VCU Ram Report

tutoring instead. Every day at 2 p.m., while his teammates were dissec ng the pick-and-roll at Franklin Street Gym, Alie-Cox was in the Academic Advising wing on the Siegel Center, hi ng the books. Among other things, Smart challenged Alie-Cox to maintain a 3.0 grade- point-average. When Alie-Cox wasn't in class or studying, he was working out by himself. He says some days he'd hit the gym 2-3 mes. By the end of his exile, he had trimmed three minutes off his mile run and could squat nearly 600 pounds. But Alie-Cox really turned heads in the class- room. During his first semester he received straight A's. Alie-Cox said it was the first 4.0 of his life. He was also nominated for a "Black History in the Making" award from VCU's Criminal Jus ce Program. He says his mother, who emigrated with Alie-Cox's father from Sierra Leone while in her early 20s and worked her way through nursing school, was par cu- larly proud. "That felt real good," he said. "Mom was real happy. She was like, 'wow.'" Hiort-Wright says despite Alie-Cox's early academic standing, he's been a model student. There are some student-athletes who need to be reminded of assignments and cajoled into a ending classes. Alie-Cox is not one of them, she says. "I think he came with good habits, honestly," she said. "I think that [first] semester was really, really helpful for him in terms of ge ng off to a good start. I don't have to remind him of a lot of things. If you ask him, he knows what he has to do and when. I think he's very self-mo vated, and he's organized, which helps him a lot." Alie-Cox enrolled in a varied set of classes in his first few semesters, but gravitated toward criminal jus ce. In addi on to his coursework, Alie-Cox, along with and teammates Johnson and Treveon Graham, makes occasional visits to a juvenile correc onal facility in the area, where he plays basketball with the kids and tries impress on them the value of educa on. It's an experience that Alie-Cox carries with him. He may be large and imposing, but Alie-Cox has a so spot. He says that a er his basketball career is over, he hopes to con nue to mentor and inspire juveniles. Meanwhile, although he's not at the finish line yet, but Alie-Cox has kept his promise to Smart, maintaining a 3.1 GPA. While his college career didn't begin as he'd hoped, Alie-Cox has made his academics a point of pride. There are no mysteries to his success, he says, only work. "People always say, 'you have tutors to do your work and all that.' I'm like, this is not the movies. I don't know what you all think we do, but we actually have to do all our own work," he said. "This is not 'He Got Game' and all those other type of movies where they have guys doing their work for them. We actually have to do our own schoolwork, so I take pride in doing my own work." George Mason Mortgage is the Right Choice for: This is not a commitment to lend. All loan applications are subject to credit and property approval. Annual Percentage Rate (APR), programs, rates, fees, closing costs, terms and conditions are subject to change without notice and may vary depending upon credit history and transaction specifics. Other closing costs may be necessary. Flood and/or property hazard insurance may be required. To be eligible, buyer must meet minimum down payment, underwriting and program guidelines. JOE DUNN SVP of Business Development - Richmond Market NMLS# 160856 7231 Forest Ave., Suite 301 • Richmond, VA 23226 Phone: (804) 200-5801 Cell: (804) 543-2261 Email: jdunn@gmmllc.com Apply Online at www.gmmllc.com/jdunn WORKING WITH ONE OF THE AREA'S TOP LENDERS HAS ITS ADVANTAGES! In-house Underwriting, Processing and Closing. Need to Close Quickly...No Problem! • Home Buying • Building • Renovating • Refinancing It's a Dunn Deal!

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