University of Minnesota Athletics
Sharp Shooter: Freshman Guard Alex Popp
12/13/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
The son of Alex Sr. a basketball coach, and Linda Popp, sports were all around him at a very young age. His sister, Alison, is not a stranger to athletic success either. She was a standout tennis player and received a scholarship to play Division I tennis at Loyola (Md.) after earning three state championships in high school. His sister's success was hard to live up to, Popp said, but it really gave him the vision of what he could achieve for himself. Although he did play tennis until he was 14, Popp decided to focus on basketball, which is his passion.
Popp grew up and attended medium-sized Winchester High School in Winchester, Mass., where he found his success as the cornerstone of his high school basketball team that made it to the state tournament each of his four years. As captain in his final season, Popp, also known as P.O. Double, averaged 19.7 points, 6.2 assists and 4.8 rebounds per game. He also became the second-highest scorer in school history with 1,143 points and the top three point shooter with 195 treys in his career.
After his senior season at Winchester High in 2003, he was named a McDonald's All- American nominee and was invited to attend the prestigious Adidas ABCD Camp as one of the nation's top 200 players. That camp included seven future first round draft picks from this years NBA Draft. Playing well at the ABCD Camp alongside all of the talent present convinced Popp that he could play at the next level and reaffirmed his desire to do so. Instead of accepting scholarship offers from smaller Division I schools such as Robert Morris and Quinnipiac University after his senior year, he decided to attend a prep school to further mature as a person and as a player. "I'd say it was one of the best decisions of my life to do a (post-graduate) year. Mentally and physically I just matured." Popp said. "Playing alongside seven guys that went Division I on my team, it was fun. Every day and every practice was intense."
While attending prep school at Northfield Mount Hermon last year, Popp made a name for himself as a do-it-all player and as a three-point specialist, connecting on 33 percent of his shots behind the arc for a team, ranked as the No. 9 prep team in the nation.
After his prep school season, his journey to the University of Minnesota began. He already had a relationship with Gophers assistant coach Vic Couch, who was a teammate of Popp's high school coach Quinton Dale at Clinton Community College in Iowa. Alex was recruited to walk on and made his first visit to the University of Minnesota during last year's Spring Jam week and loved every minute of it. During that time, he got to meet all of the players, see Williams Arena and the rest of the school and he really liked what he saw and was set on coming here this fall.
When Popp arrived on campus, he noticed a lot of differences between Boston and his new home in Minneapolis. "People talk different. Definitely there is a different atmosphere, but I could get used to it," Popp said, sounding free of any accent he may have had. "It's been cool, I really like the area."
And although he is disappointed he couldn't be in Boston after the Red Sox won the World Series, he has no regrets about being here and he really enjoys his roommates Vincent Grier, Jonathan Williams, and J'son Stamper, all of whom are new to the team. This allowed them to make the adjustment to their new school and team together with the help from the upperclassmen.
One thing that Popp says is great about this new-look Gopher team is that the team chemistry is great and that everyone on the team is playing their hearts out. Practices are a prime example of how intense these players are.
"There is no dull moments, every single drill is really intense and if you are lacking at all they (coaches) are going to pick you up. So it's fun because everyone is bringing it everyday, it's a lot different then the high school game." Popp said.
As a walk-on freshman, Popp knows that his role right now is to practice and play hard to not only make himself better but his teammates as well. Practices, especially, have been the place for him to do that.
"There is so much learning going on for me as a freshman that it is tough to get better everyday because you are learning so much," he commented. "As far as day-to-day, I am getting so much better and learning."
Popp describes his role as a shooter, and that he knows that he has to work on learning the defensive principles as well as the rest of his defensive play. He knows that he will do anything the coaches ask of him, whether it be in a game or during practice because that is the only way he and this team are going to get better.
"Right now, I am just pushing guys on the starting team every day in practice. And for me, I am trying to get better every day so I can have a significant role down the road," he said. A road that he feels is definitely bright and promising for this team.
There are a lot of expectations for this team now and in the future from the media and Gopher fans, but there is definitely high expectations and hope from the players as well. Even with a lot of new people on this team, Popp has high hopes for this team. "I think we have a good nucleus," he said. "We are going be a nitty-gritty team and if we can play tough and fearless throughout the season we are going to surprise people. We aren't the most talented team, but we are going to work with what we have and I expect big things. The future is promising here at the U."
As of right now, people have noticed a change in the team on a chemistry level as well as on an energy level. The new additions to this team have really provided a great team atmosphere and learning environment for all of its players.
"We are all on the same page right now and that can only turn into good things," Popp explained.
Through all of the people he has met and friends he has made over his basketball career he does happen to have a couple of them playing for Holy Cross in today's game. Crusaders' freshman guard Pat Doherty played with Alex on his team during the Adidas ABCD camp, and freshman center Tim Clifford grew up playing AAU ball on Popp's teams in Massachusetts.
If he steps on the court during today's game, don't expect him to take it easy on his opposing team friends, there is time for that kind of stuff after the game. On the court it is all business.
story by Chris Jensen, athletic communications student assistant Among the 12 new faces on this year's edition of the Golden Gopher squad are a few that are very recognizable, such as 2004 Star Tribune Metro Player of the year Spencer Tollackson, and some you might not recognize, including walk on freshman Alex Popp. While Popp (pronounced Pope) might not stick out while walking to class every day but he does stand out on the court, which is something not new to him or his coaches.
