One-on-one with 2012 men’s basketball commit Mo Alie-Cox

Editor’s note: Below is a Q-and-A with 2012 men’s basketball commit Mo Alie-Cox conducted by CT assistant sports editor Quinn Casteel. Cox, a senior at Middleburg Academy, signed with VCU in May 2011. This season, he led Middleburg to a 27-11 record while averaging 14.6 points, 8.3 rebounds and 4.7 blocks per game.
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QC: How was this high school season different for you, knowing that you’re coming to VCU in the fall?

MA-C: Last year I wasn’t really known because I came from public school – I came from South County and no one really knew about me. This year it was like every gym I walked in, people were like, ‘Oh, he’s going to VCU; he’s going to VCU.’ Teams really targeted me to make me pass the ball more, and I had to affect the game in different ways, rather than just playing one-on-one with the guy that was guarding me. Also, my teammates looked up to me more, and it was a great experience.

QC: Was there anything you were doing differently, either in practice or outside of practice, that you were working on to try and improve your game before coming to college?

MA-C: I was working on my shooting a lot more. I would use the shooting machine on a daily basis, I would go running more to get my conditioning up, and me and a couple players would work out together every day. VCU does a lot of shooting and running so I knew I had to improve on those areas.

QC: What was it like for you watching VCU this year, especially late in the season in the conference tournament and the NCAA Tournament?

MA-C: Watching them was real great. I’ve met a bunch of them and talked to them, seen them play on TV. People would also be Tweeting me, texting me like ‘Your team’s playing; your team’s playing.’ People hadn’t really talked about VCU before the Final Four, but now everyone knows them. It’s great to see they’re getting nationally recognized a lot more.

QC: What have your interactions been like with Coach Smart, and what did he say that really made you want to come to VCU?

MA-C: The thing that Coach Smart told me was that if you work hard, great things will come. I’m not a person who wants things to come easy; I want to work hard for stuff, and I want to earn it. He also said that on our team everyone gets to feel like family; that was the key thing.

QC: There were a couple freshmen this year that came in and did one thing really well – Briante Weber would enter a game and get a bunch of steals, and Treveon Graham would drive the lane and get to the free throw line. What’s the one thing that you can come in and do really well, right away at the college level?

MA-C: I can come in and rebound real well and play defense. I bring a lot of toughness to the court, and I can pull down a lot of offensive and defensive rebounds.

QC: How excited are you about playing in the HAVOC system, and how do you think your game fits in?

MA-C: I’m real excited about playing in the HAVOC system. I love running up and down the court, I love getting steals, and I like to run the floor and get a lot of dunks in transition.

QC: You’re a 6-foot-6 power forward. Is that the type of game you think will fit in well, considering you’re a little bit short for a power forward, but maybe it helps you run the floor better?

MA-C: That was one thing that made me want to come to VCU because I’m kind of an undersized big man. Their four man can really roam around a lot more, shoot, run the floor and play on the ball a lot more. It’s not just a typical post player who just sits on the block and posts up. So yeah, I think my style of play fits in really well.

QC: Who’s the one VCU player that you’re most looking forward to playing with next year?

MA-C: The guy I’m most looking forward to playing with is Briante (Weber). He’s a real energetic guy, gets people pumped up, and he’s a real confident player.

QC: Is he one of the guys that you’ve talked to before?

MA-C: Yeah I’ve talked to him before. He was my escort when I came for my official visit, and we would talk back-and-forth throughout the season.

QC: Is there another player, past or present, who was your favorite to watch at VCU?

MA-C: I really enjoyed watching Eric (Maynor) and Larry (Sanders) play together; they had a real good connection.

QC: You seem like a student of the game; do you have a favorite NBA team?

MA-C: Yes – my favorite team is the Lakers, but my favorite player is Dwight Howard.

QC: Do you have a Finals prediction?

MA-C: I’ll go with the Thunder and the Heat. But I don’t know; anything can happen in the East with LeBron and all them. But I like the Heat over the Thunder.

QC: We haven’t had a player with cool hair in a while – can we confirm that the dreads will be intact come the start of the season?

MA-C: Yes: the dreads will be intact.

QC: Last question – what’s one interesting fact that we at VCU should know about Mo Alie-Cox?

MA-C: One thing that people might not know about me is that I like to watch cartoons a lot. When you look at me, people don’t think I’m that chill and laid-back. But I like to watch a lot of Disney Channel.

QC: What’s your favorite show?

MA-C: Phineas and Ferb.