How Alexis Whittington has lived up to Rick Insell's expectations for MTSU basketball
Middle Tennessee State women's basketball coach Rick Insell had high expectations when he was recruiting Alexis Whittington.
And he was right. The senior is a three-year starter and has played extensively her entire career with the Lady Blue Raiders.
"When I recruited her, I knew how good she was," Insell said of the 5-foot-11 guard, who won three state high school championships at Riverdale. "I knew she was a team player, I knew she could rebound the basketball, I knew she could shoot the ball, could handle the ball and could make good decisions.
"Take her back to that Riverdale squad and take her out, and see how many state championships they win then."
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Insell said Whittington has played "in the shadow her entire career" while at Riverdale and MTSU. That hasn't bothered Whittington, who has relished the role of doing many things to help the Lady Raiders without ever being considered the team's star.
"The main thing is just coming out and playing the same," said Whittington of her consistency. "I come out and play hard and do what the team needs. That's been my mindset the last (four) years."
Whittington is averaging eight points and almost seven rebounds for the Lady Raiders (15-4, 7-2 Conference USA).
She pulled off a double-double in a 71-64 win over rival Western Kentucky at the Murphy Center on Saturday, scoring 11 points with a team-high 12 rebounds (eight in the first quarter). She also had four steals and three assists.
"She doesn't take a play off," said MTSU senior Courtney Whitson. "That's what I love about her. I always know that if I'm having a bad night, she's always there to pick me up. I feed off her energy and she feeds off of mine."
Whittington was an integral part of Riverdale's three consecutive state titles from 2016-18, earning all-state honors before signing with the Lady Raiders. That wasn't lost on Insell.
"Read into this what you want to read into it, but she played in a shadow her whole career," Insell said. "And when I recruited her, I knew how good she was. She's a very talented player, and we're glad to have her and her sister (twin Amanda)."
Whittington said the biggest change in her role this season has been from a leadership standpoint. She's been one of the team's top defenders since her career began.
"We have a little bit of a younger team, so I feel that sometimes when we're down, I try to bring energy," Whittington said. "It's maybe more of a leadership role than in the past. I just try to get us back going.
"I know defense gets me going. If we get a big stop on the other end, it gets us going on the (offensive) end."
Whitson, who has that same workhorse mentality, echoed that statement.
"I love that she busts her butt every single play," Whitson said.
Reach Cecil Joyce at cjoyce@dnj.com or 615-278-5168 and on Twitter @Cecil_Joyce.
This article originally appeared on Murfreesboro Daily News Journal: MTSU basketball: Alexis Whittington has lived up to Rick Insell's expectations
