Alex Blunt is a Motion Elite Founder, Alcott College Prep High School Coach, and Strengthening/Conditioning trainer
Chicago is the home to some of the most uniquely skilled and disciplined set of players in the basketball world. Think of guys like Isiah Thomas, Derrick Rose, Dwayne Wade, Anthony Davis, and a plethora of others that have cemented their spots in basketball history. We rave about the work ethic, character, and confident-go-getter attitude of them all, but what most will tell you is that this was built from learning under the tutelage of coaching greats who understood what it took to achieve your goals in the city of Chicago.
Alex Blunt, who is currently Head Coach at Alcott College Prep in Chicago and founder of Motion Elite; a grassroots program based in Chicago, provided a lot of insight on why himself amongst a great number of other coaches in Chicago impacted the character of Chicago raised players so greatly.
Toughness and grit is always something that gets brought up when you think of ways to describe players from Chicago. Coach Alex Blunt spoke on what it takes as a coach to instill these valuable traits in an athlete.
“From my thought process, getting to know the player makes them easier to coach – some student athletes need that sense of empathy and understanding, while others need a nice push, kind of like a battery put in their back. It’s just like if you’re a teacher, you can’t teach all of your students the same way”.
Tradition and coaches who build a foundation based on things that never change is always celebrated in the game of basketball. But the coaches who can adjust to what each player needs while still holding their key values and morals in tact are truly underappreciated.
Post grad programs and schools with a loaded amount of sports related resources are of course what draw the attention of many student athletes looking to take their game to the next level, because they feel the benefits available at these established programs can help them achieve their athletic goals. Chicago; one of the most major cities in the world, does not offer any post grad basketball programs, or boast a large number of schools in the area with top notch resources. Alex Blunt touched on what separates inner city coaches in Chicago from coaches from other parts of the U.S. who have accessibility to these endless amounts of resources and programs.
“We’re gritty – It’s no shortcuts, any winning coach from Chicago knows to take wins and losses the same and get back right back to work. It’s a hard nosed mentality; we’re all about business here”.
The lack of resources that coaches in the city of Chicago may have is replaced with their extreme amount of dedication in preparing the young athletes under them for the extreme amount of adversity that not just the game of basketball can bring, but life itself. Of course I’m not saying an abundance of resources is a bad thing, but the discipline these coaches instill in players help them understand regardless of where your at, and the things you may or may not have, you have to keep getting up over and over again and attacking life with everything you got to achieve success.
The skillset and keys to success are possessed by every athlete in the world, regardless of level. That is why the word potential is used so heavily in the sports world. You could say that coach Blunt is not necessarily a fan of the word potential when it comes to how he coaches a player.
“I don’t coach on potential – I coach on the effort I see the athlete put forth and build off of that”. I’m focused on helping you get better, and if you take the time to ask questions, and always look for ways to put work in I’ll know you have it in you. If I see that you want it I can help you become the player you want; potential is endless”.
The best coaches are the ones who are always there ready to bring the greatness out of you, and forthward Coach Alex is big on if you want to be great, first you have to want it for yourself more than anyone else wants it for you.
Alex Blunt is one of the top examples of a coach in the city of Chicago that just does an exceptional job not only instilling good traits in the young athletes under him, but providing them with insight and advice that helps them navigate other areas of life outside of sports. He expanded on this explanation of himself as well, and how he leaves this positive impact on the athletes he’s taught.
“I know that anybody that comes into my program or that is coming under me, when they leave, will be better than when they showed up. In the real world. Whether they’re taking their talents to corporate America, moving forward in their education, or going to play, you know, basketball. pushing their basketball career further. So however you frame it, they’re gonna be better coming in through this pipeline”.
Coach Blunt’s last statement during our interview was directed towards one of the bigger high school sports headlines in Chicago this month regarding Simeon High School Head Coach; Tim Flowers. Tim Flowers and the entire Simeon basketball program was penalized by the IHSA for taking the team on a trip to Hong Kong; even though the trip was approved by Chicago Public Schools(CPS). The IHSA stated that Tim Flowers violated two bylaws, which included him coaching the team in September; something that is not allowed in the IHSA. The IHSA suspended Flowers for six games and two assistant coaches for four games. Simeon cannot practice for the first three days of the season and can only play 28 games this season instead of 31 according to the Chicago SunTimes.
“I just think that, especially just Illinois as a whole, it’s too many restrictions – Illinois is probably one of the most segregated places in the world. And the part where the privileged get, the things the privileged get, and the ones that are not so privileged, get the meager whatever’s left.”.
New rule changes continue to be established and advanced in the basketball world like NIL, additional eligibility, etc. Post grad programs and high schools with loaded resources only continue to get more resources to advance their athletic programs. It’s clear in Chicago that the inner city coaches want and deserve more leverage and opportunity to provide the young men under them with great experiences. It’s important to note the situations a lot of these inner city kids grow up in. They deserve to not have limitations on opportunities and resources, while other schools and athletes in colleges keep receiving more factors to help them advance their athletic and professional careers.
Coaching in Chicago has always been about more than just building great players—it’s about building tough, disciplined people ready for life. Coaches like Alex Blunt show how powerful real mentorship can be when it’s rooted in empathy, hard work, and consistency. But even with all that impact, Chicago coaches still face major limits. Strict rules and a lack of resources hold them back, while other areas get more freedom and support. The drive and dedication are there, but the system keeps putting caps on how far these coaches—and their players—can really go.
Great read!