John Alberici is like any other second semester senior you might find here at Hopkins. Between searching for jobs, hanging out with friends, doing schoolwork and squeezing in some Call of Duty, on paper he may not necessarily stand out.
But on the court this season, his 6-foot-8-inch frame and serious hoop skills turned him into one of the leaders of the men’s basketball team.
Those skills were on display this past Saturday in his final collegiate game as Alberici poured in career highs of 29 points and 12 rebounds in a 74-64 win against Washington College on Senior Day.
While the Jays finished with a disappointing record this year, the season-ending victory was a pleasant way for Alberici, one of two seniors and the only one to play all four years at Hopkins, to end his basketball playing career.
“I definitely love the guys and coaches, and the win this past week was a nice way to go out,” Alberici said. “We played really well and to have my family there and have it be a home game was a special way to go out.”
While Saturday’s contest was not a must win game for the Jays, the fact that they could avenge an earlier season loss to the Shoremen at home was certainly appealing.
Alberici played a team high 34 minutes out of a possible 40 in which time he connected on 12 of 14 field goal attempts, converted five of seven free throws, and finished with zero turnovers. Although the Jays started off slow this season, the team finished 3-3 in February, and Alberici averaged 13.2 points per game for the month.
In the seven Blue Jay wins this season, he averaged 12.1 points per game, up from his total season average of 8.6. Alberici put up these stats despite often facing double teams from opposing defenses.
For the player known by his friends and teammates as “Cheech” (a nickname he says he has had since high school, although he has no idea how his college friends found out about it) his four years at Hopkins have been incredibly rewarding and worthwhile both on and off the court.
Although he only saw action in six games during his sophomore season due to an illness, during his career Alberici scored 473 points, grabbed 135 rebounds and blocked 45 shots (17th all-time in Hopkins history). His career field goal percentage of 51.9 is good for 16th all time, one spot behind Andy Enfield, Hopkins basketball’s all-time leading scorer.
“He’s been a big factor for us,” head coach Bill Nelson said. “His leadership and captaincy will be tough to replace.”
Off the court, the political science major cherishes the friendships and connections he has made over the last few years.
“The personal relationships I’ve developed have been the best part about the school,” he said. “The main reason the school initially attracted me was the academic reputation, but starting with the guys I met on the team when I was a freshman and continuing throughout the years, I’ve made a lot of great friends.”
As for being one of the tallest kids on campus, Alberici definitely feels it’s a good thing.
“Growing up I guess I had that awkward stage where I was way taller than everyone else. But I’ve gotten used to it and I embrace it.”
One of his friendships has been with his co-captain on the team, senior Mike Henrici, with whom he shares a lot in common. Both Alberici and Henrici hail from the suburbs of Philadelphia, are roommates, and interned this past summer together at Merrill Lynch in Baltimore.
The two trained together while they were here at Hopkins this summer, working with their strength and conditioning coach in order to prepare for the season.
From Nelson’s perspective, Alberici and Henrici were crucial in keeping the young team in good spirits during a tough season.
“John and Mike had the job of trying to lead a team that was pretty much sophomores and freshmen, and they kept the team together,” he said. “The players really look up to them and respect them.
The great thing about John is that he could handle criticism; sometimes he’d get a little down because of what was going on with the team, but the next day he’d be same old John — he is just a positive person.”
Alberici’s career at Hopkins has come to a close, but his legacy will stand tall for a long time.
