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CHASING A CROWN: No. 24 C.E. King in prime position to compete for district
The Panthers may have been right on the outside of the playoff picture a year ago in District 21-6A, but that’s what makes them a perfect candidate to be a sleeper in the city this season.
C.E. King went 22-10 a year ago and finished at 6-8 in district play. Three starters return off that team from a year ago – Kennedi Alexander (12 ppg, 6 rpg, 4 spg), Brooklyn Alexander (11.5 ppg, 7 rpg) and Momina Kassim (10.5 ppg, 3 rpg, 3 spg).The Alexander sisters are both verbally committed to the University of Tulsa.
Other players to watch include Heaven Jordan and Trinity Maxwell. Arthur Prevost enters his third season of leading this program (32-31) and has 250 career wins. He could bring the Panthers into the spotlight in 2024.
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DOUBLE TROUBLE: C.E. King's Alexander twins trying to put Panthers on the map
IT’S RARE FOR A PROGRAM TO HAVE SOMEONE WHO CAN ALMOST SINGLE-HANDEDLY TURN THE TIDE OF A GAME.
Fortunately for C.E. King, they have two of a kind.
The Alexander twins – Kennedi “KK” and Brooklyn “BB” – have become the faces for the Panthers over the course of their tenure on the court. Growing up side-by-side has given the two an intangible bond, which some athletes may never achieve.
“It’s been pretty good for us,” said Kennedi. “We obviously have chemistry with each other, and we know how each other plays and moves on the court. We’ve played together our whole lives, so it’s made it so much easier for us to connect through the game.”
That connection certainly seems to have paid off. The Alexanders won’t be separating any time soon, as the pair are headed to Tulsa to play their college ball.
“The culture at Tulsa made it feel like home,” Brooklyn said. “They really care about us as an individual player, not just on the court but off the court as well. We could see that immediately when Tulsa started recruiting us.”
The pair already has a plan for their future after they graduate college. Kennedi hopes to eventually play overseas, with a back-up plan of becoming an X-Ray technician, whereas Brooklyn wants to go into the medical field as well, as a registered nurse.
Fortunately for her, Tulsa will provide Brooklyn the flexible opportunity to begin her training while she’s on the team.
Aside from the different numbers they wear, how might one differentiate the identical twins?
“Most definitely, it’s our personalities,” said Kennedi. “I’m more of an introvert... a little more shy and laid back. She (Brooklyn) is for sure an extrovert. She’s always been the more social type who’ll go out, but I’m the one who’d just rather stay at home. When people meet us, they’ll know.”
Another distinction can be made by what they do off the court.
“Me personally, I like to bake on the side,” said Brooklyn. “Baking desserts is one of my favorite things to do during my free time. The best thing I’ve made was a strawberry cheesecake.”
Kennedi would proceed to give her sister a side-eye grin.
“I don’t care,” Brooklyn laughed. “I’m going to place that to this day. I made a strawberry cheesecake. It looked good and it tasted good.”
The upcoming season marks the final time the Alexanders will don C.E. King’s colors. Both sisters have big plans for what’s to come.
“We want to make it to State, plain and simple,” said Kennedi. “We just want to be good, you know, and be able to say that we did something for C.E. King this year.”
“We’re definitely going to make history this year,” Brooklyn said. “We’ve got big things coming.”
One way or another, this season should be incredibly memorable for the Alexander household. Did we mention, they are really triplets? Brother, Logan, stars for the Panthers’ boys team.