LA
Lexie Arkwright
  • Conservation Biology
  • Class of 2018
  • Mercer

Grove City Colleges Alexis Arkwright is a special kind of player

2017 Feb 27

You don't come across too many basketball players like Grove City College's Alexis Arkwright

The former Mercer High School standout can -- and has done -- it all for the Lady Wolverines during the 2016-17 season.

"She's just a unique person," GCC coach Chelle Fuss said recently. "You get kids that come through the program sometimes and you're like 'That's a special athlete' and she's one of them. She's a special person, too. It's really cool that I get to coach her and be in her life for 4 years. She's a really neat person. I'm really blessed to interact with her every day."

Last Wednesday was pretty special day for Arkwright, her family and the GCC community when she became just the 13th Lady Wolverines player to surpass the 1,000-point plateau on a jumper from the elbow that made a circular route around the rim before falling in for her 1,000th and 1,001st points in a 70-56 home win over Thiel.

"It felt pretty good," said the 5-8 junior guard. "It was pretty exciting. It finally went through ... I wasn't shooting too well. I didn't feel very nervous, but I guess my game said otherwise."

As the Wolverines began the Presidents' Athletic Conference tournament Monday, Arkwright led the PAC in scoring average (21.0), steals (103) and steals-per-game (4.3).

For her career, she ranks among the school's leaders in single-season steals (first), single-season points (third), career steals (sixth), career blocks (eighth) and single-season scoring average (sixth)

"As a team, we take more pride in the defensive side of things, so I guess that's the bigger focus of mine than offensively just because that's been our team concept," she said. "It's just what we work on in practice. If one girl is putting a lot of pressure on the ball, the other girl is able to pick off a bad pass. It all goes back to the whole team-defense concept."

To put her season in perspective, Arkwright is one of five players nationally with at least 100 steals, while her 525 points on the season -- before Monday's playoff tilt with rival Westminster -- were good enough to place her in the top-15 nationally.

"I really don't have any goals statistically," she said. "I really don't focus on statistics. I just go out and play and the outcome comes as it may. I just want to keep progressing. We have certain plays and breaks that we run, so I'm always looking (for open teammates) first. Whenever I see an opening, I take it and go, but it's all within the structure of the offense. I'm nothing anything to be feared."

But Arkwright isn't just your run-of-the-mill all-offense and no-defense players. The junior forward averaged 29.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.0 steals and 2.0 blocks per game against Thiel and Bethany.

"The way Lexie plays is what is most impressive," Fuss said. "It's not her offense skills. It's not her defensive skills. She just goes all the time. She has the ability to put the ball in the hole and she has the ability to get steals, but it's her heart. It's her warrior spirit that sticks out the most. It's really not one side of the court or the other and it's contagious, because the other people on the court start to do it. That's what makes her special -- the way she fights."

As her collegiate career has progressed, Arkwright's skill set has really bloomed to the point she recently became the school's single-season steals leader, Fuss said.

"Lexie was a great high school player here in Mercer County at Mercer High School," the Lady Wolverines coach said. "We really fell in love with her there, but with Lexie's work ethic here, we've been able to help her develop an outside shot. She came in being able to drive, slash and create -- she still does that -- but she also has an outside shot now.

"Defensively, she's really playing really well right. We have some history here with Kathryn Erbelding being a defensive player of the year and Lexie learned a lot from her. Lexie, in my opinion, is doing a fantastic job on the defensive end."

And it all goes back to what she does when no one is looking.

"She's a hard worker," Fuss said. "She's the first one in the gym and the last one in the gym. She does a lot for us. She's on our leadership group and does a lot for us in the locker room. She sets the standard academically. She's a really easy going kid and is easy to coach.

"She's a quiet leader, but she's learning every day. Coming in she was more of a lead by example type of leader, but now, she can make some tough conversations and hold people up to certain standards."

With just over a year left in her collegiate career, the Mercer County girl is loving life and that's come with it.

"I have great friends on the team and I love my major, I love the school. I really like Grove City. We have a lot of support and I have a great coach. It's pretty cool that most of my games are local, so my family can come watch me play. Overall, it's been really good."