Great basketball coaches are often marked by their longevity and success, and Coach Neil Alexander can certainly be considered in those two categories. Coach Alexander served as the IBCA president from 2017 to 2019, and he begins his 49th season as a head basketball coach with 933 all-time victories to his credit, a prestigious mark that ranks him the 2ndmost winning coach in the Illinois High School Association. He was inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association’s Hall of Fame in 2004, and he is the only coach in the history of Lincoln Community High School to lead four teams to Illinois’ Elite Eight State Tournament. In 2017 Coach Alexander’s Hall of Fame career was honored by the LCHS Board of Education by naming the floor in Roy S. Anderson Gymnasium “Coach Neil Alexander Court” followed by the IBCA honor of the Chuck Rolinski Lifetime Achievement Award in 2020. Coach Alexander has undoubtedly established himself and his program as one of the state’s finest.
Alexander first succeeded as a player and student. Neil played four years at Monmouth College and was inducted into their Hall of Fame in 1998. After graduating from Monmouth, he went on to receive a Master’s Degree from Western Illinois University.
Alexander began his coaching career at Joy-Westmer and then moved back to Monmouth-Yorkwood High School, where he coached for two years. Those experiences led to an eleven-year term with Bushnell-Prairie City before accepting the head basketball position here in Lincoln. Last year, Coach Alexander’s team finished the season with an impressive 26-6 record. His 2022-23 squad was known for their solid defense and their team-first style of play, two trademarks of Alexander teams and they proved their ability by breaking the program record for Best Defensive Average with 34.2 points per game. Throughout the season, the Railers continued to prove their coach’s ability to create teams that overachieve and compete at the Illinois Class 3A level of high school basketball. With 774 Lincoln wins to his credit, Neil Alexander remains the all-time winningest coach in LCHS history. His remarkable career in Lincoln has led the Railers to twenty-three 20-win seasons, five Super-Sectional games, and four Elite Eight State Tournament appearances in ’99, ’05,’07, and 2014.
Coach Alexander’s accomplishments are outstanding. He attributes his success to hard work, dedicated players, a loyal coaching staff, and a supportive family. He has often said he considers it an honor to have worked with the many talented athletes and coaches who believe in Lincoln’s standard of excellence and who work hard to preserve it. He regularly notes how difficult his profession would be without Denise, his supportive wife of 51 years and mother of their three children: Tammy and husband Scott Kirby, Geoff and wife Kiersten, and Gregg and his wife Nicole. Coach is also proud of his eight grandchildren: Bryson Kirby; Austin and wife Marlee Kirby; Braelyn, Kinley, and Jax Alexander; Eli, Nash, and Beckett Alexander and their great-granddaughter Hannah Kirby.
Neil Alexander’s success is not limited to a mere basketball floor; it is also evident in those he has surrounded himself with. He continues a standard many will follow, but few will reach.
