KNOXVILLE — Her Tennessee basketball teammates teasingly call her “Mother.”
But mention of the nickname only elicits a laugh from Lady Vols forward Alex Fuller, the lone fifth-year senior on the youngest and most inexperienced team in the program’s history.
“I think she’s always had that natural motherly instinct,” sophomore forward Angie Bjorklund joked during Tennessee’s media day at Thompson-Boling Arena. “It does show that family atmosphere that we have here, and she’s stepped up as that leader.”
To the team’s six true freshmen, it’s only natural to look up to someone with Fuller’s experience.
“She’s always helped us out since day one,” said freshman forward Glory Johnson. “She knows what she’s talking about, so don’t underestimate her, either. She’s been here five years. She knows basically everything about this system.”
Coach Pat Summitt added that Fuller has had a “calming effect” on the freshmen, who can sometimes get carried away in practice and lose focus.
That’s just a product of her personality, said Fuller, who played in 37 games last season, averaging 6.1 points per game.
“I don’t get overly excited. I don’t get over-anxious about anything,” she said. “I just like to keep the mood mellow. I’m serious when I need to be. I’m funny when I need to be. I just like to be mellow.”
Meanwhile, Bjorklund said she is capitalizing on her experience as a starter in 30 games on last year’s national championship team, which included seniors Nicky Anosike, Alexis Hornbuckle, Shannon Bobbitt and All-America junior Candace Parker, all of whom are now playing in the WNBA.
“I think with the leadership we had last year and what I had to look up to,” Bjorklund said, “they taught me what it takes to be that veteran leader on this team and what it takes to win.”
Summitt said what set last year’s upperclassmen apart was their willingness to be accountable for team practices. Now she’s seeing similar strides made by Fuller and Bjorklund.
“There’s some great necessity for that to happen and our team to take some ownership,” Summitt said.
For freshman Shekinna Stricklen, Fuller has made her presence felt during practices.
“She makes sure we stay up,” Stricklen said. “She makes sure we all communicate in practice. And most of all, she makes sure our intensity is up in practice.”
Despite the inexperience on this year’s squad, Fuller remains optimistic.
“It might be a little more difficult because we are a young team, but I think we’re dwelling on that too much,” she said. “And this year, a lot of people, including myself, are going to have to grow up and take more of a leadership role.”
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