Student-Athlete Of The Month: Alexandra Vandiver

East Carolina University women’s basketball head coach Kim McNeill wanted her 2026 recruiting class to include players who were tough, gritty, energetic and versatile.

Severna Park’s Alexandra Vandiver is a shining example of all these qualities as well as being a gifted 3-point shooter. East Carolina is currently in second place in the American Athletic Association with a 20-9 record and is a program on the rise. A prize recruit, Vandiver possesses skills that will be a valuable addition for the Pirates in the next four years.

She was a four-year starter and three-year captain for the Saints, has led St. Mary’s in numerous offensive and defensive categories, and she has added her name to the school’s record books.

Vandiver closed her high school basketball chapter this winter by establishing statistics including:

• 1,584 points, fourth all-time at St. Mary’s
• 1,001 rebounds, setting a new record at St. Mary’s
• 50 career double-doubles, setting a new record at St. Mary’s
• All-time leader at St. Mary’s in made 3-point shots with over 200. Finished with an incredible 43% 3-point shooting average over her four years
• Ranked No. 1 in assists in the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland (IAAM) A Conference with 4.2 assists per game this year

“Alexandra is maybe the best shooter, boy or girl, that I’ve ever seen and I have been doing this for a while,” said St. Mary’s girls basketball head coach Leo Latonick. “For her career, she has made 200 3-point shots with a 43% shooting accuracy. That percentage is even more remarkable when you consider that she was frequently targeted by the opponent’s defense with one of their better defenders.”

At 6-foot-1, Vandiver can play any position on the floor but is most effective as a power or small forward. She works hard at all facets of her game but takes special pride in rebounding.

“I really like rebounding, and when the ball goes up you just have to go get it,” Vandiver shared. “I love to compete, and getting rebounds and outworking my opponents is one of the areas of the game I really enjoy.”

That competitive spirit began when Vandiver was in first grade and began playing one-on-one basketball with her older brother George in their Cape Arthur driveway.

“As I got older, we had some really close games and that helped me play against taller competition when I started playing in the Green Hornets,” she said.

Vandiver gets her height from her 6-foot-4 dad and 5-foot-10 mom. Her dad works with her to this day on her shooting technique and was her basketball coach until fifth grade.

“My dad will always be my shooting coach,” Vandiver said with a smile.

After playing travel ball with the Green Hornets, Vandiver advanced to playing Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) for the Maryland Stars in the Washington-Baltimore area. Playing against elite competition really sharpened Vandiver’s skills, and when she entered high school, she immediately started on the varsity team as a freshman.

“Our freshman year was great, and we went 27-0 and won the IAAM B Conference championship,” Vandiver said. “The next year, we moved to the A Conference, and we were playing great competition like St. Frances of Baltimore, Spalding and Pallotti.”

Utilizing her versatility and love for the game, Vandiver relished playing the best competition in the Baltimore-Washington area and shared that playing against some of the best talent on the East Coast really improved her basketball skills.

“I think playing AAU was super important to my development,” Vandiver said. “You play against elite players every game and the practices are grueling with sprints and weight training.”

Her steady improvement made a noticeable jump between her junior and senior year when the Division I college coaches began to heavily recruit her.

“Alexandra had one Division I college offer after her junior year, but through her hard work in the offseason with conditioning and AAU exposure, she had close to 20 Division I offers,” Latonick said.

Vandiver knew during her visit to East Carolina that she wanted to spend her next four years playing for the Pirates.

 “Coach Kim (McNeill) was extremely personable, and she told me how she liked my versatility and I will be a big part of next year’s team. I’ll probably play the three (small forward) with them,” Vandiver said.

The national BTN Scouting Platform for amateur basketball states that Vandiver is a high-upside addition for East Carolina and Vandiver’s quick release, ability to defend any position, and passing skills will be a great addition for the Pirates next year.

Vandiver has a 4.2 grade point average (GPA) with six Advanced Placement classes completed. She will pursue a business degree at East Carolina in hopes of attending law school and becoming a sports agent.