The Boston University women’s basketball team has been dominant in Patriot League play, sitting in second place in conference standings with a 10-3 record. Freshman guard Alex Giannaros has helped her team climb the ranks with her impressive rookie season, posting an average of 9.8 points per game while shooting over 40% from three-point range to earn a position in the Terriers’ starting lineup.
The Brockton, Massachusetts native sat down with The Daily Free Press to talk good eats, locker room music and easing into NCAA basketball.
Interview excerpts have been edited for clarity and brevity.
- Which teammate would you trust with the aux cord in the locker room pregame?
Probably Syd [Johnson] or Kelsi [Mingo].
- What does your game-day routine look like?
It mostly starts after shootaround, so we’ll have shootaround and pregame meal. I’ll lay around and watch “New Girl” for a little bit or I’ll play 2048 on my phone for a while. After that, I’ll shower right before getting ready to go upstairs [to the Case Gymnasium]. When I’m upstairs, I take three form shots and then just sit across from the foul line on the bench until we have to get ready to actually warm up
.
- How have you found your transition to college basketball?
I think college basketball, the pace is a lot different than it is in high school. And so, adjusting to that pace and being able to think a lot faster and read different situations and different plays a lot quicker than in high school. So I think that was the hardest thing coming in.
- How have you been preparing for your first Patriot League playoffs and what advice have you been given so far regarding the postseason?
I think a lot of it is all mental and realizing that everything else will come when your mental game is strong enough to be able to withstand a lot of the adversity that you’re going to face and things that you’re gonna go through, whether that’s with your team, whether it’s personal things. Being strong mentally is probably one of the most important things to be able to be successful in the postseason. As far as advice goes, I think the same thing. Adversity is going to come, it’s just how you handle it.
- What’s your favorite part about playing for this BU team?
The potential that we have. If everything goes the way that we all know it can go this year, we can end up with a championship and that’s ultimately the end goal, so just knowing that we have the potential to do something great. Now, we’re just trying to get ourselves there.
- What’s been the highlight of your first season at BU so far?
I think just the people that I’ve met so far. I love being in the city. There are so many opportunities to meet new people and grow with them outside of just the sport or school in general. There are so many different things to do with so many different people so I think that’s been something that I’ve enjoyed a lot.
- Why do you wear the number 10?
I think [I’m] kind of trying to give it a meaning now and go from there, but I didn’t really pick it for anything in particular.
- Who got you into basketball?
My dad played in high school and it was the sport that, growing up, I loved more than any other so I always stuck with it.
- If you didn’t play basketball, what sport would you play?
Probably volleyball. I don’t love the sport, but I’m not too bad.
- What’s your go-to pregame meal?
That’s hard because it changes when we travel. What we have at home games most times is pasta, chicken, salad. Things like that.
- If you had to choose one thing to eat for every meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Probably Chipotle. So many different options. You can never get sick of it because there are so many different things.
- Are you a breakfast person, or do you skip?
I skip breakfast. I usually wake up late and then I have to go to class right away, so I usually don’t have time for breakfast.
- What’s your go-to coffee order?
I do not like coffee. I usually just drink water, Powerade, Gatorade, things like that. Nothing too crazy. I’m also not a big soda person so it’s really minimal in what I choose to drink.
- What’s your favorite way to spend a day off?
Hanging out, doing nothing. Being around my friends and just laying in bed and taking the rest as much as I can.
- What do you do to pass time while traveling to games?
2048 is a big one. I take a few naps here and there and I’ll watch “New Girl” or different shows that I’m watching at the time, but those are really the things I do the most.
- If you retired right now and had all the money and means you needed, where would you choose to live?
Probably Greece. Anywhere [in Greece]. You can’t go wrong with that answer.
- If you were stranded on a deserted island, which teammate would you want with you?
Probably Riley [Childs]. Definitely Riley, actually. At times I can be a very antisocial person. And we kind of have that relationship where I can just be quiet, but we can also joke around and mess around too. So it’s a good balance.
- What’s your favorite movie of all time?
I want to say “The Great Gatsby.”
- If there was a movie made about you, who would you want to play you?
Wow. I never thought about that. I have no clue. No idea.
- What’s something you wish you knew coming into college, especially as an athlete?
Time management is going to be a lot harder than it was in high school.
