MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — When Mark Kellogg worked diligently to fill out West Virginia’s roster early into the offseason, the Mountaineer women’s basketball head coach did so seeking players that specialized in certain skill sets to create a team he hopes can win in a variety of ways.
With the late April commitment of Alexis Bordas, Kellogg and company added a rising sophomore who was among the top perimeter shooters in all of college basketball last season while starring as a freshman at Duquesne.
“Obviously she had a great freshman year at Duquesne. She went and did what you need to do to get the opportunity that she has now in front of her,” Kellogg said. “She still wants to get better and grow her game. We know how well she shoots the basketball. It’s elite.
“And then it’s just trying to expand a lot of the other parts of her game, but I’ve told her a million times I wouldn’t bet against the kid figuring it out, because that’s just kind of who she is and she’s always done that and found ways to win and win at a high level. I’m sure she’ll do the same thing here.”
One of two three-time recipients of the Mary Ostrowski Award as West Virginia’s top prep girls basketball player, Bordas, a Wheeling Park graduate, will be the first state native to suit up for the Mountaineers in more than a decade since Morgantown’s Olivia Seggie did so as a preferred walk-on in 2015-16.
“It’s been super fun already,” Bordas said. “All the fan support, last night, we had an event, and just seeing all the fans and how it’s June and everyone is already so excited and rallies around this team. I know it’s extra special being from West Virginia and I’m sure lots of little girls will look up to me and hope to be playing here one day, so it’s great to be a role model for them, too.”
Bordas concluded her illustrious career at WPHS as the program’s all-time scoring leader with 2,606 points and helped lead the Patriots to the Class AAAA State championship as a junior in 2024.
That helped lead to an opportunity to play for the Dukes, and Bordas made a splash and then some as a true freshman at a program one hour from her hometown.
The left-hander led Duquesne with 15.5 points per game — a mark that allowed her to finish as the nation’s eighth leading scorer among freshmen.
Her 90 three-pointers was good for 26th nationally, with Bordas sinking 2.9 triples on average — good for No. 12 nationally.
“Lots of practice, lots of repetition,” Bordas said. “When you’re missing, just keep shooting. That’s one thing I keep telling myself.”
Bordas, who scored in double figures in 25 games, was also among the better free-throw shooters nationally at 88.2 percent (75 for 85) and recorded a team-best 48 steals for Duquesne, which finished 12-19.
With an extensive family history of WVU graduates as well as a past of playing against Kellogg’s daughter, Kayli, a rising senior at Morgantown High School, joining a Mountaineer program fresh off a 28-win season and a Big 12 Conference Tournament Championship wasn’t a difficult sell to the southpaw.
“It was really good, especially in the recruiting process, just to know that I would be comfortable and be in a place where I would be taken care of,” Bordas said. “Coach Kellogg is a winner, so knowing that I wanted to play for him definitely gave me some more comfort.”
Kellogg has a 78-23 record over three seasons at West Virginia and has helped guide the Mountaineers to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in each campaign.
With 10 new players among a roster of 12, the Mountaineers are utilizing the summer to learn one another on and off the court and get acclimated to a system that’s proven it can lead to success at the highest level of the sport.
“Getting to meet all my teammates and becoming such good friends with them already, it’s been super fun,” Bordas said. “Just seeing the difference from Day 1 until now and how much we’ve progressed already, it’s super exciting to see.”
Among Bordas’ new teammates is redshirt senior Gia Cooke, one of two returning WVU players who led the Mountaineers with a scoring average of 15 points last season.
During the hour-long open portion of Thursday’s practice, Bordas and Cooke were often matched up against one another.
“She’s very hard-working, young and a sponge,” Cooke said. “She’s definitely learning and being intentional with listening. She has a good voice as well. She’s physical and trying to find her role, find her spots and stuff like that. A really good shooter, so I’m excited to play with her, too.”
For the 5-foot-8 Bordas, competing with and against Cooke in practice is invaluable.
“She’s a great player. Definitely makes me better and all of us better,” Bordas said. “She’s been a really good leader, so kind of learning from her and obviously she knows the system and knows what it takes. She’s been a great role model for all of us.”