Westfield graduate Alex Romack has put together a successful basketball career at the Colorado School of Mines. The junior Romack has played every game of his career, cleared the 1,000-point milestone and won numerous Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference awards. (Photo courtesy Mines Athletics)
By RICHIE HALL
If it was possible to rank someone’s college athletic experience, Alex Romack’s basketball career at the Colorado School of Mines would have to be high on the list.
Romack has played every game during his three years with the Orediggers, experienced NCAA Division II post-season success, won several awards and is getting a good education as well.
“It’s been a good ride so far,” said Romack, a junior at Mines.
Romack played high school basketball at Westfield, where he was an integral part of the Shamrocks’ first-ever sectional championship team in 2022. Romack graduated from Westfield the next year and was looking for a school that combined basketball and mechanical engineering.
He found it at Mines, a public research university located in Golden, Colo., a few miles west of Denver. Mines primarily offers degrees in STEM (science, technology and mathematics) with a focus on the environment and energy.
(Mines Athletics)
“It’s very engineering-heavy here,” said Romack. “Balancing a really tough academic schedule with trying to perform at your highest basketball level can be hard at times. I think it’s helped me grow as an individual.”
Romack reached out to Mines coach Pryor Orser, and the veteran coach liked the young Westfield star immediately. “He’s my type of guy,” said the coach.
“The first thing, he was just a tremendous competitor,” said Orser. “That’s what we’re looking for. We want tough guys, we want competitors. We want guys that will stick their nose in it and fight. Right away, he beat guys out and he won a spot. We just love having him, we love coaching him.”
Romack has played all 99 of the Orediggers’ games since his freshman season began in 2023. He started his very first game, against Bentley, scoring four points.
“I was just excited to play,” said Romack. “The opportunity to go play from the start was really exciting for me.”
Romack would go to average 8.9 points and 6.8 rebounds during his freshman season, where he started 32 of his 33 games. He was named the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) Freshman of the year and won the conference’s Defensive Player of the Week award on Dec. 18.
“I think I just brought my physicality and athleticism,” said Romack. “Some of the good basketball we played in Indiana just helped me play right away.”
In his sophomore year, Romack split time between starter and reserve, with 19 starts in 34 games. His numbers remained solid at 9.1 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. He was named Honorable Mention All-RMAC.
Romack got even better during his junior year. So far, he’s averaging 14.7 points and 8.8 rebounds per game and cleared the 1,000-point milestone during the season. Romack won the RMAC Defensive Player of the Week award twice on Jan. 5 and Feb. 10 and was named to the First Team All-RMAC.
“His skill set’s getting better and better too,” said Orser. “He’s got a turnaround jump shot in the post, not just a hook. Not only does he compete well, he continues to improve. He’s very committed to his strength and conditioning and keeping in great shape. And on top of that, he’s a great student.”
One of Romack’s best memories was last season, when the Orediggers played St. Mary’s (Texas) in the Round of 32 of the NCAA Division II tournament. With Mines down by one point, Romack took a pass and scored the go-ahead layin to give the Orediggers the win.
“That was pretty awesome,” said Romack.
Off the court, Romack is succeeding academically with his major of mechanical engineering. “The material can be pretty hard to wrap your mind around sometimes, but it’s definitely doable,” he said.
Romack already has an internship lined up next summer in Houston with an oil and gas company.
“All of our guys, when they graduate, they get great jobs,” said Romack. “I’m pretty confident that I’ll be able to find something.”
Romack said the academics program at Mines “sets you up really well for life after basketball. At some point the basketball’s going to stop, and this place sets you up well after that.”
