Hargrave Military Academy is fortunate to announce that two former Cadets have been selected for the 2008 National Basketball Association (NBA) Draft. West Virginia University’s Joe Alexander and University of Florida’s Marreese Speights are Hargrave’s latest contributions to the NBA.
Alexander, a college junior, was selected #8 overall in the first round of the 2008 NBA Draft. He was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks have selected forward Joe Alexander (6-8 height, 230 lbs.) with the 8th pick in the first round of the 2008 NBA Draft.
Alexander’s NBA selection comes after a three-year collegiate career at West Virginia. After playing just ten games in his freshman season, the 21-year-old Alexander logged back-to-back 36-game seasons during his sophomore and junior years, averaging 13.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists during that time. He earned First Team All-Big East Honors during the 2007-08 season and was named an Honorable Mention All-American by The Associated Press. Alexander helped lead the 10th-seeded Mountaineers to the Sweet Sixteen of the 2008 NCAA Tournament, including a second round upset over second-seeded Duke.
Alexander lived abroad for the first eight years of his life. He was born in Taiwan and also spent time in China and Hong Kong. When he steps on the court for the first time, he will become the first Taiwanese-born player to play in the NBA.
Alexander attended Hargrave and played on the Academy’s 2004-2005 Post-Graduate (PG) basketball team prior to signing with West Virginia.
The Philadelphia 76ers acquired Speights, (6-10 height, 245 lbs.), as the 16th selection in the first round. Speights is a University of Florida sophomore.
As a Florida freshman, he came off the bench in 33 games and averaged just over four points per game, but gained experience playing alongside the likes of Al Horford and Joakim Noah during the Gators’ national championship run. He had good stats as a sophomore, (14.5 ppg, 8.1 rebounds), but not good enough for the 76ers’ team management to believe he will be a major contributor next season.
The 76ers look for Speights to eventually play the power forward and center positions. He averaged 1.4 blocks per game in his final collegiate season, showing the 76ers promise that he could turn into a solid defender as well.
Speights played on Hargrave’s 2005/2006 Post-Graduate basketball team prior to signing with the University of Florida.
Alexander and Speights join the elite ranks of other former Hargrave players that have joined the NBA. This includes Lonny Baxter – Houston Rockets; Brian Chase – Miami Heat; Sharrod Ford – Phoenix Suns; Josh Howard – Dallas Mavericks; James Thomas – Philadelphia 76ers; and David West – New Orleans Hornets.
Hargrave is will celebrate its one hundredth graduating class next year, and serves boys from grades 7 to 12 and one PG year. It’s nationally recognized PG Basketball and Football programs assist many young men looking to improve grades or SAT scores for stronger admittance into an institution of higher learning. Hargrave’s academic model is often compared to, but never copied, by other leading military academies. Approximately 380 boys attend the Academy each year.