Alex Berthiaume, the former Cathedral standout, will prepare to lead the No. 3 Springfield College Pride (18-7, 9-3) into the New England Men’s and Women’s Conference Tournament at No. 2 MIT (20-4, 10-2) on Sat., Feb. 23 at 3 p.m.
With 4.3 seconds left in Springfield College’s contest last week against Clark University, Springfield senior guard Alex Berthiaume took possession of the ball in front of his own bench on the sidelines. Everyone in the gym knew he was getting the last shot.
Problem was, knowing that and stopping Berthiaume are two different stories.
“I knew they’d be switching on everything, so when I threw it to Nick [Sienkiewicz], I went and got it and I turned right at first and a big stepped out that way. I turned left to go towards the sideline and the baseline, and another big jumped out at me,” Berthiaume said. “I got past him with a little hesitation to the left and hit what is kind of one of my signature moves. I hit a running floater off the glass.”
Berthiaume’s buzzer-beating floater rang true, sending the home crowd at Blake Arena into an uproar as his teammates mobbed him under the basket.
“He’s the guy. Everyone knows it, and I think everyone’s comfortable with that,” sophomore teammate and guard Josh Altman said.
For Berthiaume, the game-winner marked the last time that he will play in front of a home crowd, but his time as “the man” is not finished quite yet, as he prepares to lead the No. 3 Pride (18-7, 9-3) into the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference Tournament at No. 2 MIT (20-4, 10-2) on Sat., Feb. 23 at 3 p.m.
The Pride split their regular season series with the Engineers, and also with No. 1 ranked WPI (23-2, 10-2).
“We’re just focused on winning our first game,” Berthiaume said. “Our whole team’s mentality is that we know we can play with these guys, and we know we can beat them.”
For the local product, who resides with his family in Springfield and starred at Cathedral High School, a NEWMAC Tournament title would cap off a stellar college career.
“He was one of those guys we knew when high school was over, that he was going to be playing somewhere. He’s always had that fire in the belly,” Cathedral head coach Justin Dalessio said.
Berthiaume’s drive for greatness might have begun even before his playing days at Cathedral, but it was certainly exposed during his high school career. After splitting time between junior varsity and varsity his freshman year, he earned the varsity starting point guard spot his sophomore year, and never relinquished it.
“He was a small kid, but he had a big heart and he didn’t back down from anyone,” Dalessio, who served as Cathedral’s assistant coach during Berthiaume’s playing days, said. “From day one we could tell that he was going to be a special player, and sure enough he started the next three years and had a really good career.”
Berthiaume was part of a Cathedral team his sophomore year that made it all the way to the Western Massachusetts’ Championship before losing to Minnechaug. After a tough junior year in which Cathedral was bounced from the first round of the playoffs, Berthiaume helped lead his team to the semifinals of the Western Mass. tournament in his senior campaign before losing to Longmeadow. Much of Cathedral’s success revolved around his abilities.
“He was a playmaker, whether it was for himself or someone else, he just made plays. When the game was on the line, he stepped up, and he wanted the ball,” Dalessio said. “He played his best in big games.”
Coming out of Cathedral, a lot of Berthiaume’s recruitment revolved around whether he was a Division II scholarship player, or a Division III player (who can not receive a scholarship).
Berthiaume always believed that he could succeed at the DII level, so he played AAU ball with the Rhode Island Hawks and Nike Expressions to gain more exposure. The decision proved worthwhile, as he took a scholarship offer at DII St. Michael’s.
After battling knee injuries and enduring a coaching change at St. Michael’s, Berthiaume felt that he needed a change of scenery after two seasons.
“I just felt that I would enjoy myself being closer to home,” he said. “So I decided to transfer to Springfield.”
Springfield coach Charlie Brock had recruited Berthiaume out of high school, and his arrival at Springfield was a homecoming of sorts.
“We forgave him the error of his ways of not coming [here] in the first place,” Brock joked. “He came in and took over and was a leader right out of the gate.”
The second-year captain led his team in scoring in 16 of the team’s 25 games this year, tying for the lead two other times.
Yet despite his success, Berthiaume has never lost touch with his Panthers’ pride. He still attends Cathedral practices and games when he gets the chance, and helps mentor the new crop of Cathedral stars.
“He’s been terrific as a great role model. I know every one of my players, believe me, you say Alex Berthiaume [and] they know who he is, they know what he can do, and they really respect his game,” Dalessio said.
From Cathedral to Springfield College, Berthiaume has helped his basketball programs reach new heights. For the local talent, leading the way is all part of the challenge of being "the man," a challenge that Berthiaume embraces every time he steps onto the court. Everyone knows he's getting the ball. The question still remains: can you stop him?