ELLISVILLE – It all worked out in the end for Jones County Junior College’s Alexis Tolefree, a native of Conway, Arkansas.
The two-time NJCAA All-American signed a scholarship with the University of Arkansas Thursday afternoon in the McClellan Hall Media Room.
“It’s always been my dream since I started playing basketball to play (college) basketball in my home state,” she said. “It’s really a blessing for me.”
Tolefree had originally signed with Ole Miss back in November.
But the Rebels made a coaching change and granted a release to Tolefree and she re-opened the recruiting process. She eventually chose her homestate school, Arkansas.
“God always has a plan for you,” she said. “(Ole Miss coach Matt Insell) losing his job is not ideal, but going to Arkansas has always been my dream and I am finally getting to live it.”
She certainly made her mark as a Lady Bobcat.
Tolefree averaged 21.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 2.6 assists per game this season. She shot 43.1 percent from the floor and was 104-of-286 from 3-point range for 36.4 percent. She made 82 percent from the free throw line.
Tolefree, a 5-foot-8 guard, was second in the MACJC and seventh nationally in scoring. She was third in the nation in 3-point field goals per game. She scored 50 points in the Region 23 championship win over Copiah-Lincoln.
She was an NJCAA second-team All-American this season and a first-team All-American as a freshman. She was All-MACJC and All-Region 23 for both of her seasons and was named to the All-NJCAA Tournament team in 2017.
Tolefree helped the Lady Bobcats to a 56-6 record during her two seasons, back-to-back MACJC and Region 23 Tournament championships and the school’s first ever appearances in the national tournament.
JCJC head coach Missy Bilderback praised Tolefree for her contributions to Lady Bobcat basketball.
“We are really excited for Lex to have an opportunity to play at Arkansas,” she said. “That is home for her and in a lot of ways her dream school. As far as Lex’s impact at Jones, it was huge. She is an amazingly talented player. Her confidence and love of competition is what separates her. The bigger the moment the better she is.
“She has been a blessing on and off the court to me and the entire JCJC family.”
Tolefree said she has enjoyed her two seasons at JCJC.
“It all started in practice,” she said. “Coach got us ready for every game and she prepared us well. My teammates helped out a lot with my success these last two years.”
So far, five Lady Bobcats have signed with senior colleges this season.
That includes Tolefree to Arkansas, Nique Cherry to East Carolina, K.K. Tassin to Virginia Commonwealth University, Chrystal Ezechukwu to Nicholls State and Kira Bonner to Northwestern State.
Camryn London is expected to sign with Grambling on Friday.
