Hauser graduate and Olivet Nazarene senior Alex Gross goes up for a shot during a game this season.
Submitted photo
After a record-setting four years at Olivet Nazarene, Alex Gross had a chance to turn pro and play basketball overseas.
But the Hauser graduate wanted another year of seasoning against a higher level of competition. So next year, he will play as a graduate student at Morehead State.
“I was trying to decide at the beginning of the process whether I was going to go pro or D-I,” Gross said. “I felt like I needed another year to develop, and I think coach (Preston) Spradlin and his staff at Morehead can do that for me. So the goal is to become a better basketball player, become more well-rounded and hopefully make a career out of it and see how long I can play this game.”
Alex Gross
The 6-foot-10 Gross was a dominating presence at the NAIA level, averaging 23.8 points, 14.1 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 3.2 blocks per game this season in earning Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Year and first-team All-America honors. He was CCAC Player of the Week seven times, NAIA Player of the Week three times and was on the Small College Basketball Bevo Francis Watch List Top 25.
Following the season, Gross began looking for a place to play his fifth year and attend grad school.
“It was a long process,” Gross said. “The past five week, I’ve probably talked to 12-15ish schools, reaching out and just trying to figure out the best fit for me. I decided on Morehead just because coach Spradlin really got my attention. It just felt a little bit different after talking to him. Obviously, they’ve been a winning program the past couple of years, and that was obviously attractive, and I wanted to be a part of that and continue the winning ways.”
Gross’ final four schools came down to Stetson, Utah State, San Jose State and Morehead. Although Morehead, Kentucky, is much closer than the other three, that didn’t play a big role in his decision.
“It wasn’t the main factor,” Gross said. “It honestly was just kind of a bonus. I didn’t really look into location that much because I figured if I would have done that, it would have blinded my ability to see the best option for me. So I was kind of throwing the location out of the way, but Morehead really was the best option for me. It just happened to be the closest, which worked out fantastic.”
Gross is set to graduate from Olivet on May 7 with a degree in sports management and a minor in business. He plans to do his grad program in business administration, marketing or sports management at Morehead.
The Eagles went 23-8 and reached the NCAA Tournament in 2021 after winning the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament. They went 23-11 and lost in the OVC title game this season.
“I took a visit out there, and the school is great,” Gross said. “It’s in a great area. The facilities are nice. Resources are great. It just felt like the right spot for me to develop and get better at basketball and make make a better future.”
