Fifth in a series
1/27/16 - New Faces; Josey Smiedala, MSUB Women's Track & Field
1/5/16 - New Faces: Taylor Edwards, MSUB Women's Basketball
12/28/15 – New Faces: Preston Beverly, MSUB Men's Basketball
12/9/15 – New Faces: Cierra Lamey, MSUB Women's Basketball

BILLINGS, Mont. – Early on in Montana State University Billings' season, head men's basketball coach Jamie Stevens dedicated an entire section of a practice to developing his players' ability to take a charge.
 
Citing it as the single play that can shift momentum in a game more than any other, Stevens stressed to his returning veterans and newcomers alike that taking charges would be an essential part of each game.
 
While the concept of standing pat while the opposing player – often times the other team's heftiest big man – plowed through as if the defender were a crash-test dummy hardly sounds appealing, there was one player who Stevens never had to worry about.
 
Fast forward 20 games into the regular season and freshman Cade Alcorn has made creating new possessions for his team through taking charges a habit. There is no official 'charges taken' statistic, but in the eyes of Stevens the freshman's most valuable contribution to the team is something he noticed before Alcorn ever suited up for the 'Jackets.
 
"We loved his toughness," Stevens commented on what stood out when he and assistant coach Brad Schmit placed Alcorn onto their recruiting map. "You don't see many guys taking charges in AAU ball, and those are huge defensive plays. Cade is a charismatic kid who will eventually be a captain here for us. He has already assumed several leadership roles as a true freshman."
 
Alcorn quickly brushes off the elbow-to-chest contact often associated with taking a charge, and by the time his teammates help him back onto his feet he can't help but reveal his distinct smile as he hustles down to the offensive end.
 
Considering Alcorn's family history and upbringing, his natural basketball instincts are far from surprising.
 
His grandfather, Gary Alcorn, played two seasons in the NBA and was a teammate of Hall of Famers Elgin Baylor and Jerry West on the 1960-61 L.A. Lakers.
 
His father, Brad, is a retired SWAT Team sniper and 33-year veteran of the Fresno Police Department.
 
And his mother Jenifer?
 
A retired, undefeated WIBA, IWBF, and IBA world champion professional boxer.
 
"I grew up in a family filled with athletes, and competitiveness and the will to compete have been there for me since a young age," Alcorn said. "I started playing basketball in kindergarten and around sixth grade I decided I wanted to follow in my grandfather's footsteps."
 
Alcorn always had a goal of playing basketball at the collegiate level, and his parents preached to him that playing ball could open doors for him. When his grandfather Gary retired from basketball, he dedicated himself to the great outdoors and even opened his own sporting goods store.
 
Though he passed away before Cade had a chance to spend time partaking in Gary's favorite activities of hunting and fishing, the younger Alcorn remembers his grandfather speaking fondly of Montana's boundless terrain. "The summer going into my senior season, I got a call from MSUB and my eyes lit up," Alcorn said. "It was definitely an attention grabber that the school was from Montana, and I felt like it is a path my grandfather would have wanted me to follow."
 
After opening his freshman season in his home state of California – the Yellowjackets' first road trip of the year was in Hayward at Cal State East Bay – Alcorn has settled into being a key role player on the team. In his first-ever Great Northwest Athletic Conference game on Dec. 3 in Portland, Ore., Alcorn had his best game of the season to date with a 12-point, 13-rebound double-double against Concordia University.
 
The standout performance is something Alcorn claims is just part of his overall goal of improving as a player and being a young leader within the team. "I just want to keep getting experience on the court and impact the culture of the program," Alcorn said. "Also, maintaining a 3.0 GPA is a big deal to me, as I have never had anything below that."
 
Unlike many players coming out of high school, it had been more than a year since Alcorn had toed the court when he played his first college game. Spending his senior season recovering from a torn ACL, Alcorn had to find alternatives from real games to prepare himself for the level of play in the GNAC. Part of his ability to successfully compete directly after missing a full year is Alcorn's commitment to his Yellowjacket teammates and coaches.
 
"Cade is completely bought in and he wants the program to be successful," Stevens said. "If you think about the adjustment he has had to make not playing his senior (high school) season, he has had a pretty solid freshman season."
 
Alcorn has played in all but one of MSUB's 20 games this season, and is averaging 3.3 points and 3.2 rebounds in 15.3 minutes per game. Being mature for his age has helped Alcorn acclimate himself to the still-new climate of Billings, and he cited the support of fellow freshman Sven Jeuschede as being crucial to his level of comfort as he begins his college career.
 

"I have become close with Sven, and we have learned a lot about each other's cultures," Alcorn said referring to Jeuschede's background as a German international. "He was raised in a similar way that I was, and the different culture he grew up with meshes well with my mentality."
 
To this point, Alcorn's travel with the team has taken him everywhere from Fairbanks, Alaska to Seattle, and numerous other stops between the West Coast and Billings. In a pair of early season road games at Black Hills State and the University of Mary, Alcorn and the 'Jackets were exposed to pressure situations. Emerging with wins in both games – including an overtime victory against Mary – helped the team establish confidence and prepare to tackle its conference schedule.
 
"Just the bond you get from pulling through and getting wins in those games is why we play the game," Alcorn said. "Even when you lose close games like that you come together and work on finding ways to win. It is a big deal to have a basketball family here being far away from home."
 
Stevens sees a bright future for Alcorn within MSUB's program, and a player already possessing such a firm foundation has limitless potential in the eyes of the Yellowjackets' head coach. "Cade already does the little things very well," Stevens said. "He needs to work on his baby hook game and using his body and the rim to be crafty around the basket to score. He is already solid defensively and in rebounding, and the more he plays the better he will get."
 
As the 'Jackets prepare to host GNAC opponents Central Washington and Northwest Nazarene this weekend, choruses of long, drawn out, "Yeahhhh!" ring out from Alterowitz Gym during practice. One doesn't need to be within sight of the team working out to hear the simple yet encouraging call, but the fact that it is the bellow of one of MSUB's youngest players is not realized until Alcorn is seen in action.
 
Standing 6-foot-6 and sporting a full-grown beard worthy of his middle name – Hunter – Alcorn holds his parents' role in raising him as important above all else. "One of the biggest things my parents preached to me was just to be a good person," said Alcorn. "Karma is talked about a lot in my family, and that if you do good things then good things will happen to you. Discipline is another big thing in my family, and the will to compete was instilled in me growing up."
 
The moment Alcorn takes his next charge is simply a matter of time. It may come during an offensive run by MSUB's opponent, spurring his teammates off the bench and wrestling momentum back into the Yellowjackets' hands. It may come late in the second half with his team needing to find an extra possession in a close game.
 
One certainty is that when Cade Hunter Alcorn's frame is slammed to the hardwood, he will rise again a better man than when he was struck down. Call it his grandfather's basketball roots, his father's lifelong dedication to defending the lives of others, or simply his mother's refusal to lose as a fighter.
 
Taking one for the team is in Alcorn's genes. Don't expect that to change anytime soon.