Alex Foster discuss Albany commitment
ALBANY, N.Y. >> Alex Foster’s crazy week finally came to a close on Sunday. It started on Wednesday when he had to move out of his apartment and fly to Albany for a visit.
He took the visit on Thursday. He scrimmaged with the players. He met with the coaches. On Friday, he woke up at 5 a.m. to fly home. When he got back to Illinois, he committed to Albany. Then he drove to Peoria, Illinois to attend his Bradley University graduation on Saturday.
“I saw what I needed to see in that day,” Foster said. “I liked it. I went ahead and put my foot down.”
The 6-foot-8 forward will play his final season at UAlbany, a team desperately in need of size to compliment a very competitive backcourt. Foster played his first two years at Texas Tech before transferring to Bradley. He never got
much playing time during his first three years at the Division I level. He views the Great Danes as a chance and a place to change that.
He was scheduled to take an official visit to Alcorn State next week. Before Albany got in the mix, they were the only program to ask for a visit. But the Great Danes got out in front.
Foster said he appreciated head coach Will Brown’s honesty. He didn’t promise playing time, rather an opportunity. He also was drawn to the foundation of UA’s program, it’s history of success and yearly potential to make the NCAA Tournament.
“It kind of seemed like a no-brainer to me. The opportunity there, the campus was beautiful. I got along with the players really well. When I scrimmaged with them, I seemed to fit really well. I can’t see any other situation better than this.
Foster averaged 2.1 points per game in 5.4 minutes per game as a redshirt junior last season. He scored 69 total points over two years at Texas Tech. He liked the start he got at Bradley last year, even having a 12-point game in the second game of the season. But his playing time tailed off from there.
He’ll report to Albany on June 26 for summer workouts. He won’t have to sit out a year. Before his visit, he’d only been to New York twice, and both visits were to New York City. Now he’ll have one final shot at a college basketball legacy a couple hours north.
“Getting the opportunity and chance to play,” Foster said. “I love basketball. It’s what I’ve been doing since I was a small kid. It sucks not to be out there contributing to a team I practice with each day. My heart, sweat, tears, all that. To not be able to show it (at Texas Tech or Bradley) is kind of a bummer. I had to do what I had to do.”