Alex was interviewed by a news reporter and this is a translated version of the article. Thank you, Kumi! We think it is hilarious how an arrow is pointed at him in the picture like it isn't obvious! His name is also written in big blue letters on the right hand side.
"It has
been 2 years since Gyoshu High has made it to the best 8 of the region. There is a player who is from the country of
basketball, the U.S.A. His name is Alex
Polikaitis (Gr. 11). You would think
that he must have trained intensively to play basketball in the U.S.A however,
he started playing basketball when he came to Japan. He is an unusual player. Even though he has not played before, he uses
his height well and he is now a core player on the team who has led the team to
win. He is close to 2 meters high. Basketball suits him the
best more than anyone. Everyone
thinks that he is from overseas and he must have been playing basketball for
the longest time. "I started
playing basketball when I came to Japan" Alex said. He entered Gyoshu because his parents
were hired by the school. He came to
Japan in term 2 of Grade 9.
One of the teachers recommended that he join the basketball team and he
did. Coach Kano knew straight away he
could and would be using him in the team greatly.
However, he was tall but he was a beginner basketball player then. The coach said, "He was not a good
player at the beginning. The more
he played in the games, the better he became."
Alex still misses shots but he has grown and improved so
much. The coach said," He has improved
lots and scores a lots too. Alex has played a big role in this tournament and as a result my team has made it to the Shizuoka Prefectural level." His favorite player is Pau Gasol. We thought that his dream was to become a
basketball player. Alex's dream is to
become a film director. Many things
about him are unexpected surprises. They
will be playing against Hamamtatsu Shojo School.
"I will do my best there."
Alex said. He is a great player
and he has led the team to the prefecture level."
