Growing up in Paterson, New Jersey, Alex Morales remembers being surrounded by the world of sports since he was just four years old. It was in football where he initially found his first love, but there was something about the array of opportunities available within the game of basketball that piqued his interest. It was up from there. Throughout his time in high school, Alex began focusing solely on basketball—strengthening his skills on the floor and elevating his knowledge of the game. Upon graduation, he embarked on his collegiate career at Prince George's Community College before transferring to Wagner College for his junior season. For him, this was still just the beginning. As he shares, college was the chance to "put in all the work" to one day be able to play at the professional level. It was there where he began to foster those pro habits that would help him find success at the highest level. Sure enough, after his time at Wagner, Alex took that next step in his career and began his journey in professional basketball. He hasn't looked back since. From playing for the Lakeland Magic in the NBA G League during his first season to then joining the Osos de Manatí organization in Puerto Rico in back-to-back seasons—even helping the team to its first-ever BSN finals appearance—, Alex has achieved incredible feats over the past few years. As he looks to the future, he remains grounded on his work ethic and commitment to reaching the best version of himself; and is looking forward to the personal and professional growth in store for the years to come.
Let’s dive into that journey early on! You started your collegiate career at Prince George's Community College before transferring to Wagner College. Could you share more with us about your time at each institution and your journey playing JUCO basketball?
Yeah! I think going to JUCO and going to Prince George's was a very pivotal step in my life—not only in basketball, but growing into being a man as well. The coaching staff there as well as all the players and teammates that I met there are very important to me to this day. Basketball was almost over for me after high school until I decided to go the JUCO route and they gave me a chance. It’s a very, very special place for me there at Prince George's. I always go back and visit. Then, just being able to play well and get a few D-I offers (was great). Ultimately, I decided to go to Wagner. Great culture there. It was close to home—so my parents and my loved ones got a chance to see me play. Again at Wagner, I got lifelong relationships with my teammates, my coaches. I still go visit them all the time. Both of those decisions were very, very pivotal in my life and in becoming a man. I had my son when I was at JUCO my first year—he's seven (years old) now—, and that’s the most important part of my JUCO experience: having him.
You know, stepping back from basketball a little bit when he was born just to help out; and then everyone—my family and friends—giving me the option and the ability to go back.
Love that! That’s a great point as well. How was that journey navigating being a dad and full-time student while still pursuing your dream of playing basketball and maximizing that opportunity there?
I mean, it's always a fear that having a kid young while you're trying to enter a career will be extremely tough. But with my family, my friends as well as my child's mom, they gave me the opportunity to be able to continue the career. They just backed me up and motivated me to keep going. There were a lot of nights where I wanted to just come home and be there for him and be there for everybody, you know? But just a lot of credit to them and to God for keeping me focused so that I could get to the point that I'm in now.
You had great careers at each program. When you were in JUCO, you were the Player of the Year for your conference. Then at Wagner, you also earned several awards including Defensive Player of the Year. What did earning those honors and achieving those milestones mean to you?