In order to fully integrate herself into the Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) learning community, Alexa Frank, FCLC ’12, had to hang up her basketball sneakers. She knew  that her high-tops would be of no use on a campus where no one seemed to care about sports.

Yet, while her focus and dedication to her education paid off with an induction into the Alpha Sigma Nu chapter at Fordham, the National Jesuit Honor Society, Frank’s longing to lace up and play another pick-up game has never escaped her.

“Basketball was the one thing I stuck with out of all the sports I played as a kid,” Frank said. “I’ll always love the game because, in the NBA at least, people are so passionate about it. Basketball has a way of being aggressive and graceful all at the same time. When you watch a slam dunk in slow motion, it’s a total masterpiece in my opinion.”

After playing in local park leagues in Connecticut, Frank continued to play on traveling teams through her middle school career. On top of being a freshman forward on the Cheshire High School Varsity basketball team, Frank joined the AAU (Amateur Athletic Union), a year-round club team which allowed her to keep playing during the off-season. During her sophomore year, her AAU team won second place in the state tournament, just one game short of making it to nationals. By the time Frank was a senior, she became co-captain of her division-championship winning high school team, the Cheshire High School Rams.

“I wasn’t necessarily the best player but it was nice to be recognized for more than just skill,” Frank said.

Not only does Frank play the sport, but she also worked at the NBA store. Before the store closed in February, the organization chose Frank to work as a seat-filler at this year’s All-Star Game in Los Angeles. To a basketball fan, this was the ultimate dream-come-true for Frank. At times, she found herself in the same elevator as Chris Paul, a few feet away from Bill Walton and sitting in between Kevin Garnett and Shaquille O’Neal. In an effort to describe the experience, Frank was literally speechless. Yet, she was able to vocalize her support for her favorite teams.

“Playing basketball in Connecticut, you get sick of UConn. They just annoyed me,” Frank said. “But the Lakers have been my team since I was nine. Kobe Bryant is my favorite by default. No matter what he does.”

On April 9, Frank participated in RHA’s three-on-three tournament. Although her team (which consisted of four people, two being the only  girls in the tournament) lost during the first round, the participation of nine different teams in the tournament made her hopeful about the integration of sports in the Lincoln Center community.

“Just because the sports are at Rose Hill, that doesn’t mean we can’t have [them] here,” Frank said. “I think a lot of people at Lincoln Center would play even at a weekly time, given the outcome of the tournament. There were around 30 people that came to play even though it was organized only one week prior.”

Although Frank noted that Fordham missed the opportunity to screen March Madness in the student lounge, she suggested that screening the NBA playoffs, especially with the New York Knicks finally making their return to the post-season would be the perfect time to gather FCLC sports fans.

Aside from playing basketball, the English and political science major plans to go to law school and become a social justice lawyer in the future. Whether she’s studying in the library or preparing for her LSATs, the game of basketball will always be an integral part of her.

“I had played basketball for so long that sports wasn’t a big consideration when thinking about college. I knew I would find other ways to enjoy it, like playing pick-up. So whenever anyone plays here, I’d definitely play,”  Frank said.