Former Trinity star Scruggs moves to E.E. Smith
By Jaclyn Shambaugh
Staff writer
Alex Scruggs, a standout at Trinity Christian since her middle school days, is now a Golden Bull.
To say Alex Scruggs found success at Trinity Christian might be an understatement.
The guard, a starter for the Crusaders since her seventh-grade year, won two NCISAA state championships, surpassed the career 1,000-point scoring mark and was a regular on the 1-A all-state team.
Division I offers came rolling in. Old Dominion was first, and since then N.C. State, Liberty, Wake Forest, Clemson, Virginia Tech and East Carolina have offered.
So why, with all that development garnered under the close-knit community of the Crusaders, would Scruggs transfer to E.E. Smith ahead of her junior year?
Because she thought the move from a school like Trinity, with an enrollment of fewer than 200 students, to a major Division I university might be too large to take in one leap.
“The colleges I want to go to are big colleges,” Scruggs said. “Public school has a bigger population as far as teachers and students, so I just wanted to try to get used to the numbers.”
It’s a way for Scruggs, naturally shy with a preference for action over talk, to develop her personality as much as her on-court skills.
“At Trinity, there were 10 people per class. Here, there are 30,” Scruggs said. “It’s helping my people skills.”
In the classroom and on the team, Scruggs has made it a point to speak up more, and she’s getting a push from Coach Dee Hardy.
“Coach Hardy helps me with that everyday,” Scruggs said. “She wants me to be more vocal with the team. I’ve tried to adjust. When I think I shouldn’t talk, I talk just to try my hardest.”
If there were any doubts that Scruggs’ play could handle the move from private school to public, surely her debut for the Golden Bulls silenced them.
In the team’s season opener at Seventy-First last week, Scruggs poured in 39 points and pulled down 13 rebounds.
Coach Dee Hardy said Scruggs’ arrival is an adjustment for both player and team.
“Alex already had a lot of tools coming in,” Hardy said. “I think the biggest adjustment is us understanding her and her applying her ability here versus what she faced in the private school setting.
“But I think it’s a win for us, and I think it’s a win for her also.”
It’s a boon to the Bulls in what could have been a gap year for the program. Smith went 12-0 in the now-defunct Mid-South 4-A Conference last year and reached the second round of the NCHSAA 4-A playoffs.
That squad was senior heavy, with six players graduating including the team’s top three scorers, top rebounder and top three assist-getters.
Hardy called this year’s incarnation a huge change from last year.
“The difference is last year we were not as athletic, I think is the best way to put it,” Hardy said. “Our team this year is very athletic. We’re young but versatile.”
The Bulls have two starters back from last year’s squad, senior forward Sydney Harris and junior guard Trinity Dixon.
“The new portion of it this year, along with Alex, is that we have a lot of freshmen,” Hardy said. “They’re going to be throw in the fire early, and we’ll have to take our lumps and bruises.”
Scruggs’ arrival fills a potential scoring dirth for the Bulls, and at 5-foot-9, the guard can be tough for defenses to handle on her signature driving style of attack.
She’s made it a goal to strengthen her outside and mid-range shooting, making her jump shot “more automatic,” she said.
It’s a specific goal and part of the bigger task Scruggs’ has set for herself.
“As a player, I just want to get better everyday.”
Staff writer Jaclyn Shambaugh can be reached at jshambaugh@fayobserver.com or 609-0651.
By Jaclyn Shambaugh
Staff writer
Alex Scruggs, a standout at Trinity Christian since her middle school days, is now a Golden Bull.
To say Alex Scruggs found success at Trinity Christian might be an understatement.
The guard, a starter for the Crusaders since her seventh-grade year, won two NCISAA state championships, surpassed the career 1,000-point scoring mark and was a regular on the 1-A all-state team.
Division I offers came rolling in. Old Dominion was first, and since then N.C. State, Liberty, Wake Forest, Clemson, Virginia Tech and East Carolina have offered.
So why, with all that development garnered under the close-knit community of the Crusaders, would Scruggs transfer to E.E. Smith ahead of her junior year?
Because she thought the move from a school like Trinity, with an enrollment of fewer than 200 students, to a major Division I university might be too large to take in one leap.
“The colleges I want to go to are big colleges,” Scruggs said. “Public school has a bigger population as far as teachers and students, so I just wanted to try to get used to the numbers.”
It’s a way for Scruggs, naturally shy with a preference for action over talk, to develop her personality as much as her on-court skills.
“At Trinity, there were 10 people per class. Here, there are 30,” Scruggs said. “It’s helping my people skills.”
In the classroom and on the team, Scruggs has made it a point to speak up more, and she’s getting a push from Coach Dee Hardy.
“Coach Hardy helps me with that everyday,” Scruggs said. “She wants me to be more vocal with the team. I’ve tried to adjust. When I think I shouldn’t talk, I talk just to try my hardest.”
If there were any doubts that Scruggs’ play could handle the move from private school to public, surely her debut for the Golden Bulls silenced them.
In the team’s season opener at Seventy-First last week, Scruggs poured in 39 points and pulled down 13 rebounds.
Coach Dee Hardy said Scruggs’ arrival is an adjustment for both player and team.
“Alex already had a lot of tools coming in,” Hardy said. “I think the biggest adjustment is us understanding her and her applying her ability here versus what she faced in the private school setting.
“But I think it’s a win for us, and I think it’s a win for her also.”
It’s a boon to the Bulls in what could have been a gap year for the program. Smith went 12-0 in the now-defunct Mid-South 4-A Conference last year and reached the second round of the NCHSAA 4-A playoffs.
That squad was senior heavy, with six players graduating including the team’s top three scorers, top rebounder and top three assist-getters.
Hardy called this year’s incarnation a huge change from last year.
“The difference is last year we were not as athletic, I think is the best way to put it,” Hardy said. “Our team this year is very athletic. We’re young but versatile.”
The Bulls have two starters back from last year’s squad, senior forward Sydney Harris and junior guard Trinity Dixon.
“The new portion of it this year, along with Alex, is that we have a lot of freshmen,” Hardy said. “They’re going to be throw in the fire early, and we’ll have to take our lumps and bruises.”
Scruggs’ arrival fills a potential scoring dirth for the Bulls, and at 5-foot-9, the guard can be tough for defenses to handle on her signature driving style of attack.
She’s made it a goal to strengthen her outside and mid-range shooting, making her jump shot “more automatic,” she said.
It’s a specific goal and part of the bigger task Scruggs’ has set for herself.
“As a player, I just want to get better everyday.”
Staff writer Jaclyn Shambaugh can be reached at jshambaugh@fayobserver.com or 609-0651.
