When it comes to Women's Basketball at St. Francis College, you'd certainly be correct by saying that
Alex Delaney is in a class by herself.
That's right. The skilled combo guard-forward is the sole senior and only member of this year's roster who will be graduating this coming May. But that doesn't tell the whole story. Over the last four years, the native of Sydney, Australia has been quite a presence within the Terrier Program and her impact carries far beyond just her status as the most senior member of the team.
"Alex is an extremely interesting and mature young woman, who has traveled all over the World," said Women's Head Coach
John Thurston. "Her leadership and value to St. Francis carries beyond the court and the classroom. She's been a great representative for our Program," he said of the well-spoken Delaney, who was the player representative at last fall's Northeast Conference Media Day held at the Barclay's Center. "She's an outstanding student, as well as being the team's most experienced and knowledgeable player."
"Alex can play multiple positions for us in our offensive scheme and can hold her own defensively at any of those positions, as well," said Thurston of his talented veteran. "Her long range shooting continues to be her most potent offensive weapon, but her real value to us has been her versatility. It allows her to contribute for us in a number of ways and in just about any situation. Alex is one of those really composed players, who can keep her team focused on and off the floor," he said. "She's what I describe as a 'glue player'. She helps hold us together as a team."
Last year, Delaney was among the top 20 Conference performers in Scoring, Assists, Steals, Three-Point Field Goal Percentage, Three-Point Field Goals Made, and Defensive Rebounds. And again this year, the 6-0 wing player is capping off her career in a Red and Blue uniform by putting up some note-worthy statistics on behalf of the Terrier Women.
Going into the February 12
th home tussle with Robert Morris University, Alex was second on the Terriers in scoring (11.3 points per game), first in rebounding (4.9 per game), and third in assists (2.2 per game). In addition, she led the Red and Blue in blocked shots (10) and is third in steals (25). She's shown that she's a strong and durable player, appearing in every single game this season, averaging 31 minutes per contest.
But, as Coach Thurston pointed out, it's Delaney's knack for hitting timely long-distance three-pointers that gives opposing Conference coaches defensive headaches and aptly justifies her nickname as "The Sydney Sniper". This year, the Australian is scoring at a very respectable 37.4% clip (52 of 139) for the Terriers from beyond the arc, with many of those attempts from well beyond the three-point line. The most impressive outing of her senior year so far has likely been a 30-point outburst against Mount St. Mary's on January 13, when she rattled home five three-pointers against the Mountaineers in a Terrier victory. But Alex's contributions always go way beyond just the points on the scoreboard.
As she was last year, Alex is again listed among the top players in the entire Northeast Conference in multiple 2017-2018 statistical categories: Scoring (Rank: 16
th), Rebounding (Rank: 17
th), Three-Point Field Goal Percentage (Rank: 7
th), Three-Point Field Goals Made (Rank: 6
th), Defensive Rebounds (Rank: 5
th), and Minutes Played (Rank: 14
th).
But, if there was ever a game that pinpointed Alex's true value to the team, it was that February 12
th game at home against a talented Robert Morris squad that was sporting an 11-0 Conference record for the year. Delaney's solid, all-around contribution to that stunning win over the league leaders: 11 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and a blocked shot. But, more importantly, it was the leadership, composure and poise that Alex showed late in that game, hitting 3 of 4 foul shots down the stretch and sealing the "W" for St. Francis. That effort saw Delaney move into a fourth-place tie with former Terrier Kim Weir with 156 career three-pointers scored.
Going into this 2017-2018 season, the talented senior had cemented a rightful place among the all-time best long-range shooters in Terrier Women's Basketball history. She's was tied for 8
th Place in Three-Point Field Goals Made during a Season (53 in 2016-2017), and managed to match that yet again during that recent Robert Morris game. She was also already on the list of the Terrier Career Leaders in Three-Point Field Goal Attempts (309), Three-Point Field Goals Made (103), and Three-Point Field Goal Percentage (33.3%). You can also find her name listed among the all-time Terriers for Three-Point Field Goals Attempted in a Season (157 in 2016-2017) and Highest Three-Point Field Goal Percentage in a Season (36.7% in 2014-2015).
Alex holds still another unique distinction: She is the only Terrier, on either of the current Men's or the Women's teams, to have played in a game in the NCAA National Basketball Championship series.
