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Adding Grit to the Team: Giesecke signs with Seawolves Men's Basketball

Author: Stephanie Guimond

Posted on Mar 29, 2018

Category: Varsity Sports , ACAA , Basketball

Oromocto native, Alex Giesecke has signed with the UNB Saint John Seawolves Basketball program for the 2018-2019 Varsity season.

Giesecke has been playing the game since he was the young age of five and his love and passion for the sport has grown immensely over the years. His mom convinced him to tryout for competitive basketball in grade six through the Fredericton YMCA. He played Mini Basketball and then Bantam where he was coached by David Saad which he feels Coach Saad's guidance made a major difference in his skill level. In 2014 Alex's Bantam A team won the provincial championship and they remained together to play for the Eastern Championship under the direction of Coach Andrew Wright. Alex also participated in both Junior and Senior Elite development camps to improve on his skills which have clearly paid off.

His family made the move from Oromocto to Fredericton when he was in grade ten and he was fortunate enough to play for Fredericton High school. During his Junior Varsity year he was coached by John Rice and was awarded with Top Shooter for the season. For the past two years Alex has been coached by Mike King on his Varsity high school team and he earned Rookie of the Year in grade 11. Alex was a member of the BNB U16 provincial team and took the 2016 Championship title at BNB Summerfest. His last year of high school basketball was full of dedication and hard work and his team had one goal in mind, making the Final 12 and clinching the Provincial AAA Basketball Championship, which they accomplished with great pride.

Basketball has been a part of Alex's life for a very long time. It began as an activity to spend more time with family and friends but the longer he played the more attached he became. Alex has learned so much about the game and his abilities and he can't imagine not playing the sport. He displays great passion for basketball because he loves being part of a team and pushing himself to improve. His attitude to strive for excellence can be attributed to every coach he has had and every team he has played on. Alex truly loves competition at a high level and has a great appreciation for the discipline. Aside from basketball, Alex enjoys reading, video games, camping, being on the water and spending time with family and friends.

Head Coach Peter Vincent (Seawolves Men's Basketball) is extremely thankful that he was contacted by Alex's coach, Mike King. Coach Vincent had noticed Alex before but needed to have more focused attention on his abilities as a player. Witnessing Fredericton High School play on several occasions provided Coach Vincent with the opportunity to take notes on some players but once he was contacted about Alex he was on a mission. Alex was playing in a tournament at Kennebecassis Valley High School where he was chosen as star of the game and he played exceptionally well. In Coach Vincent's opinion, "Alex is a strong and athletic guard that has an attack mind set. I like his confidence and ability to shoot the ball and defend tenaciously". He thinks that Alex will bring more athleticism and grit to the back court; he is a talented player with lots of potential for strong play in the league.

Alex will be pursuing an Arts degree at UNB Saint John with a focus on Criminal Justice as well as Psychology. In addition, he has a keen interest in Kinesiology and Policing.

Welcome to the Seawolves Family Alex!