Alexander finding his way at last

NORTH LIBERTY - Much like his career, the final play of Sunday night's Prime Time League semifinal game didn't go exactly to plan for Dondre Alexander.

With his team tied at 84 with 4.6 seconds left, the plan was to have Alexander drive to the hoop for a layup or to draw a foul.

Alexander never got past the 3-point line.

The former Iowa City West standout almost lost the handle on the ball, recovered and took a fadeaway 3-pointer.

Swish.

Alexander's shot was good and it sent his team to Thursday's PTL championship game with an 87-84 win.

Forgive Alexander if he basks in the moment for a little bit after a bumpy last few years.

'That definitely felt good,” Alexander said. 'I am just going with whatever goes on. I am just trying to take it one day at a time.

'I am just trying to better myself. Nobody is perfect. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it don't.”

Alexander, who will play for NAIA William Penn University, finished with 22 points, six rebounds and six assists. He was 6-of-9 from behind the arc.

So far, Alexander is averaging 24.7 points, seven rebounds and 6.5 assists per game this summer in the PTL, which proves he can play with the NCAA Division I athletes.

'I feel I can play with anybody,” Alexander said. 'I am not worried about where I could be. Just focus on where I am at.”

So Alexander is having plenty of fun, which has been missing from his career over the last three years.

Alexander was averaging 10 points a game for Iowa City West during his senior season in 2012-13 and was committed to the University of Southern Mississippi.

But Alexander was dismissed from the team in February and the Trojans went on to win their second straight title without him. Then academic problems ended Alexander's chance to join Southern Miss and he found himself at State Fair Community College in Sedalia, Mo.

Alexander averaged 11.3 points per game and started eight of the 32 contests his freshman season, but there were no stats for Alexander's sophomore campaign.

However, Alexander's collegiate career is not over. He is enrolled at William Penn in Oskaloosa to play basketball.

'I am real excited for William Penn,” Alexander said. 'My basketball teammates, we are looking real good right now. I can't wait to see what we do as a team.

'As far as coaching, my coaches, I really like my coaches. We get along good. I can talk to them about anything, so that's a relationship I plan on keeping good for a long time, even after college.”

It will be a new-look Alexander, too, because of all the lessons he has learned over the past couple of years.

'I am not the same person I was coming out of high school,” Alexander said. 'I am a better person. I got better at bettering myself, make better decisions. All around. Make better decisions on the basketball court and off the court. It's been a lot of fun.”

Even with the progress he has made, Alexander knows there are still things he can work on personally.

'I've got a long ways to go,” Alexander said. 'I came a long ways. Everything didn't work out how I wanted it to from high school.

'But now I am at William Penn, I am at somewhere where I want to be.”

While Alexander's main reason for attending William Penn will be for basketball, he will major in sports administration and wants his college diploma just as much as he wants a national championship, which shows how far he has come.

Alexander's original plan in high school was to spend at the most two years at an NCAA D-I institution and then hopefully play professionally.

The diploma means more to him now.

'That's what I am focused on, graduating from William Penn,” Alexander said. 'That's the big part of what my mindset is right now.”