In a game not too long ago on December 4th, 2024, graduate student forward Alex Merkviladze of LMU men's basketball surpassed the 1,000 point mark. Scoring over 1,000 points in one's college career does not come easy, but this team captain knows how to lead a team in a couple things, one being total career points. Merkviladze is from the Republic of Georgia, and he moved to the United States of America in high school for basketball.
Merkviladze did not have this in mind as a goal, not because he didn't think it was attainable, but because growing up in Europe he was never aware that it was something that people acknowledged as an accomplishment in America.
"It kind of just snuck up on me, I'd say. I've just played basketball the right way through my college career and scored points, whether it was double-digit points or less than double-digit points."
Although it was not Merkviladze's intention to hit this milestone, in doing so, he still got a few things out of the experience. Such as what matters to him, in terms of motivation for the present, and thinking of it as a significant memory for the future.
"It's definitely a good fact that I achieved that in my college career, because for my future kids, I will tell them like 'yo I played basketball this many years and I reached the 1,000-point goal.' And the more I talk to people the more I realize how good of an achievement that is. So yeah, it's definitely one of the biggest milestones that I've done in my career."
This could also be a time for reflection. The Lions currently hold a record of 4-4, and it is no secret that they would have liked to start the season on a stronger note. So as Merkviladze is a fifth year Lion, he is in a leadership position at this point and he knows it.
"Yeah, I've been at LMU for a long time, for four years, and I've seen the worst games and I've seen the good games and good seasons. So I kind of know the in's and out's now and our team has a potential to be a better team. We just need to fix a few things here and there, and as a leader this is my responsibility. Other than the coach, it is my responsibility to tell my teammates off the court what to do and on the court."
The Lions have won three of their last four games, including becoming champions at the Cancun Challenge and a huge win against Nevada. Head coach Stan Johnson mentioned that the win over the Wolf Pack was one of his best wins so far on the Bluff.
These types of individual accolades and achievements mean a lot to mark the hard work that a player has produced, but it is the entire team chasing new records and successes together that will get them on track to go far.
