Aiming High

“Academically, I knew I would be getting an outstanding graduate school experience and I knew I could have an impact on the basketball court as well.”

San Diego State University women’s basketball player Alexandria “Alex” Crain may only stand 5’9”, but don’t let her stature deceive you. “I plan to dunk on someone this season,” said Crain, who transferred to SDSU this year from Texas Christian University (TCU).

In addition to being a junior guard for the Aztecs this year, Crain also has her hands full as a first-year MBA student in the Fowler College of Business. Her situation is a little unusual in that she is eligible to play college basketball for two years (which is why she is listed as a “junior” on the roster) even though she earned her degree in political science from TCU after the end of last season.

While Crain said her scholarship allowed her to take extra classes during the summer, the substantial number of Advanced Placement (AP) tests she took while being homeschooled during high school allowed her to earn college credits before she even set foot on campus.

“During my first advising meeting at TCU, the academic counselor was shocked to see that I was able to be classified as a junior before I even took my first class,” said Crain, a native of McKinney, Texas. “I took so many AP courses before college, I could probably write AP study guides for future high school students.”

Because she has already earned her undergraduate degree, Crain is eligible to play for the Aztecs immediately and will serve a crucial role in the lineup this year. However, Crain came close to not competing in any sport at all.

“My mom and dad were both athletes and they encouraged me to try different sports from a young age,” said Crain. “Nothing really struck a chord with me at first. It wasn’t until I picked up a basketball that I finally found a sport that got my full attention. It also helped that my mom played college basketball and coached for a while, so she was able to teach me the ins and outs of the game.”

Crain spent hours in the gym and got good — really good. She had the skills to earn an athletic scholarship and she considered attending SDSU while still in high school.

“I visited San Diego a couple years back and I wanted to go to SDSU right out of high school, but I was a little apprehensive about leaving my family back in Texas. So, I chose to go to a school closer to home,” she said. “After I graduated from TCU, I knew I wanted to go to a school in California and when I got a call from SDSU’s coaching staff, I was instantly hooked. Academically, I knew I would be getting an outstanding graduate school experience and I knew I could have an impact on the basketball court as well.”

Because she hopes to pursue a career in the sports business industry, Crain said she chose to enroll in SDSU’s MBA program to prepare her for this role.

However, this may be a long-term goal for Crain since she plans to study for the LSAT and attend law school after earning her MBA.

Eventually, her MBA and her law degree may go hand-in-hand with her ultimate career goal: “I want to get all the educational tools I will need in order to best serve athletes in their careers on and off the court.”