Alex Bodney
By Tia Hildebrandt
Congratulations to senior Alex Bodney who achieved his 1,000th career point over Rollins College last weekend. Along with his 1,000th career point, he also is 4th in Eckerd’s history in free throws and recently was named the Capital One CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team. Bodney, who was a previous Campus Cutie, is a Business Administration major who has “a desire to work in the sports business.” Recently he has attended two interviews, one for Under Armour in Baltimore, MD and the other for PGA TOUR in Ponte Vedra, FL, and he would love to work something out at either organization.
His passion for basketball first started during his infancy with a Fisher-Price hoop. Playing competitively while he lived in Australia, Bodney jokes that he “gave the game up when we moved back to the United States because my age group did not play on a 10’ hoop and as an eight year old I decided that was unacceptable (haha).” By the age of 12 though, he was hooked and had fallen for the sport of basketball. He tells that his father, a collegiate basketball player himself, is the biggest influence in his life and perhaps the main reason he loves the sport. Bodney also looks up to LeBron James who he believes “is the best player in the world, the impact he can have on a game on both ends of the floor is incredible.” Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, and Joakhim Noah were also mentioned as some of Bodney’s favorite basketball players.
Bodney also shares how he has “been blessed to play for two men who are two of, if not, the best high school coaches in the state, Jim Martin and Chip Stroud.” He then shares how he was “then lucked into playing for two of the best people in the world here at Eckerd, Tom Ryan and Kendrick Wilson.” They have all given him great advice as he has learned that “everybody wants to win. It’s the person that hates to and refuses to lose that comes out on top” and how to improve his mental approach to the game. He has also learned through his coaches how to be a better leader as “someone who listens before they speak and never rushes to judgment.” His favorite basketball memory is during his senior year of high school when his team won the State Championship. He “can’t describe the feeling of accomplishment to go out on top.” Bodney tells me how he is “hoping to make a new favorite basketball memory in the coming weeks, though. This is a special group and something great is getting ready to happen.”
Bodney has obviously been an influential member of Eckerd’s community. Even though this is his last year, he will not be easily forgotten because of his countless achievements. When asked how he felt when he scored his 1,000th point, he replied, “Thank goodness that’s over with (haha). But all jokes aside, I had a feeling of pride. So many people from coaches and teammates during both high school and college to friends and family have played such a key role in me getting to where I am today.” He is appreciative of the support his community has given to him over the years, and he was happy to share his latest achievement with all of them.