MARQUETTE, Mich. - Andrea Perez and Elena Alaix typically are given one job when they step onto the court at the Berry Events Center for the Northern Michigan University women's basketball team, move the ball around the perimeter, and score baskets. But what some fans don't know is the story as to how Andrea and Elena found their way to a small tourist town tucked away in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
It all started when Elena and Andrea first decided to pick up a basketball and step on the court in Madrid. Perez and Alaix played for club teams in Spain, a similar form of basketball to the AAU circuit seen in the U.S. Elena always grew up being the taller one in her group of friends and classmates, so her parents decided to get her into basketball and Andrea had basketball in her bloodline as she was influenced by her dad, Javier Perez, who played professional basketball in Spain.
Playing for opposite clubs from the age of 12, Perez and Alaix went head to head against each other in regional tournaments. Moving on from competitors to teammates, Andrea and Elena started to sport the same uniforms from the age of 12-14. Playing for a combined Madrid squad they competed against other regions within Spain. They continued on as teammates, playing for the same club at ages 16-18.
Basketball has taken both to places they never would have imagined, from all over the U.S., France, and even Israel. Andrea and Elena could show you to every corner of Spain if they wanted to, as they have participated all over their respective country.
Perez rocked her countries colors before NMU as she was selected to participate for Spain in a u19 tournament that saw her capture MVP at The Women's International Tournament NACEX.
As part of one of the best clubs in Spain, Elena had quite an extensive resume prior to showing up in Marquette. Alaix would reach the podium not once, not twice, not even three times but four total times in just a four year span that saw her capture two gold medals. She was named MVP of two different tournaments in 2017 and 2018.
Growing up together in Spain was drastically different from life in Marquette, with a population of 3.3 million in just Madrid compared to Marquette's 20,000 people.
Elena added "It's different here, sports are a huge thing. Everyone is so into sports and they encourage you to play. But in Spain, for example, I was the only one doing sports in my high school." Facing a culture shock was just one of the challenges Elena and Andrea had to overcome. "The language was a huge thing for me because I didn't know English that much when I got here." said Perez. According to her, learning to adapt to how people communicate was difficult at first especially because English was neither of these two's first languages.
Adapting to American basketball, Andrea struggled at first to a very different style of play. She said "We played so fast in Europe because we have a 24 second shot clock. And so when I came here, there was always somebody like 'Dre you have to slow down. Like, you can't go that fast.'" So not only did the speed of the game change but Elena mentioned "For example, the free-throw line here has four defensive players inside and three offensive players. And the one that's shooting, but in Spain, it's just three and three".
Head coach of NMU women's basketball team, Troy Mattson was a huge reason as to why Andrea and Elena signed with the 'Cats. Andrea said "He put a lot of effort into trying to get us here," to get the duo comfortable with meeting the team and even showing his tech-savvy side through FaceTime when it came to showing off Marquette. Coach showed them how much he cared about them coming over and suiting up in the green and gold. After all the effort Coach Mattson put in Elena mentioned "I kind of felt like I needed to be here".
Elena has always wanted to play professional basketball but as of right now she's just happy basketball has brought her to Marquette. Andrea also doesn't know where basketball will take her once she moves on from Northern "I always wanted to play professionally, but I don't know. I have like three more years. Like this year and two more. So I have time to really think about what I want to do", Andrea mentioned, Luckily both Wildcats still have plenty of time left due to COVID and redshirt years. As of right now they are still focused on playing for the 'Cats.
Being competitive has always driven Elena to give her all on the court, competing as a team and working well together is a driving factor behind her game. Andrea takes all the time she can to improve upon her game, learning to become the best version of herself on the basketball court. Being a part of a team that focuses on being the best versions of themselves is what makes Perez and Alaix successful.
Both of these girls have played in some intense matchups in their basketball careers but for Andrea, her favorite basketball moment was her final year in Spain, "We went all the way to the National Tournament, so it was just so much fun." For Elena, her favorite basketball moment happened in her younger years when she played on a team picked to finish in third place at a basketball tournament. With everyone not believing in them they upset the whole tournament and won. Elena said "my cheeks hurt because I couldn't stop smiling" because she was a part of an experience where the odds are stacked against you but you work through adversity and come out on top as a winner. Something she would love to accomplish again in Marquette.
Marquette is such an amazing place to live and attracts players from all over the world but Marquette's biggest appeal is how connected our community is to the NMU teams. "I absolutely love the community, everyone is so nice, always trying to help," said Andrea. Elena loves the snow, "I don't like the cold but I love the snow because its so pretty" and went on to say "Basketball is the main reason we're here and the team makes it better and then you add the community, everyone wishing us good luck on the game and people showing up in support".
Andrea and Elena look forward to seeing everyone at the Berry this year and will continue to rock the green and yellow with pride.
