Now that basketball season is underway it’s finally time to fill the stands and cheer for the Beavers. One of the new players on the women’s basketball team is freshman sports psychology major and point guard Alexia Duncan. Duncan grew up in St. Louis and has been playing basketball since she was six years old. “I remember playing at the YMCA when I was really young. I might be a little short now but I was really short then,” said Duncan with a smile. She continued to play basketball through middle school and then played at McCluer High School in Florissant, Missouri. “My senior year we were told by the coaches and the community that we were one of the best women’s basketball teams to come out of McCluer in around a decade. Me and my teammates all felt pretty good about that,” said Duncan. “One of the most memorable times of my high school career was when my team beat Fort Zumwalt East in a tournament.” Duncan’s school hadn’t gone far into a tournament in a couple years. “We beat them in triple overtime and were able to win a spot in the top three after beating them. I had around 12 points that game so I was really happy,” recalled Duncan.
Duncan against Iowa Wesleyan earlier this season
When Duncan came to Blackburn she thought she was ready to play in college but she learned how difficult it was rather quickly. “College ball is a very different from high school,” said Duncan, “It’s the same game but it’s different. The tempo is much faster, you’ve really gotta learn your plays. The intensity is just so much higher.” After the women’s basketball team went 2-23 last year the team certainly has a lot to prove. “We have a lot of special talents this year. We’ve got people who can get to the basket, people that can post hard and make really good moves. Overall we’ve got a team who can really handle the ball so I believe we’re gonna see a big improvement from last year. Even people who watched the first home game said they saw improvement,” explained Duncan. Last year’s the women’s basketball team only had six players and Duncan believes all the new people brought in during the fall semester will help improve the team’s chances this season. “Talent and work ethic are both on our side this year. We work hard in practice and we want to improve and get better. Everybody has those days where nobody feels like practicing but you gotta fight through it and strive to get better,” said a confident Duncan. She urges Blackburn students to come out and support the Lady Beavers and fill those stands. Be sure to join the Blackburn women’s basketball team in their next home game against MacMurray College on Dec. 17.