The Coach of the Week: Jordan Alexander, Martin Luther King
Martin Luther King High School soccer`s Junior Varsity Coach and Offensive Coordinator Jordan Alexander stepped as much as the undertaking whilst he changed into known as directly to fill in as head train on Friday for the crew’s sport towards Benjamin Franklin High School.
He led King to a dominant 38-zero win towards a convention foe – however that isn’t always a surprise. Alexander has been devoted to laying the foundation on the JV stage in view that he lower back to his alma mater as a train, making sure his college students’ development as athletes and, maximum importantly, as younger guys via fostering a love for soccer. Alexander is the Philadelphia Eagles High School Coach of the Week, supplied via way of means of Hyundai.
“To see the youngsters’ faces, the youngsters excited, rallying round every different, changed into without a doubt, without a doubt super,” he stated, reflecting at the sport.
Alexander performed soccer at Germantown High School earlier than it closed in 2013 because of Philadelphia School District finances cuts. When the college changed into dissolved, its college students and groups had been despatched to mix with King – Germantown’s sworn rival for decades.
“At first, we had been a touch iffy approximately it,” stated King.
Though it changed into a frightening situation to make teammates out of rivals, the inaugural soccer season of the combined crew ended up the college’s pleasant yet, making application records with Alexander on the forefront.
“When we were given there, it ended up being a super revel in. I changed into a captain at the crew and we went 10-3, gained the primary championship in college records, and made it to the nation playoffs,” Alexander stated.
After stints gambling linebacker at Shippensburg and Delaware Valley University, he lower back to his domestic turf, however this time, as a train, propelled via way of means of each his revel in gambling soccer for King, and developing up withinside the community with few human beings to version his conduct after.
“Just being round withinside the community I grew up in, dropping quite a few pals, pals going to prison. I sort of idea approximately the truth that developing up, we by no means had no person to be there to inform us, you may do it this manner. This is what you need to do. We by no means had no person,” Alexander stated.
“I idea, perhaps I can be that individual which can step into the function of a number of those younger guys’s lives and strive to persuade them withinside the proper direction, farfar from prison or now no longer having the ability to perform what they need to perform in life.”
Now, he is doing simply that at each the JV and varsity levels. And he is now no longer simply education, he is introducing the game of soccer into the lives of younger guys from Philadelphia’s Germantown community – lots of which have not been avoided from gambling because of a number of disadvantages, consisting of the shortage of youngsters programming and high priced sign-up fees.
“Pretty tons with my institution of guys – the 9th graders – I commonly get the youngsters which have by no means performed soccer earlier than. So at practice, I attempt to get the ones youngsters involved, with a view to discover a manner to like soccer,” stated Alexander.
“Some youngsters cannot without a doubt have enough money it developing up. You’ve were given to pay a $a hundred twenty five registration fee, you have to shop for equipment, you have to shop for cleats, you have to do the entire factor. But whilst you get into excessive college, gambling for the soccer crew, it is free. We have equipment. Sometimes we’ve cleats, so that you do not gotta without a doubt pay as tons. Plus, your community little league crew is probably miles farfar from your house. But for the excessive college crew, you are on the excessive college each day, you simply move proper out of doors and practice.”
But even if college students get to the excessive college stage, there are greater frustrations that mount, surrounding assets and finances. Alexander says it is one of the maximum difficult components of his job.
“We’re a public college, so we do not commonly get the pleasant equipment. We do not get the pleasant jerseys. Sometimes we do not get our grass cut. Stuff like this is hard. Trying to preserve the youngsters to live focused. Like hey, I understand we do not have your shoulder pads, I understand our fields grass is as much as our knees, and that they have not are available weeks, however we’re right here for a project and we’re going to do all we want to do,” he stated.
“That’s probable the toughest part. We’re now no longer getting that sort of stuff, and the youngsters see different packages out of doors the metropolis get it. And they may be like, well, why do they get it however now no longer us? That, to me, is the toughest part.”
Despite the difficulties, Alexander and the education team of workers were capable of use soccer as a device to persuade their college students towards achievement in excessive college and beyond. Alexander reveals the maximum pleasure in looking his gamers flourish.
“It’s stored quite a few youngsters’ lives. Kids that had been into stuff earlier than they began out gambling soccer, will play soccer and absolutely be an entire specific individual,” he stated.
“The factor that brings me pleasure is coming in each day, seeing younger guys, and understanding that I’m saving somebody’s life.”
