Klahowya Secondary School junior basketball star Alexis James. (Submitted photo)
Last year, I saw something I had never seen before in two decades of writing about prep sports.
During Senior Night festivities for Coupeville High School hoops legend Makana Stone, the opposing team, Klahowya, came over to pay tribute to the departing Wolf.
Without telling their coach of their plans, the Eagles arranged their own farewell to a rival who they had come to know and appreciate on and off the floor.
One of the key players in that tribute was Alexis James, then a KSS sophomore, and the player who was most often tasked with guarding Stone.
This is her story.
Basketball has opened up new worlds for Alexis James.
The Klahowya Secondary School junior, who is also a standout shot put thrower with dreams of making it to state this spring, was first bit by the hoops bug in fourth grade.
It’s been a mutual love affair ever since.
“Over all these years I have grown close with many of my teammates,” James said. “Basketball has given me the opportunity to step out of my comfort zone and make new friends that share the same passion.”
While she has the height to fight down low for rebounds and buckets in the paint, playing the game as cleanly as possible is a point of pride for her.
“A strength that I have would be my sportsmanship,” James said. “I’ve noticed that because of my size, I unintentionally knock girls down, but my passion for the game is greater than my want to win.”
A friendly, outgoing young woman (“I enjoy being social and staying active”), she has benefited immensely from having two strong role models in her parents.
“My mom has pushed me to do sports, to not be afraid of being bold, and to do everything in life with confidence,” James said.
“Also my dad. He doesn’t live with me, so I don’t get to see him every day, but that hasn’t stopped him from texting me and giving me pep talks when I get nervous or trying to come and cheer me on at as many events as possible.”
When she’s not busy with one of her athletic pursuits, James is probably still pretty busy.
When she’s not listening to music — her tastes run a wide gamut from classical artists such as Chopin to modern rappers like Russ and Young Thug — she’s a thrill-seeker.
“I enjoy being scared,” James said. “So I love going on crazy rides, scary movies and around Halloween time I love going to haunted houses and things like that.”
She enjoys spending her off days with her best friend Sam, “making up dances or having a photo shoot,” and is a vital part of a number of clubs at KSS.
Currently she participates in her school’s Leo Club (an off-shoot of the Lions), FCCLA (Family, Career and Community Leaders of America) and Friends of Rachel.
The last one, set up to honor the memory of Rachel Scott, the first shooting victim at Columbine High School, brings students together to work on reducing the chance of school violence.
In the classroom, on the court, out in her community, James embraces those around her.
“Because KSS is a secondary school we have all been going to school together since 7th grade, which gives us the essence of family,” she said. “At the end of the day Klahowya wins together and loses together and I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
Coupeville Sports 