By Marty Gordon
NRVsports@ourvalley.org
Radford High shooting guard Lexi Rader will take her basketball game to Sewanee: The University of the South this fall.
When choosing where she wanted to go, Rader said academic prestige was her number one priority, and Sewanee definitely put a check mark in that box.
“In early March, I went on an unofficial visit to Sewanee, and it was nothing less than amazing,” Rader said. “The campus was so beautiful, and the coaches were everything I wanted in a staff. I connected with the coaches, and I knew they were who I wanted to play for. They were so welcoming and were overall some great people. Also, I chose Sewanee because of the smaller class sizes and their amazing alumni network. In the car ride home, I remember telling my mom, ‘I feel really confident about this place.’ When I was on campus, it really did feel like home. I am so blessed to be a part of their family.”
This past year, Rader averaged 11 points a game for the Bobcats. She hit 80 percent of her free throws and nailed 30 percent of her three-point attempts. She was named first-team All-Three Rivers District and was second team all-region.
Located in Sewanee, Tenn., the school is a member of the Southern Athletic Conference with an enrollment of 1,653 students. Tracey Braden enters her third season as the head coach for the women’s basketball program. The Tigers finished 10-16 in 2019.
Rader said her goal on the court is to be encouraging and bring tons of energy. “Working hard is something that I take great pride in, and I’ll definitely be taking that to Sewanee with me. On the court, I want to push my teammates to be better. Overall, I want to just be a great teammate,” she said.
The senior shooting guard has many memories of playing basketball at Radford.
“My best memories will be of the characteristics and values Radford basketball gave me,” Rader said. “My coaches instilled toughness and grit into my personality, and I am forever grateful for that. I’ll miss wearing ‘Radford’ across my chest because I really love this place, and I have so much pride from being a Bobcat. Lastly, I will miss my teammates more than anything; those are my sisters.”
Rader hopes to major in political science or pre-law with her eyes on law school.
