Duncan LeXander is headed home, or at least back to the region where he spent most of his life. But like most people who go back to where they’re from after being away, LeXander is returning a changed man, a scholar and athlete on a path to personal and professional success.
On Wednesday, November 16, LeXander formally committed to play Division 1 basketball at Presbyterian College in Clinton, South Carolina. Beginning in the fall, LeXander, a 6’8” shooting guard, will suit up for the PC Blue Hose to compete in the NCAA Division 1 Big South Conference. The Blue Hose schedule will see the 18-year-old rising star, decked out in PC’s traditional royal blue and garnet, face off against top-notch competition including Virginia Tech, North Carolina State, Boise State, and Tennessee.
Presbyterian’s coach is Gregg Nibert; currently in his 26th year in charge of the team, Nibert is the winningest coach in PC program history, with more than 400 wins. As a member of the Big South Conference, Presbyterian is granted an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
LeXander spent his childhood in Fairfield Country, Connecticut before moving south to Davidson, North Carolina. He then spent the first three years of high school playing for Wilson High, a public school in Florence, South Carolina. LeXander’s return to his home state, and the South in general after a senior year at the Williston Northampton School has his parents, naturally, swelling with pride.
“We’re extremely happy and very proud of how hard he’s worked on the court and in the classroom,” said his mother, Karyn LeXander.
His coach at Williston, Ben Farmer, said he’s “expecting great things,” from LeXander. Farmer is confident LeXander will be a “leader on and off the court.”
It’s only fitting that at such a momentous occasion in his life, LeXander, as elegantly outspoken and confident in class as he is on the court, would seize the opportunity to thank those who’ve guided him. LeXander thanked Coach Farmer, Williston’s Athletic Director, Mark Conroy, Head of School Robert Hill, Chris Dietrich, Head of Admissions, all of whom “provided an incredible opportunity to be a Wildcat.”
He also thanked Nibert, PC’s coach, who “stood behind me throughout the entire recruitment process.”
LeXander reserved his highest praise for his family, all of whom were in attendance at the signing ceremony.
He mentioned how schools began looking at him in 8th grade, but that despite the often hectic recruiting process, his parents, brother, and sister gave him “stability and consistency,” and provided him with a foundation of “constant love and support.”
Following his prepared remarks and a photo session with members of the Wildcats team, coaches, family and friends, LeXander reflected on the next step in his journey. Although it’s not exactly a return home, there’s a feel, a mood, a comfort he’s ready to embrace again.
Though he’s loved his time at Williston so far, LeXander said, “coming up here made me realize how much I love being in the South and around my family,” “In a country town,” like Clinton, South Carolina, LeXander said, “I feel like I’m home.”