VCU Ram Report

M o Alie-Cox is only a redshirt sophomore, but it can be said with some certainty that the best comeback of his VCU career won't come on the basketball court. No, the rally he's led in the classroom has been much be er. Once ruled a par al qualifier by the NCAA, Alie-Cox was forced to sit out his en re freshman year. This sum- mer, he'll earn his bachelor's degree from VCU in just 3 ½ years. Alie-Cox, who has quickly become a shot- blocking maven and fan favorite, also has two years of athle c eligibility remaining, and he's exploring the possibility of using that me two earn not one, but two master's degrees, one in criminal jus ce and the other poten ally in coaching. It's a remarkable success story for a student-athlete whose VCU career was marked by an early false start. A conversa on with Alie-Cox will re- veal many things and sharply dismiss a number of misconcep ons. A chis- eled, 6-foot-6 giant with long, floppy dreadlocks, Alie-Cox is an imposing, physical presence on the basketball court. Off the floor, he is affable and unassuming. Unfailingly polite and ma er-of-fact about his business, he's as low-maintenance as they come. Despite his early academic misstep, it's abundantly clear that he's bright and ar culate. He credits the support system of the VCU program and the involvement of Coach Shaka Smart with helping him avoid the bad habits from high school that ul mately cost him a year on the basketball court. A Woodbridge, Va. na ve, Alie-Cox at- tended Middleburg Academy, located an hour to the northwest. Five days a week, he'd make the drive with his mother, Saudatu, or with friends. A full day of classes was followed by basketball prac ce, then another hour drive home. "In high school the days were always longer than college," he said. "You don't have as much free me. When I got home all I'd want to do is sleep because I was so red, so my mom used to always push me to do my homework. She's real proud that I'm on top of it for myself now." Alie-Cox hasn't decided if he'll par ci- pate in VCU's May or December com- mencement. He says he and team- mate Melvin Johnson – also on track to graduate early – plan on walking in the same ceremony. Alie-Cox says whenever he receives his degree, it'll be an important moment for he and his family. "I know my mom, so I know she'll tell the whole family to come, and my dad also, so they'll probably get a lot of people here, and it'll be a good, exci ng day," he said. SMART PROGRAM Smart's academic creden als are likely some of the best among Divi- sion I men's basketball head coaches. Smart graduated magna cum laude with a degree in history from Kenyon College, an ins tu on touted in recent years by U.S. New & World Re- port, Forbes and Newsweek, in 1999. Smart was named to USA Today's All-Academic Team that year, and he originally considered becoming a pro- fessor. His wife, Maya, is a graduate of both Harvard and Northwestern. It stands to reason that educa on is a primary tenet of Smart's VCU program. While the program has always performed well in the NCAA's Academic Progress Rate (APR), VCU Associate Athle c Director for Aca- demic Advising Dr. Sofia Hiort-Wright says, in her experience, Smart's level of involvement in is "atypical". "I think that's why we've been so suc- cessful, because they are so involved, in terms of holding [the players] accountable and having really high expecta ons," she said of Smart and his staff. All VCU players take summer classes in order to spread out their workload. For most players, it allows for a re- duced class schedule during basket- ball season. Alie-Cox, Hiort-Wright notes, has con nued to carry a full course load, however. "He's shown he can handle it," she said. Hiort-Wright communicates daily with Smart and his staff and they meet as a group once a week, where they review the academic progress of each player. Hiort-Wright also travels with the team to road games, where she advises players and conducts study hall. "It's a joint effort. I know I couldn't do my job if I didn't have [the coaching staff's] backup," Hiort-Wright says. "It's more of a culture. If you compare it to anything else. You can't take a day off from school, like you don't take a day off from anything else. I think that mindset has made a big difference. I think the guys know it's an expecta on." A former VCU Women's Tennis stand- out, Hiort-Wright understands the demands placed on student-athletes and the value of a well-inten oned academic support system. "I think the percep on some mes is that athletes don't work hard. I'm like, are you kidding me? They get home at 2 in the morning and they're expected to be at class at 8 in the morning and they will. The schedule and the pressure they're under? Yeah, they do get a lot, obviously, and it's a privilege to be a part of the team, but the amount that they put in has changed a lot in the last few years just because everything has been elevated so much." FROM BOOKS TO BLOCKS VCU was preparing for a summer exhibi on tour of Italy in 2012 when Alie-Cox, then a freshman, received word that the NCAA had ruled him a par al qualifier. He would not be allowed to travel to Italy, nor would he play during the 2012-13 season. He wasn't even permi ed to prac ce with the team. Although he was looking at a long, uncertain year away from basketball, Alie-Cox says he tried to find the silver lining. "I was kind of blindsided," he admits. "I was kind of sad at first, but then I just looked at it as a new opportu- nity, a year to grow and get be er, and I just looked at it with a posi ve mindset." Alie-Cox met with Smart o en during that me, and his coach's advice helped buoy him through his year away from the court. "He just said pre y much, 'control what you can control. You can't play basketball right now, but what you can do is get ahead in the classroom', so that's pre y much what I took advantage of," Alie-Cox recalled. "He always talks about [how] basketball will take you a long way, but your educa on will take you even longer." In order to mi gate the lonely hours Alie-Cox would normally spend at basketball prac ce, Hiort-Wright scheduled him for study hall and

• Cover