“I like the city of Milwaukee.”

Those words come from newly drafted Bucks forward Joe Alexander, who, after two trips, said he knew he wanted to come here.

“That's why I came back.  In the draft process, just like teams elminiate players they don't want, players can eliminate teams they don't want.  You certainly don't go back and visit a team again if you don't want.”

Now that he’s a Buck, with the team he wanted to be with, he knows it even more, and sitting in a press conference with his new coach Scott Skiles and GM John Hammond, he believes he has the mix of a hard-nosed and athletic game that it takes for Milwaukee’s fans to reciprocate.

Find more of this story below these related links:

New Audio:
• Joe Alexander Live at Summerfest on Sports Central with Bill Michaels
• Joe Alexander's Press Conference with Bucks Coach Scott Skiles and GM John Hammond
• John Hammond on Wisconsin's Morning News
• West Virginia Radio Network voice Tony Caridi discusses the former Mountaineer and new Buck

Post-pick Audio:
• John Hammond
• Joe Alexander
• Scott Skiles
• The Voice of the Bucks, Ted Davis and Dennis Krause along with the Big Unit, Bill Michaels breakdown the pick

More:
• New Buck Alexander: "I Like The City of Milwaukee"
• More Moves, Including Redd?
• Bucks 1st Pick: Joe Alexander
• Bucks Trade Yi, Simmons to New Jersey for Richard Jefferson

The Llama Laments: That's A Splash

"I think Coach Skiles and John laid it out quite well when they said that they were looking for a player that had mental toughness and could be a competitor,” said Alexander.  “I think that's what I bring.  That’s why I'm a good fit.”

It’s as much a fit for the team personality Skiles and Hammond are trying to instill in this new Bucks regime.

“I can't tell you how excited I am to have Joe Alexander sitting here,” states Hammond, with Alexander on his left at the presser.

“We sat with Scott just a few weeks ago and talked about what was ahead of us, talked about trying to change the culture a little bit.   We talked about trying to get people who would play hard every night, people who would be willing to compete, tough guys, tough players.

“We think that he typifies all those factors.  We know we got a guy that's going to come to work every day, play hard, and dedicated to getting better and dedicated to turning this thing around.”

It’s a dedication that Skiles believes is a major factor in accomplishing the task of turning Milwaukee from a pretender to a regular in the postseason.

“Finding a guy with the high level of mental toughness is very important with where we are right now,” explains Skiles.

“You don't always have success, and you have to have something upstairs to be able to battle through that, all the distractions in the league, all the practices, all the coaches.  It can wear you down.

“Teams that, with five minutes to go in the game, the other team makes a run, they fold up the tent and take the loss and go home, they probably lack in some of those areas.

“Not only is Joe a good player, but we really feel like he has those attributes.”

Alexander Credits The Tough “Huggy Bear”

Though current Michigan coach John Beilein recruited and directed Alexander for three years at West Virginia University, it’s WVU's present head man, Bob Huggins, whom Alexander credits with taking under his wing, teaching the kind of toughness that Skiles and Hammond are seeking.

“I wouldn't be in the league today without Coach Huggins at West Virginia,” states Alexander. 

“He changed my game.  He didn't just further develop my game from Coach Beilein, he changed my game completely.  He really cared about me as a person, too.”

In fact, after the first time he saw Alexander play for him, Huggins said to Alexander that he’s an NBA player.

“He said that to me after our first individual workout,” remembers Alexander.

“I think he saw that I was really passionate about the game, not just going through the motions.”

Through sometimes rough, vocal, painful refinement – typical Bob Huggins style – Alexander found himself, and his game, transformed.

“Anyone who wants to be good at basketball likes to be challenged,” says Alexander.  “That's why I really thrived under Coach Huggins - the challenge.  That's something I enjoyed. 

“There were a lot of ups, and a lot of downs, probably a little more downs than ups.  In the end, despite all those downs, you come out a better player.  That’s why you're able to enjoy it, despite the yelling and all the running.  Despite that, you still come out a better player.”

A Developed Attitude, Mind, but a Developing Body

He knows, though, there’s more of a better player that has to come out of him to make it with Milwaukee.

Especially in developing his body for an 82-game schedule and the speed of the NBA game.

“That's a no-brainer,” explains Alexander. 

“I have to get stronger.  I have to get bigger.  I'm athletic, but I have to get faster.  I plan on doing whatever is demanded of me in that area.”

In other areas, he has lots of growth that he’s made, especially in things off the court.  He’s known for taking time on team buses and talking about subjects not normally discussed by sports teams, like the idea of a worldwide currency and even a “new world order.”

“Sports isn't the only part of my life.  (There are) other avenues, other things that I pursue.”

The types of avenues that happen when you spend your boyhood in China while dreaming of an NBA career.

Admitted Hammond, “We didn't talk about things like Chinise currency.  He’d have lost me immediately.  He's way beyond me about that.”

But apparently not his coach.

“He wouldn't have lost me,” claims Skiles.  “Joe, you and I will have several conversations.  The sky's the limit about Chinise currency.”

They’re all hoping the sky’s the limit for his career with the Milwaukee Bucks.