Alex English during his USC playing days
Alex English has never been afraid to work hard to achieve his goals. Whether it was in the classrooms at Dreher High School, the University of South Carolina, or the basketball courts of the National Basketball Association, it was English’s work ethic that allowed him to excel.
Basketball first became a part of English’s life as a child, when he would watch Hall of Famers Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain duel on television.
“Back then, you only got one game on the weekends, on Sundays, and usually it was Bill Russell against Wilt Chamberlain, and because he (Russell) was always the underdog, I enjoyed watching him play,” English said.
Russell’s ability to run the floor, block shots, and rebound peaked English’s interest and became the model for English’s own style.
From 1968-1972, English played alongside teammates Dennis Moon and Sam Adams on the Blue Devils’ basketball team. He turned a good high school career into offers from many schools, but he chose to stay in Columbia and play college basketball for the University of South Carolina because of head coach Frank McGuire.
English entered a Gamecocks’ basketball program that had come off a very successful five-year stint that included an Atlantic Coast Conference regular season and tournament title.
Over the course of English’s four-year career at South Carolina, he reached many milestones including 1,000 rebounds and 1,000 points. He also left the Gamecocks as the all-time leading scorer. Since then B.J. McKie has broken his record
“It was just a good accomplishment to have, and it meant I had a successful college career.”
However, it was something off the court that English achieved that meant more to him.
“I enjoyed the education that I got there as well. Just being able to graduate and get my degree was probably my proudest college moment.”
English didn’t put much thought into playing professional basketball until his senior year. Once people close to him began talking with him about the possibility of the NBA, it became a goal that English would work hard to achieve. He was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks with the 23rd pick in the 1976 NBA draft.
“I was just happy to be drafted. I was just happy to get that opportunity, and I got it so I took advantage of it.”
English’s first coach in the NBA was the legendery Don Nelson. According to English, Nelson gave the young forward a lot of freedom and an opportunity to make the squad as the sixth man.
“A lot of players get to sit on the bench and never get the opportunity. I got the opportunity because I worked hard and I utilized it.”
English saw action in 60 games his rookie season where he scored 310 points, collected 168 rebounds, and blocked 18 shots. After two seasons with the Bucks and year-and-a-half with the Indiana Pacers, English was traded to the Denver Nuggets in the middle of the 1979-1980 season.
Enlish’s career flourished with the Nuggets. English scored over 2000 points in eight seasons, averaging no less than 25 points a game. Denver’s high-paced style of offense suited his skills and helped him become the leading scorer in the NBA during the decade of the 1980s.
“The way I looked at it, it was me doing my job. On the team that I played on, we all had a role to play, and my role was to score points, and that’s what I did. I enjoyed playing my role. It was a major accomplishment. I was happy about it, but it was something I enjoyed more for the team because it meant I was doing my job.”
English helped to lead the Nuggets to the 1984-1985 Western Conference Finals where they faced the Los Angeles Lakers. English broke his thumb and was unable to finish the series, which ended in five games with the Lakers advancing to the NBA Finals.
English finished his NBA career with the Dallas Mavericks in 1991 before spending one season in Italy with the Basket Napoli. Following his career, the Nuggets honored English by retiring his No. 2 jersey.
“All of the accomplishments that I had—the accolades that I got as a player—they were all honors, and I appreciated them. To me the game is a wonderful, beautiful game, but life and living life is an even bigger job with more excitement to it.”
The University of South Carolina has also retired English’s jersey, and in 1997, English was inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame.
After spending 15 years on the court, English decided to continue his career in basketball on the sidelines as a coach. His first opportunity came as the head coach of the Charleston Lowgators, a basketball franchise in the National Basketball Association Development League. After taking the team to the championship game, English got opportunities as an assistant for the Philadelphia 76ers, Atlanta Hawks, and Toronto Raptors.
“It’s been a great experience; you get to see a lot of young talent. You get to use a different mind set—different knowledge. You use your knowledge as a player, but you have to be able to manipulate the pieces, and I enjoy that.”
English found himself out of a job when Toronto decided to go in a different direction July 13, 2011. Six months later, English resurfaced with the Sacramento Kings. As part of the Kings’ coaching staff, English has the opportunity to work with former college stars DaMarcus Cousins, Tyreke Evans, and Jimmer Fredette. English uses his experience to help the younger stars transition from college to the NBA.
Despite the young roster, English believes the Kings have pieces in place to be a competitive team. While he says it will take some time to mature, Sacramento has defeated some of the top teams in the NBA including wins over the Los Angeles Lakers, San Antonio Spurs, and the Oklahoma City Thunder, three of the top teams in the Western Conference.
The natural progression of the coaching profession might lead to the assumption that English would one day become a head coach on the NBA level, and while English admits that is one of his goals, being an assistant coach isn’t a bad job either.
“I would like to (become a head coach). It’s always been a goal, but I’m not going to be terribly upset if it doesn’t happen. I enjoy coaching, period.”
Despite the long NBA season, English is able to keep up with both Dreher and South Carolina basketball including the Lady Blue Devils’ win in the State Championship game last March.
When the NBA season ends, English can be found in Columbia.
“I do come home when the season ends. I do spend my time there in Columbia. I enjoy being there.”
Next Week: Dutch Fork’s Erik Kimrey
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