3×3 Tournament Experience Lets Alex Kelley Be Brave

Sports have a way of bringing people together and opening doors to new opportunities. That is a universal constant felt by those who have played and coached.

Physical fitness. Teamwork. Overcoming obstacles. Learning to deal with failure. These life lessons are the bedrock of memories that carry through an athlete’s journey.

Alex Kelley wasn’t sure at first where she fit in with the U.S. women’s team that competed in December at the 3×3 Unified Basketball World Cup in San Juan, Puerto Rico. She came to the group quiet and shy to the point that direct communication with strangers was a challenge, even in the most basic conversations at school.

By the time Kelley and her teammates returned home from Puerto Rico with a gold medal, a whole new world had opened up for her.

“I thought I was dreaming (when they picked me to play), but I was so excited for the opportunity,” Kelley said. “My teammates were all sweet, kind and funny. Playing in this tournament helped with my confidence and communicating with people. Communicating is a daily struggle for me.”

Courage in the Classroom

Kelley is a junior at McCutcheon High School in Lafayette, where she works with special education teacher Linda Carrico.

Carrico said Kelley did not speak at all when she started high school. Kelley would write things down and pass the papers to her instructors.

Eventually, she grew comfortable enough to whisper short replies in Carrico’s ear.

All that changed after Puerto Rico and competing alongside teams from around the world at an event hosted by Special Olympics North America.

“When she returned from her trip, she was amazing,” Carrico said. “She openly and loudly spoke about her experience. She brought in her medal and stood in the front of the class and showed everyone.

“She spoke about her experience and allowed the students to ask her questions. And she answered all of the questions without any issues of us hearing her.”

Kelley shared her stories with anyone who would listen. She crafted bracelets to share with teachers.

She found her voice.

“This trip helped Alex really come out of her shell,” Carrico said. “It was truly amazing to have a front row seat to the benefits of this trip.”

Team and Kelley Took Some Lumps

Basketball is nothing new to Kelley and her teammates. Kelley, Abbi Richarson and Kitti Vancott play for the Tippecanoe County program. Unified partners Brooke Sullivan and Kaley Carpenter are former high school players and Unified partners now enrolled at Purdue University.

Head coach David Henry said learning the fast-paced, physical style needed to compete against the other nine countries was a transition but one eased by playing the U.S. 3×3 Unified tournament during the summer.

“There is more contact and less space than we are used to,” said Henry, who coached alongside Jen Chalmers. “But like everything else, it’s a process, and the learning never ends.”

After struggling the first two games, the U.S. team started putting things together. As the  team gained experience, the players grew in confidence, and nobody exemplified this more than Kelley.

“Alex tended to be withdrawn, but something clicked and she became an important team player,” Henry said.

Against Paraguay, Kelley got knocked down and skinned her knee. She was limping but worked through the pain with help from Carpenter, who Henry called “a bulletin board of cuts and bruises.”

By the next game, Kelley’s band aid was gone, she was walking normally, and she was back to playing the tough-nosed style required for success.

“The pictures of her from the beginning of the tournament to the end really tell it all,” Henry said. “She went from shy and withdrawn in the beginning to aggressive, confident and playing without fear.

“I hated to see it end because there are so many more challenges for her to conquer, and the team allowed her to grow and do that.”

Some Signs Early On

Kelley’s transformation started during workouts, Sullivan said. And watching her teammate grow was as fun as anything that happened at the international event.

“When I first met Alex, you would have to be up close to even hear her replies,” said Sullivan, a Purdue junior and Carmel native. “And when she did answer, it was usually nothing more than a simple yes or no.”

As Kelley became more comfortable with her teammates, however, she opened up, eventually providing encouragement and even instruction.

“We were practicing what to do off a rebound,” said Carpenter, a Purdue senior from Chicago. “One of our options was to set an off-ball screen and come off it looking for the ball from the point guard. It was Kitti’s turn to set the screen for Alex, but in the midst of live play, Kitti forgot to set the screen. For the first time all season, Alex clapped and yelled for Kitti to set the screen.”

That exchange is a common player-to-player exchange at nearly every practice at every level, but this interaction floored the coaches and players.

“That was such a huge step that I never thought could be possible,” Carpenter said. “By the time we got to games in Puerto Rico, it was natural for her.”

A Group Mentality

Kelley said her teammates gave her the courage to open up. Whether during on-court competition or off-court social opportunities, there was a shared camaraderie that Kelley and her teammates enjoyed equally.

Being the only U.S. representatives, the five women fielded constant questions from the other players. By the end, Kelley was right there in the middle of everything.

“My teammates were brave and always talking with all the teams. It was great,” Kelley said.  “I was a little scared at first, being on a plane and away from my family for the first time. But my coaches and teammates helped me to come out of my shell.”

As Kelley’s confidence grew, she started calling for the ball. She spoke up at team meetings. She became engaged.

She even coordinated a souvenir swap with other countries.

As the tournament ended, Kelly easily could have left her newfound skills in Puerto Rico, returning to her shy, quiet self. It has happened before. It is the easy way out. As situations change and comfort wanes, that safe, secure shell is inviting.

Not this time.

“After the trip, we were interviewed by the local news, and she answered their questions with ease, confidence and projection.” Sullivan said.

It was recognition well-earned.

“We watched her put in all the work and make small changes, and she ended up a more confident person as a whole,” Carpenter said.

A New Outlook On Life

Now, two months after the tournament, Kelley is back at McCutcheon High School. She will always be part of a gold-medal winning team and a contributing athlete at the first international Special Olympics 3×3 women’s basketball tournament.

She is competing this winter for the Tippecanoe County women’s team alongside her four teammates from Puerto Rico.

Much of her life remains familiar. But her approach to it, hopefully, will never again be the same.

“Alex is a completely different player and person,” Carpenter said. “We used to hound her for questions on how her day was or what she was doing. Now, she comes up to us and tells us something or even asks a question. Hearing the stories of what she was doing at school or at home, talking about Puerto Rico is incredible to hear because we watched her put in all the work and make small changes and ended up a more confident person as a whole.”

Every day is a new opportunity to grow. On the basketball court and in life.

When Kelley struggles, she can always think back to those six days that gave her the confidence in herself to show the world who she is.

An opportunity rooted in her participation in Special Olympics Indiana and the men and women who surround her and support her.

And won together.

“I was shocked but so happy,” she said. “We did it.”