The son of Alex Sr. a basketball coach, and Linda Popp, sports were all around him at a very young age. His sister, Alison, is not a stranger to athletic success either. She was a standout tennis player and received a scholarship to play Division I tennis at Loyola (Md.) after earning three state championships in high school. His sister's success was hard to live up to, Popp said, but it really gave him the vision of what he could achieve for himself. Although he did play tennis until he was 14, Popp decided to focus on basketball, which is his passion.
Popp grew up and attended medium-sized Winchester High School in Winchester, Mass., where he found his success as the cornerstone of his high school basketball team that made it to the state tournament each of his four years. As captain in his final season, Popp, also known as P.O. Double, averaged 19.7 points, 6.2 assists and 4.8 rebounds per game. He also became the second-highest scorer in school history with 1,143 points and the top three point shooter with 195 treys in his career.
After his senior season at Winchester High in 2003, he was named a McDonald's All- American nominee and was invited to attend the prestigious Adidas ABCD Camp as one of the nation's top 200 players. That camp included seven future first round draft picks from this years NBA Draft. Playing well at the ABCD Camp alongside all of the talent present convinced Popp that he could play at the next level and reaffirmed his desire to do so. Instead of accepting scholarship offers from smaller Division I schools such as Robert Morris and Quinnipiac University after his senior year, he decided to attend a prep school to further mature as a person and as a player. "I'd say it was one of the best decisions of my life to do a (post-graduate) year. Mentally and physically I just matured." Popp said. "Playing alongside seven guys that went Division I on my team, it was fun. Every day and every practice was intense."
While attending prep school at Northfield Mount Hermon last year, Popp made a name for himself as a do-it-all player and as a three-point specialist, connecting on 33 percent of his shots behind the arc for a team, ranked as the No. 9 prep team in the nation.
After his prep school season, his journey to the University of Minnesota began. He already had a relationship with Gophers assistant coach Vic Couch, who was a teammate of Popp's high school coach Quinton Dale at Clinton Community College in Iowa. Alex was recruited to walk on and made his first visit to the University of Minnesota during last year's Spring Jam week and loved every minute of it. During that time, he got to meet all of the players, see Williams Arena and the rest of the school and he really liked what he saw and was set on coming here this fall.
When Popp arrived on campus, he noticed a lot of differences between Boston and his new home in Minneapolis. "People talk different. Definitely there is a different atmosphere, but I could get used to it," Popp said, sounding free of any accent he may have had. "It's been cool, I really like the area."
And although he is disappointed he couldn't be in Boston after the Red Sox won the World Series, he has no regrets about being here and he really enjoys his roommates Vincent Grier, Jonathan Williams, and J'son Stamper, all of whom are new to the team. This allowed them to make the adjustment to their new school and team together with the help from the upperclassmen.
One thing that Popp says is great about this new-look Gopher team is that the team chemistry is great and that everyone on the team is playing their hearts out. Practices are a prime example of how intense these players are.
"There is no dull moments, every single drill is really intense and if you are lacking at all they (coaches) are going to pick you up. So it's fun because everyone is bringing it everyday, it's a lot different then the high school game." Popp said.
As a walk-on freshman, Popp knows that his role right now is to practice and play hard to not only make himself better but his teammates as well. Practices, especially, have been the place for him to do that.
"There is so much learning going on for me as a freshman that it is tough to get better everyday because you are learning so much," he commented. "As far as day-to-day, I am getting so much better and learning."
Popp describes his role as a shooter, and that he knows that he has to work on learning the defensive principles as well as the rest of his defensive play. He knows that he will do anything the coaches ask of him, whether it be in a game or during practice because that is the only way he and this team are going to get better.
"Right now, I am just pushing guys on the starting team every day in practice. And for me, I am trying to get better every day so I can have a significant role down the road," he said. A road that he feels is definitely bright and promising for this team.
There are a lot of expectations for this team now and in the future from the media and Gopher fans, but there is definitely high expectations and hope from the players as well. Even with a lot of new people on this team, Popp has high hopes for this team. "I think we have a good nucleus," he said. "We are going be a nitty-gritty team and if we can play tough and fearless throughout the season we are going to surprise people. We aren't the most talented team, but we are going to work with what we have and I expect big things. The future is promising here at the U."
As of right now, people have noticed a change in the team on a chemistry level as well as on an energy level. The new additions to this team have really provided a great team atmosphere and learning environment for all of its players.
"We are all on the same page right now and that can only turn into good things," Popp explained.
Through all of the people he has met and friends he has made over his basketball career he does happen to have a couple of them playing for Holy Cross in today's game. Crusaders' freshman guard Pat Doherty played with Alex on his team during the Adidas ABCD camp, and freshman center Tim Clifford grew up playing AAU ball on Popp's teams in Massachusetts.
If he steps on the court during today's game, don't expect him to take it easy on his opposing team friends, there is time for that kind of stuff after the game. On the court it is all business.
story by Chris Jensen, athletic communications student assistant
