Aug. 21, 2009

The Inside Spur had a chance to chat with former Gamecock men’s basketball player Alex English to discuss his recent decision to join the Gamecock Club as well as his thoughts on the Gamecocks. English is the second all-time leading scorer in South Carolina history and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1997. As a professional, English had eight straight seasons of 2,000+ points and was the NBA’s leading scorer in the 1980s. His #22 jersey was retired by the Gamecocks and his #2 jersey was retired by the Denver Nuggets. English is currently an assistant coach for the Toronto Raptors.

What prompted you to join the Gamecock Club?

I’ve always wanted to, but I never really got the opportunity or took the time actually. I started speaking with Jeff Crane and he told me what we do with scholarships as well as having the potential to get some good football tickets. By doing so, I could also give back to the university at the same time.

How do you feel about the direction of the program?

I like the direction of the program and the way things are being done. We’ve brought in fresh new blood. Youth brings in change and it invigorates. I was excited when I toured the new facilities on campus. There isn’t anything in the NBA that compares to that weight room. With the new changes that are being added and what’s going to happen in the future, I think a lot of Gamecocks are going to be pleased.

What influenced you to play at South Carolina?

I was born here, grew up here and went to high school here. It’s home for me. I was highly recruited to some other schools, but I decided to come back and make a change. Prior to me, there had only been two African-Americans on the team. Part of my reason was to be an inspiration to other African-American athletes and students to come to the university.

What are some of your best memories about playing for the Gamecocks?

I always enjoyed playing for Coach McGuire. The holiday tournament was always fun and Coach always made sure that the players who didn’t come from Columbia weren’t homesick. We received a lot of support from the fans and local businesses as well. We had some of the best fans and it was a momentous time in political and cultural history to be there.

What do you like most about Gamecocks fans?

Gamecock fans are very rabid and very into athletics. But I like how we’ve recognized it’s important to be as academic as we’ve been athletic.

During your time in the NBA, you’ve become very involved with the league’s Basketball Without Borders program. What has that been like?

I got involved the first year when we went to South Africa. That was the year that Nelson Mandela was released from prison. I went with Dikembe Mutombo and Bob McAdoo, but a lot of other people were afraid to go because apartheid had just ended. It was a wonderful experience and we got to teach basketball in the townships. I had the opportunity to meet Mandela. We went to Kenya and saw the refugee camps, traveled to Zambia and finished our trip in Cape Town, South Africa. [Editor’s note: English has traveled to Africa five times as part of the NBA program.]