Alex played against eventual National Champion University of Connecticut in the First Round of the "Big Dance" in March 2015 when the Terriers were matched up against the powerful Huskies. Although St. Francis was defeated in that nationally-televised contest, the then-freshman came off the bench to score five points in her "sixth man" role. She hit 2 of her 4 field goal attempts during her 16 minutes of playing time against UConn, while splashing one of her signature three-pointers at the highest level of college basketball.
"That entire experience was incredible. We were the under-dogs, so we had nothing to lose. We just played as hard as we could and enjoyed the experience. Being in that sort of environment, that arena, against that type of opponent, was a sensational feeling. I played against several WNBA first-round picks that day. I remember it like it was yesterday," Delaney said as she recounted that game.
Alex's accomplishments have come off the court, as well. A Mathematics major minoring in Business, she has been named to the Northeast Conference Winter Academic Honor Roll as a freshman, sophomore and junior, and her overall GPA of 3.65 has helped contribute to St. Francis' nationally-recognized status as one of the top academic programs in all of women's collegiate basketball.
Certainly, Alex's basketball success should probably not come as a surprise to anyone, as she has a family background deeply rooted in the sport.
Her father, Brian Delaney, serves on the Board of Directors of
Basketball Australia, having both played in Australia's National Basketball League and coached at the senior levels in Queensland and New South Wales. Alex's mom, Gail Henderson, was a professional player for the Sydney Flames, having participated over 270 games during her career in Australia's Women's National Basketball League. She represented Australia as a member of its National Women's team. Alex's sister, Bree, a 5-10 freshman guard for Fresno State University, has already opened some eyes with her impressive first year in California. Bree has averaged 17 minutes a game and has earned 7 starts for the Bulldogs, highlighted by a 28-point performance against The University of the Pacific.
"My sister's college experience at Fresno State is the exact opposite of mine," Alex said. "She's in a very large university, with her dorm not anywhere near the city. St. Francis is a much smaller collegiate environment, but it's right in the heart of New York City. I had come from Monte Sant' Angelo Mercy College, a small high school in a big city, and St. Francis struck me as the type of college where I'd really be comfortable. It's tight-knit and the students all seem to know each other. It's a friendly place. The professors here know you by name," she said. "My mom and I had visited St. Francis while on vacation in New York and I really liked the school and its location. And the view of Manhattan from the Brooklyn Heights Promenade was sensational."
Although the Sydney native was recruited by several other colleges in the States, Alex cited a couple of other reasons she chose the small Franciscan school in downtown Brooklyn. "Besides being in New York City, close to places like Wall Street, Times Square and places I've always dreamed of visiting, I was impressed by the basketball program's emphasis on academics," she said. "My parents always emphasized doing your best academically. That was a really important factor for me."
"Also, I was impressed with the style of play St. Francis used. It was very team-oriented, with lots of movement and passing, and it fit the style I was very comfortable with," she related. "It also didn't hurt that St. Francis had a couple of Australians already in the Program. That just increased my comfort level about coming all the way here to Brooklyn."
Obviously, what Delaney does not mind is long-distance travel. The well-traveled senior, who relaxes by playing the piano and the guitar, has already visited parts of Asia, Africa and Europe, as well as the States. But she would certainly like the opportunity of seeing a bit more of the World after graduation. "I would love to be able to play professional basketball someplace in Europe or back in Australia," she said hopefully. "I think that I have the ability and to have that opportunity would be incredible. To play a game that I love, for as long as I can, would be amazing."
What looms, however, is an upcoming stretch of Northeast Conference games that will likely determine the outcome of the season for Delaney and her Terrier teammates. "No matter what happens, I think that this year will be a success if we can come together as a team. This season has been a lot better than last season and we've had some impressive games where we played solidly all around," Alex commented. "We've also had some tough games that were very close, but we wound up losing them. We're continuing to improve and hopefully we'll be able to peak at the right time. All these Conference games are competitive, but I believe there's a lot of talent on our team. You've got to come ready to play hard every night. But we're a pretty confident bunch," she confided.
There's little doubt that the confident Terriers will be charging into the 2018 playoffs, hoping to duplicate the extraordinary effort of those Conference Champions of 2015 ---- and that
Alex Delaney, the lone senior and last remaining member of that historic group of student-athletes still in the program, will be leading the charge!
