The nickname was coined following East Greenwich High’s Alex Mega’s latest mega night on the hardwood.
Dubbed “Megatron” by St. Raphael girls’ basketball head coach Tammy Drape after Mega dropped 40 points on Jan. 5, it’s become second nature in the weeks that have followed to refer to the East Greenwich junior in the same context as the popular character from “Transformers” fame.
“It reminds me that they think I’m unstoppable which I love,” said Mega. “It’s just a huge compliment.”
You too would probably be flattered if someone cooked up a fancy moniker describing your play. Mega’s 40-point masterpiece against last year’s Division I champions St. Raphael – her delicious three game tear – serves as the cherry on top of a hoops-laden sundae.
Prior to her big night at the Saints’ expense, Mega dropped 39 points on Dec. 30 against Juanita Sanchez and a 37-point masterpiece on Jan. 3 against North Kingstown. A guard blessed with uncanny range and the kind of speed that enables her to get from Point A to Point B in the blink of an eye, Mega can only smile upon reflecting back at one of the most dominant stretches in recent RIIL girls’ basketball history.
It was Alex Mega’s world on Wednesday night as the East Greenwich junior poured in 40 points while hitting 6 three-pointers. Here from Mega on her big night as the EG community continues to heal in wake of a tragedy involving a high school student. @GoEGAthletics @RIIL_sports pic.twitter.com/433nBaTyiS
— Brendan McGair (@BWMcGair03) January 6, 2022
“It was definitely one of those in-the-moment kind of deals with my teammates looking for me and getting me the ball,” said Mega. “I was trying to cut as much as I could. Teams are guarding me close this year. I need to make sure I work extra had to get open for them, but I also trust them to make plays when I’m being guarded tightly.”
“Honestly, my shots were falling. Some games they do, some games they don’t. Those three games were ones where they definitely did,” Mega added.
Mega didn’t want to forget the position that she was put in by East Greenwich head coach David Maccarone to repeatedly strike.
“He’s the one who makes the plays for me to get open,” said Mega, admitting that reaching the 40-point barrier became a goal after she netted 39 points in a game last season.
After pulling into halftime against St. Raphael with 23 points, Mega had a strong sense that her quest was within reach. By the end of the third quarter, she was up to 36 points.
“I said to myself, ‘This is the game I’m going to do it’ and I did it,” said Mega.
Added Maccarone, “She’s one of those kids who does everything for us. She could have six points at halftime and go out and score 40 in a single half. She’ll come over to me and say ‘Coach, my shots aren’t falling.’ I tell her to keep shooting. Once she makes one, she has the capability to make 15 in a row.”
It’s not out of line to pencil 20 points next to Mega’s name every time the Avengers take the court. In the eyes of her coach, the heights she reached over a recent three-game period qualify as next-level material.
“In the St. Raphael game, I found myself watching and not coaching,” said Maccarone. “She’s just a natural athlete who’s very gifted. She picked up lacrosse last year and made an immediate impact. I heard she was unbelievable as a soccer goalie in middle school.
“She comes to basketball practice raring to go each day. You can’t say that about every kid,” Maccarone added.
The kind of flash and dash that Mega displayed on the basketball court makes you wonder if she came to this planet from Cybertron (Transformers fans will understand the reference). What makes her recent scoring binge even more noteworthy is that she crossed into rarified air in a sport that isn’t her primary one.
In R.I. high school sports, Mega is held in high regard as one of the cornerstones of the highly-successful East Greenwich field hockey program. She registered the game’s lone goal in the 2021 state championship as the Avengers achieved three-peat status following a 1-0 victory over Moses Brown. Upon graduating from EG in 2023, she’ll continue making field hockey memories at Northeastern University.
Even when she’s in the throes of field hockey season, Mega still manages to carve out time to keep her basketball skills sharp. In many ways, this enables her to approach peak performance almost immediately upon transitioning from the fall to the winter season. The odds are you don’t average 38.7 ppg over three games when multiple weeks elapse between hoisting shots.
“Basketball was the first sport I played. It was always a love of mine,” said Mega. “Even during field hockey season and the high school gym is open, I’ll go in with my friends. Sometimes my dad [Jeff] will come rebound for me. It’s about consistency and practicing.”
No, Mega is not a direct descendent of a unique breed of robots. After the way she tore through three opponents in as many games though, you can see why she fits the profile of a certain animated/movie character.
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