Senior Spotlight: Alex Peacock

By DeShaun Hartley
Sports Reporter

Alex Peacock, a personality as bright as his last name. The senior forward will be playing his last game tomorrow, and I’m sure for him it will be a bittersweet moment as soon as the final buzzer sounds for the last time as he walks out Strahan arena on senior night. I want everyone reading this to imagine you have never seen a Texas State basketball game, but tonight you decided you want to take some friends and family to watch.

You walk in and you can tell right away who Alex Peacock is as soon as his team makes a big play. He is the player that teammates, fans, and all of Bobcat nation will sincerely miss seeing on the court. He brings a confidence and swagger to the game that everyone loves to see. There is no coincidence that fan attendance rises when Peacock is on the team. Michael Johnette, Iowa Western Community College Head coach, and former coach of the senior states, “If there is a culture player in a program, Alex Peacock is that player,” and he surely is.

The 6’7″ senior from Bloomington, Illinois, started his college career playing under Coach Johnette for two seasons where he was selected to NJCAA All-Region Second Team as a sophomore. After speaking to his former coach about him, you can tell that Alex’s presence was one that could never be forgotten by the multiple time ICCAC regular season champ coach. He praises Alex on his leadership, drive and passion for the game. He is, “A guy that demands winning out of himself and other people,” and that’s what makes him such a great player.

All of the work he puts in shows during the season. His freshman year at Iowa Western Community College he averaged 5.6 PPG and 3 RPG for the Reivers; then, his sophomore year, his points-per-game average jumped up by almost five points and his rebounding increased by more than two. His junior year at Texas State he averaged 7.5 PPG and 5.0 RPG, then again his numbers jumped up across the board. He averages 8.3 PPG and a team-high 6.3 RPG. If the numbers don’t say it, I will, his work ethic is unmatched and it all displays itself on the court. Preparation is the main ingredient in this basketball soup and Alex Peacock has the perfect recipe for success. The game can be fun when you are always outworking the next man and that’s what he does. That’s why he is a team captain here at Texas State.

Some of the senior’s best moments include his junior season game against UTA, on March 2, 2018, in which he netted his career-high 24 points and became the 11th NCAA Division I player to make at least 10 shots in a game without a miss. Another monster game from the feathered Peacock actually came in his first career start against Texas A&M Corpus Christi, where he fell one assist shy of getting a triple-double, finishing the game with a monster stat line; 21 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists.

Fast forward to this year, Peacock continues to display his dominance on both sides of the floor for this Bobcat team. Alex had a decision to make between Coastal Carolina and Texas State, and fortunately for the fans, he went with the Bobcats. Ironically, one of, if not his best game of the season came against the losers of the Alex Peacock recruitment process. He netted 14 points and eight rebounds to lead his team to a 65-57 win. Not only did he do it on the offensive end, but defensively. The captain should’ve been arrested and put in holding after recording four steals during crucial moments of the game.

For this special player, it is only right that he blend with a special team. This year’s Bobcat team is making history and are continuing to do it behind the attitude and leadership from the senior. Teammate guard Tre Nottingham said, “He’s just a great leader on and off the court. How he acts off the court is exactly how he acts on the court. What you need in the game of basketball is communication, so he does a good job at that”.

The teammate praise doesn’t end there, junior Eric Terry wants his seniors to know, “Y’all are family to me and you always have my number”. This Bobcat team has already made history by starting 16-3, the best start in school history since the NAIA team over a half century ago. Also, Peacock is apart of a 20-win Danny Kaspar‘s team, only his second time doing that in his tenure at Texas State.

As a sports reporter, you get to witness players that are special, and not just special on the floor but special in terms of how people will remember them. Alex Peacock, from me and the rest of Bobcat Nation, we appreciate you for not only putting your heart on the floor for the Maroon and Gold, but for being a special player that all of us here around Texas State and San Marcos will forever appreciate. Good luck to you and your team on the rest of the season. Oh, I almost forgot Coach Johnette’s saying, which is sure to bring a smile out of you, Peacock, “Live with an attitude of gratitude”.

Featured image courtesy of Texas State Athletics.