Playing basketball and baseball at Crothersville High School, Alex VanCoutren said he likes being a team player.
He has played all over the floor in basketball and at various positions on the diamond.
“I like the team aspect of basketball,” he said. “We’re really close as a team. It’s like a second family to come to after school. I like the athletic side of the sport, the physical contact of it.”
VanCoutren said he is willing to play anywhere to help the Tigers win.
“Usually when I come in, I come in for Dylan (Wilson) to give him a break, so I usually go in for the post,” he said. “If Logan (Brewer) is in there and he has a better matchup in the post, I can come out and play the wing, as well.”
His high-point games this season have been nine against Medora and eight against Orleans and Columbus Christian.
“When I can hit a 3, I enjoy shooting it, but I like the contact down low, getting a layup and an and-one,” he said.
VanCoutren said he thinks the Tigers have more success facing man-to-man defense.
“We match up pretty well against most teams because we’re tall, pretty athletic and fast,” he said.
On both sides of the court, VanCoutren said he likes battling for rebounds.
“You’ve got to be physical and use your strength,” he said. “It’s all about angles, really, so for a boxout, you’ve got to get low and under them. If I’m low to the ground, I have a better chance of getting a rebound and a layup.”
He said the type of defense the Tigers play depends on the opponent.
“Against a good shooting team, I enjoy playing man because you can get up in them and apply more pressure and limit their scoring,” he said.
He also likes the transition game.
“It makes it more fun on a fast pace, get up a lot of shots, get a lot of points,” he said.
When it comes to games, VanCoutren said he prefers playing in front of the home crowds.
“The crowd has been awesome,” he said. “Those close games, it’s real loud and energetic, and even the bench gets into the game. I like the community support we have. That has been the best part.”
Going into Friday’s regular-season finale at home against Austin, the Tigers are 15-7.
VanCoutren is hoping for a win, and then the team can focus on the postseason.
“We’ve got to stay in focus,” he said. “We started off 11-3, and then kind of lost a chip off our shoulder, kind of got complacent. I think we’ve got to come out and be physical and focused.”
In the spring, VanCoutren said he is looking for a successful season of baseball after playing at Brownstown Central High School in recent years.
He expects to be catching or playing second base and will fill in in the outfield if needed.
“I can play anywhere I need to,” he said. “I want to be out there to help the team and win some games and hopefully win a sectional.”
VanCoutren said he likes playing behind the plate.
“I think that is one of my stronger suits, being able to get down and block the ball,” he said. “I worked on my throwing a lot from my freshman year, so I’m hoping to have a pretty good arm going into this year and throw out some runners.”
At second base, he said he likes controlling the right side of the field with the shortstop.
“We’re the captains of the infield besides the catcher,” he said. “You’ve got to be loud, be vocal and be a leader of the team so everybody knows what’s going on. In both sports, there is a lot of communication.”
VanCoutren said he has been taking a lot of batting practice.
“I’ve been working a lot the past couple offseasons with my swing to be ready for my senior year, so it has improved a lot, I think,” he said. “I like it up around the letters (on his jersey), but that doesn’t mean I should swing at it because it’s real hard to catch up to. I like it somewhere around the knees so I can get down and get through it and drive it. You’ve got to take it where it’s pitched.”
He is ready to see how the season goes for the Tigers.
“We’re going to have to have good pitching and definitely have good defense,” he said. “I think we need to stay focused defensively. Our offense will come, but once our defense is there, I think we’ll have a good chance.”
VanCoutren said he is happy he is going to graduate from Crothersville High School.
“With the smaller community, smaller school, it’s a more personal-type feeling,” he said. “Everybody knows everybody, and your teachers here know you and they know your family, so there’s a lot more personal aspect of it.
“Out of all of it, I’ll probably just take out mostly the memories I’ve had of my teammates — the bus rides, the jokes we had and the relationships I built with teammates on and off the floor — and the stuff coach (Greg) Kilgore and coach (Jared) Richey have taught me,” he said.
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Name: Alex VanCoutren
School: Crothersville High School
Parents: Stephany Justice and Sean VanCoutren
Siblings: Aubree, Alynn and Adalyn
Sports: Baseball, four years; basketball, two years
Athletics honors: In baseball, sectional title and most improved award while playing at Brownstown Central High School in 2016
Organizations: National Honor Society, Academic Super Bowl
Plans after high school: Attend college, play basketball and major in biology
Favorite food: Pizza
Favorite TV show: “SportsCenter”
Favorite movie: “Tommy Boy”
Favorite team: Notre Dame
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