Alex English, forever a hometown hero, has high school jersey retired
Alex English can finally say his illustrious career has come full circle.
The University of South Carolina and Naismith Hall of Famer returned to Dreher High School on Friday night to have his No. 22 retired by the Blue Devils. It’s the first-ever jersey retirement in Dreher basketball history.
“It will probably hit me later,” English said. “Right now, I’m mixing with people, signing autographs. I get an opportunity at halftime for the jersey to be raised. I’m looking forward to it. It’s taken a while but it’s never too late. I’m grateful.”
Dreher athletics director Jeff DiBattisto started setting things in motion the day he took the job in 2018. The honor started gaining more traction this summer, and the school was finally able to make it happen in front of a standing-room-only crowd during halftime of the Blue Devils boys’ basketball game against Lower Richland.
“It means everything to us as a Dreher family, but we wanted to make sure he felt appreciated for all the things that he’s done for Dreher High School and obviously continuing on with his pro career,” DiBattisto said. “Hopefully we honored him the right way.”
English had a lot of his family along with former teammates, classmates and friends in the crowd for the honor. Judge Casey Manning, Roscoe Wilson and current South Carolina basketball coach Frank Martin were among the crowd.
That meant a lot to English. He addressed the VIP section reserved for those closest to him, then told the Dreher student section they can achieve anything if they put in the work.
He reflected on his time growing up in Columbia. He felt some of his success was the driving force for other Columbia youth who eventually played in the NBA. He mentioned players Xavier McDaniel, Tyrone Corbin, Jermaine O’Neal and Stanley Roberts by name. English has also watched the emergence young stars like Zion Williamson and Ja Morant who also played high school basketball in South Carolina.
“We set examples for the kids coming behind us,” he said. “The way we work, the way we apply ourselves and how hard we work. I think me getting the opportunity to play in the NBA probably inspired Xavier McDaniel and Tyrone Corbin to work hard. They inspired Stanley Roberts and Jermaine O’Neal and Ray Allen and all the other guys that have come from this state. They’re still coming. There’s going to be a lot more.”
English starred for Dreher from 1968 to 1972 when he earned All-Region and All-State honors. He then went to South Carolina, where he ranks as the second leading scorer in program history. English was take in the second round of the 1976 NBA Draft by the Milwaukee Bucks. He also played with the Indiana Pacers, but he was best known for his tenure with the Denver Nuggets.
English was an eight-time All-Star and retired as the seventh leading scorer in league history with 25,613 points. He led the entire NBA in scoring during the 1980s. The Nuggets retired his No. 2 jersey in 1992.
Currently an ambassador for the NBA, he routinely travels to China, Europe and South America to promote basketball.
Despite all he’s achieved in his career, the honor of having his high school jersey retired ranks among his most memorable moments.
“It’s a sign of recognition of my accomplishments here as a basketball player,” English said. “I was more than a basketball player here. I did a lot of things (and) enjoyed my time here at Dreher. It’s a major accomplishment. When I look back at my career, I would rank it as one of the top.”