Alford, Chantell

By all accounts, Chantell Alford was known for her modesty, as the consummate teammate, a 5-foot-8 guard who was also a standout on the track for Wilbur Cross High School. Only Alford, while humble as always, got better every time she stepped on a basketball court, thriving at Boston University where she was the first player in America East Conference history to win Player of the Year honors three times (2011, 2012, 2013).

“I came here and I just loved the way the team and the coaches interacted,” Alford said at the time of her decision to attend BU, which she led to three Women’s WNIT appearances during her career. “They were all just like one big family and I really liked that. It’s a great city. It’s not too far from home and my mom’s still able to come to a lot of the games. ... I just knew BU was the place.”

Alford finished third all-time in Terriers history with 1,802 points, fourth with 14.7 points per game over her four-year career and fourth with 636 career field goals. She graduated with the school record for career 3-point field goals (244) and with a career 3-point shooting percentage of .400. She was second all-time in minutes played (4,061), fourth in steals (264) and seventh in assists (249).

She scored a career-high 30 points during her senior season in 2013 against then-No. 14 West Virginia, tacking on All-ECAC first team honors by season’s end, along with being named to the College Madness All-Mid Major Third Team. Leading BU to a record of 24-6, Alford was named the recipient of BU’s Mildred Barnes Award, presented annually to the university’s top female athlete.

As a freshman, Alford was the first BU player in seven years to be named America East Rookie of the Year and earned her first of four straight first team all-league honors, averaging 14.9 points per game and breaking the school’s freshman scoring record with 447 points.

A West Haven native, Alford is now the Director of Player Development for the UMass women’s basketball team, following one year as an assistant coach at Livingstone College and a seven-year professional career overseas. As a pro, she won a championship in Belarus while earning MVP honors in the finals and played in Ireland from 2015-20, winning two league championships and another Finals MVP.

She graduated from BU with a degree in criminal justice and earned a master’s degree in business and entrepreneurship from the Dublin Institute of Technology in 2018. Her mother, Patricia Alford, will serve as her presenter as she joins the Connecticut Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.