 points and 20 rebounds. What was the difference against Ursinus that led to such a dominant performance?

AV:  Part of the difference, to be completely honest, was that our team started to have fun when we came out in the second half. I don’t think I personally did anything different but I do think that our team really began to flow well and read each other much better than we had before that point in the season. I wasn't playing for myself, I was playing for my team.

N-L: In that game you also set the Hopkins blocks record. You are now the all-time leader with 150. What does being enshrined in Hopkins women’s basketball history mean to you?

AV: No words can really describe it. Its just such an honor to be part of such a phenomenal program.

N-L: As a team, you guys have gotten off to a slow start in conference play. What will be the key towards turning this season around?

AV: As you know, we still have not really found our rhythm as a team. With a loss against Dickinson last night adding to our conference losses, we are definitely struggling to find a balance within our team that can lead us to consistent wins. I think the main thing that will make our team successful this year is executing our offenses and really playing good team defense. No one player on our team is better than the next, so we need to work with each other on both offense and defense to accomplish what we need to on the court—one step at a time. Every game in our season is winnable, its just a matter of what we do to prepare for it and how we execute at that moment that will make us successful.

N-L: You guys seem to have issues holding leads in the fourth quarter. What will you guys focus on specifically to reverse this trend?

AV: Yeah, you definitely are right. We kind of tend to choke at the end of every game. Our coach says that we have trouble holding onto leads and its almost like the air is slowing being let out of a balloon. In order to reverse this trend, I think that our team needs to work on maintaining high energy throughout the game. When we get tired, it usually shows and that is how our opponents get back in. If we keep the energy and focus like we did against Ursinus, I really think we can be unstoppable.

N-L: Overall, what goals does the squad have in mind this young season?

AV: Our goals for the season are to win the conference, and make it to the sweet sixteen in NCAAs. I know we are young, but with that youth we have a lot of talent and energy that can really take us far.

N-L: Lastly, this being your final season of collegiate basketball, what will you miss most about the game and how would you assess your journey through the last four years of collegiate sports?

AV: The thing that I will miss after this season is over is the family that you become a part of being a member of this team. The community that surrounds us is one of the strongest that I have ever been a part of. I would not trade these past years for anything in the world. This is such an amazing program to be a part of, and I am so sad to see this journey slowly come to a close. I definitely think that I have left it all on the floor and I hope that our team can really continue to be successful, especially as this is my last year.