This week, The Dartmouth chatted with Alex Mitola ’16, a standout point guard on the men’s basketball team. Recently named as a captain for the 2014-15 season alongside Gabas Maldunas ’15, the sharp-shooter, honored as team MVP for his performance last season, opened up about leadership, his goals for the summer and his desire to win an Ivy League championship.
As the Big Green attempts to build on last season’s 12-16 record this year, it will do so for the first time in three years with more than one captain. The Big Green will also boast a roster that will likely feature seven members of the Class of 2016 and two members of the Class of 2015, a stark change from the last two seasons when the team was often noted for its relative youth.
When did you first start playing basketball?
AM: I first started as far back as I can remember. I think my dad put a ball in my hands when I was around 2, and then from there I just kept playing — I have an older brother, and I grew up playing with him, and then I started playing more and more competitively.
You’re known for your three-point shooting -— after only two seasons you’ve already converted more three-point shots than all but seven players in Big Green history and you’re on track to break the College record in that category. When did you first start incorporating shooting from the outside as a part of your game?
AM: It wasn’t until the fifth grade. Before then I always wanted to stay inside the three-point line because I felt like I wasn’t strong enough to reach out there. I waited until I felt like I was strong enough and then I started to shoot it pretty well and it became a big part ofmy game.
This spring, you were named a captain for the 2014-15 season as a rising junior. What does that mean to you? What advice would you offer to fellow rising juniors who are stepping into leadership roles this summer?
AM: It means a lot just to see the respect that my teammates have for me in electing me as a leader for the team. I’m going to do everything I can for my teammates and everything I can to help us have as successful a year as we can have.
I think it’s important to figure out — and certainly everyone is different — but it’s important as a leader to figure out a way to motivate each person on your team. Sometimes you need to get on people to do that and sometimes you need to offer encouragement. You definitely need to have a good relationship with all of your teammates. You need to respect each other to the point where you can help them get to where they want to be. You need to look out for each other, and you’re going to have to do what you can to help them.
What advice did you receive from your former captains about leadership? Does anything in particular stick out to you?
AM: I had a very good relationship with Tyler [former captain Tyler Melville ’14] and he reached out to me and congratulated me when he found out I was going to be a captain. We talked throughout the year, and I definitely learned some great things from the way he acted as a leader. I try to incorporate them into the way I lead — I think he did a particularly great job of getting to know each teammate and being a voice for the team.
What goals do you have for this off season, both individually and as a team?
AM: We have a lot of kids up here this summer. The rising junior class is a relatively big class, so we’re just trying as a group to get as much better as we possibly can. We have a good schedule for the summer in which we’ll be playing a decent amount and lifting. We just want to get better individually and continue to build chemistry as a group.
Have you identified any concrete goals for the season yet? If so, what are those goals?
AM: It’s probably a little too soon to say, but I think everyone on our team’s ultimate goal is to win the Ivy League championship. Whether that’s been established yet or not, I think that’s each person’s individual goal.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
