City of Basketball Love

By Andrew Robinson (@ADRobinson3)
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Alexa Windish knows how to score, now she’s looking to lead.

Whether it was her first extensive varsity minutes last winter with Archbishop Wood or this summer with her Mid-Atlantic Magic team, Windish had a knack for putting up points. Heading into her senior year, she wants to contribute a lot more than just some timely points.

Windish won’t have to worry about anything but that, having committed to Kutztown as the latest in a line of Wood and Magic alums to play for the PSAC program.

“I think it comes from my energy toward the game,” Windish said while finishing up her AAU career in Atlantic City last month. “I just want to do anything to impact the game and make it better for everyone around me.”

The 5-foot-6 guard with the quick first step was offered by Kutztown in June of 2022 and made it official a little more than a year later on July 13, about a week before her final grassroots tournament with the Magic.

Widener was also a serious contender for Windish, the guard praising the Pride’s coaching staff and team through the relationship she built with them. However, there was an undeniable pull that Kutztown seemed to have and the more she let it, the more it pulled Windish in.

“As soon as I visited Kutztown, I knew it was something special,” Windish said. “When they took me for a tour, they already made me feel like I was a part of the family. I did an overnight with the girls, and it was like they were my people. I knew I could go there and fit in.”

Both Wood and the Magic have built a solid pipeline to the PSAC program, with four Magic alums in Casey and Shannon Remolde, Bella Arcuri and Noelle Baxter currently on the roster and another in Taylor Gurysh officially coming in next month as a freshman. Baxter’s the only Wood alum on the Golden Bears roster at the moment, but much like when she was a senior and Windish was a freshman in Warminster, they’re already looking forward to doubling that number in 2024.

“I’m so excited to be Noelle’s teammate again,” Windish said. “I’m really good friends with Taylor Gurysh too, so it’ll also be a lot of fun to be on the same team as her again.”

Windish closed out her club basketball career well, helping the Magic reach the HGSL 17U title game, ultimately falling to the Runnin’ Rebels in a close, well-played game. During championship weekend, the guard shot the ball well from the perimeter, got to the rim and also showed some good vision by setting up teammates because an assist on a basket is another way to get points on the board. 

That’s a little bit more of what Windish is looking to bring to the court with Wood this coming season as she expands from impact sub to likely starter and leader. Unlike last year, when the Vikings had seven seniors, there are just three of them for 2023-24 but Windish, Lauren Greer and Ava Renninger, along with junior Emily Knouse, will all be team captains.

“Our bond is great, it feels like we go play basketball together at least once every week, we’re always texting each other,” Windish said of the senior trio. “I’ve always felt tight with them, they’re great teammates and great girls, so I’m very thankful I have the both of them.” 

Windish knew her role this past winter would be as a spark off the bench. 

It wasn’t a responsibility she took lightly and even if she didn’t score a ton of points, Windish had a knack for finding a basket at a timely moment. Her layup at the end of the third quarter in the PCL semifinals against Cardinal O’Hara was one such basket, giving Wood two crucial points in a low-scoring game the Vikings won at the buzzer to send them to the Palestra.

“Having a chance to step up in that big of a role, especially for that team, was really special,” Windish said. “Getting to play in a PCL championship and getting to the state championship was just out of this world, it’s something I’ll remember for the rest of my life. Doing it with that group of girls, you don’t get that a lot and I knew I had to step up in any way I could.”

This winter, Windish knows she’ll have an even bigger role for her team as a leader.

With Wood seeking a fourth straight state title this coming season, Windish is eager to contribute anything needed to get there. Although she looked calm in big moments last season, there was a certain aspect the guard wanted to try to hone this summer knowing she’ll be facing a lot more of them coming up and with her teammates looking to her to deliver.

“Definitely keeping my poise during games,” Windish said. “I want to play with patience more, focusing on each play and not rushing anything because you’ll get the basket eventually. That’s something really important for me this year.”

Windish also sees a number of players in Wood’s program facing the same opportunity she did last year, so the senior wants to help them take advantage of it. Much like she was able to learn and follow from Baxter and her classmates as a freshman, Windish now finds herself in a position to do the same for the players following her.

When she thought about what it was that had resonated so strongly after her visit to Kutztown, it didn’t really come as a surprise. That same sense she felt with the Golden Bears was the same she’s had with every team she’s been able to play for.

“When things fall apart, you need your teammates to pick you back up,” Windish said. “I’ve been lucky to be on really close teams that have always lifted me back up if I’ve ever been down and you need that. It’s hard sometimes, basketball is a hard sport so you want to have those good people around you to bring you back up.”