ALEXIS BORDAS

WHEELING – Alexis Bordas has always dreamed of playing in the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament. That driving force was the main reason why she entered the transfer portal and ended up at West Virginia University.

“I really loved my experience at Duquesne,” she said. “All the people I was surrounded with were amazing. They treated me well and I had great relationships, so it was hard to step away not really knowing what the transfer portal was going to hold and everything was going to be, but, luckily, I ended up in a great situation and I couldn’t be more excited.

“I was sitting in my dorm room last winter watching the tournament and I said ‘I really want to play in this tournament,'” she recalled. “I knew I wanted to go somewhere that would give me that chance.”

West Virginia finished 28-7 last year, winning the Big 12 Tournament and a first-round NCAA Tournament game inside Hope Coliseum over Miami (Ohio) before falling to Kentucky, 74-73, in the second round.

“It was definitely a tough one … probably the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make,” the Wheeling Park alum and three-time West Virginia Gatorade Player of the Year said following her annual girls basketball clinic at the recently renovated gymnasium inside the Chambers YMCA in Elm Grove that is dedicated to her grandparents, Bob and Jody Contraguerro.

“It was really neat to have my clinic as the first event in this gymnasium,” Bordas said.

Bordas’s AAU coach, Scott Johnson from West Virginia Thunder, told Bordas he expected a lot of schools to contact her.

“When I found out how many schools were interested and how many options I had, I started to narrow them. I only wanted to go to the Big East or a Power 4 school (SEC, ACC, Big Ten, Big 12).

“I knew I wanted to play in one of those conferences in order to fulfill my dream of playing in the NCAA Tournament and chasing a national championship. That ended up being the biggest factor.”

Below, Bordas describes both the transfer process and her future in her own words:

When did the Mountaineers come into the picture?

“They called me the very first day. Coach (Mark) Kellogg had recruited me in high school, but I think the timing was much better this time,” Bordas explained. “Things change a lot all the time, especially in this process. You could hear from someone and two weeks later someone will call you and the other option goes away.

“I think it was bad timing last year, but I don’t regret my decision to go to Duquesne. I think this is going to be a great opportunity at West Virginia and I’m looking forward to it. Having that prior relationship helped make this time around a lot easier.”

Outstanding Freshman Season

The 5-foot-8 Bordas, who won a West Virginia Class AAAA state championship as a junior in high school, had an exceptional freshman campaign with the Dukes. She was named to the Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team after averaging a team-best 15.5 points an outing which was fifth in the A-10. She was the only player to start all 31 games and was a four-time Rookie of the Week honoree. She equalled the mark for second-most three-point field goals made in a season with 90 (26th nationally) and attempted a program-record 260 which was a 34.6% clip (a team high and fifth in A-10).

In addition to her scoring and shooting prowess, Bordas displayed the entire package with 3.1 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.5 steals, while shooting 35.7% from the field and 88.2% from the free throw line. She scored in double figures 25 times, including nine 20-point performances, and led the team in scoring on 17 occasions. Bordas scored a career-best 38 points against the University of Pittsburgh, where she connected from deep on 10 three-pointers.

“I learned a lot my freshman year, both physically and mentally,” she stressed. “I had to grow up being on my own and away from my family in that aspect, but also talking to the media and traveling, meeting new people and all the experiences.

“On the court, playing against girls that were more experienced really helped me, as well. With the COVID rules, some of the players I played against were 26 and 27 and I’m just 18, but it allowed me to grow up and gave me a lot of game experience.”

How was the transfer portal experience?

“Crazy. Overwhelming. People tell you stories about it, but you don’t really know until you’re in it how insane the whole process is,” she admitted. “It was 100% worse than my recruiting in high school.

“I had more than 65 schools contact me and I was only in the portal for like two weeks,” she recalled. “Everything was so condensed. After the first two days, I had to tell people I wasn’t interested and I started cutting down my list.”

Bordas likened the transfer portal to ‘speed-dating.’

“Because you really don’t know these people. You spend all day trying to get to know them and get what you’re looking for,” she said. “It was just crazy. While I was narrowing my list and taking visits, I missed two weeks of school.

“The process, while being very exciting, was also nerve-racking, overwhelming and a little stressful.”

Was there a plan before entering the transfer portal?

“I went in very blind … very open-minded. I didn’t have a list compiled and I wasn’t going to reach out to any school. I wanted them to reach out to me,” she continued. “The way the portal works is there are different categories for players that score 15 or more points or are a shooting guard or a rebounder … . The coach can input all of that data and then start contacting the players that they are interested in. It’s as important to go somewhere where you’re wanted.”

What does the future hold after college graduation?

“I would love to play professionally. I’m not sure whether it be in the WNBA or overseas,” she replied. “There are so many opportunities out there for players to play. After college that is definitely a goal of mine, but that is still so far down the road.”

Who does she model her style of play after?

“I’ve been told I play a lot like Kelsey Plum. We’re both left-handed and we’re smaller guards. I also love watching Paige Bueckers, Caitlin Clark and Aja Wilson is a beast.”

Logo Range?

“Caitlin Clark and Steph Curry have changed the game of basketball with the way three-pointers are shot and the way everyone is shooting deeper and deeper,” she continued. “That’s something that I practice a lot – shooting from half-court – and it is because of them.”

Favorite spot to shoot from on the court besides from behind the bonus arc?

“I probably shoot the most from the left wing just because I’m left-handed,” she said. I’m usually on the left side of the court, but looking at my shot chart, it’s pretty spread out.”

Outlook for the Mountaineers?

“Obviously the program is on the rise,” she said. “Last year was huge for them and we just need to continue doing that, taking another step and another step. I think we’re going to be really good. Offensively, we’re very talented. Defensive-wise, I think we’re very good, too. We also have a very strong portal class coming in. There were 10 of us, so it’s going to be a very different team from last year, but we’re very talented and I expect us to make a run at the championship.”

Bordas intends to major in pre-med while at WVU. She is the daughter of Jamie and Stacy Bordas, who were both standout athletes of their own in high school at Wheeling Park and Wheeling Central, respectively. She has five siblings in Jay, Luke, Matt, Nick and Vanessa.