Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Alexander Leads Junior Girls

Tammy Alexander has returned to coaching after a significant layoff.

Alexander has been teaching journalism at Gurdon High School for several years, but hasn't done any coaching since about 1989.

She has taken over the duties as coach of the junior Lady Devil basketball team, and has been working with her charges on the fundamentals of the game.

Alexander said she is at a disadvantage by not knowing anything about the competition, but does know the 7AA Central conference is basketball tough.

She has been working to teach the girls how to handle the pumpkin and utilize their speed.

Her plans are to teach the team how to play control basketball on offense, while using a zone defense to keep the opponent away from the basket.

"They're a good group of kids," she said, "and I'm trying to get them to think on their feet. They're fun to work with and work hard. They do what they're told."

Alexander's charges work under what she calls the GRIT concept. GRIT, she said, stands for greatness, responsibility, intelligence and truth.

The team, she said, knows it strengths and weaknesses, accepts them and plays within its skills. "They accept their roles and know their parts."

However, Alexander expects more than just hard work on the court from her players. To see playing time, they must make at least a "C" in all classes, otherwise they get to watch from the bench.

In addition, players can't get in trouble or they could find themselves removed from the squad entirely. This means their citizenship grades must be maintained as well as their academic grades.

Alexander played at Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia from 1982-86, where she majored in English with a Political Science minor.

While working toward her degree, Alexander was an assistant coach. She earned her coaching certificate as she awaited classes she needed to be offered.

Once out of college Alexander coached at Parker Chapel and Fourche Valley, the latter school being located in the Russellville area.

There she coached both boys and girls, with her girls team consisting of five players.

Now she returns to the hardwood where she is working to help continue the winning tradition Gurdon basketball has enjoyed for decades.