Alex Ducas stays in the states for an extra year as he activates pandemic exemption

Geraldton’s Alex Ducas will have the opportunity to finish his college career on a better note as he committed to the St Mary’s Gaels for a fifth and final year.

Ducas had to be helped off the court while dealing with a back injury late in the first half of the Gaels’ NCAA Tournament loss to eventual champion Connecticut on March 19 and it could have spelled the end to what was otherwise a successful college stint.

However, all athletes who competed in the pandemic altered 2020-21 season were offered a year of extra eligibility which Ducas chose to activate last week confirming a fifth season with St Mary’s.

The senior season for Ducas was his best as a Gael, averaging a career-best 12.5 points over 31.3 minutes per game.

He finished with the third-most three-pointers made in the conference with 87 (fourth-most in a single season in SMC history), shooting at a 41.4 per cent clip from beyond the arc.

It represents a continued improvement throughout his college career increasing his points per game from 3.6 as a freshman to 7.9 as a sophomore to 10.3 as a junior to 12.5 this past season.

He has 1018 career points, and with a good 2023-24 season, Ducas will have a strong chance to move into the top 10 in school history.

He is also tied for sixth in school history in career three-pointers with 197; fellow Aussie Matthew Dellavedova holds the mark at 288.