Alexis Markowski made quite an impression at Pinnacle Bank Arena during the girls state basketball tournament in March.
More games at PBA are in her future.
The 6-foot-3 post player from Lincoln Pius X announced her commitment to Amy Williams and the Husker women's program Sunday.
I’m staying home!!!! 🌽â¤ï¸
— Alexis Markowski (@lexannmakowski)
The daughter of former Husker Andy Markowski, Alexis can't wait to get back to Pinnacle Bank Arena for a hopeful return trip to state to help defend a state title, and then for a career in a Husker uniform.
"Oh, my gosh, I'm so excited," said Markowski, who called Williams on Saturday to deliver her pledge. "I'm so excited to officially be a Husker now."
Markowski, now a senior, originally committed to South Dakota State in May 2019. But when quarantine hit last spring, she began thinking about playing closer to her family.
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Calling it a "super-hard decision," Markowski decommitted from SDSU during the summer.
"It came from me wanting to stay closer to home, and (during) quarantine realizing I have three younger siblings, and I want my family and friends to be there," she said. "My grandparents come to a lot of my stuff and that was really important to me.
"It was really hard to talk about to South Dakota State, that I wanted to go another direction, but they were really understanding of it all and this opportunity is something I couldn't pass up."
The first school to reach out to Markowski after she reopened her recruitment was the one in her backyard — Nebraska.
The Huskers extended an offer around two weeks ago, and it comes after a big AAU summer for the Thunderbolt standout. Markowski, who plays for Nebraska Lasers, went toe-to-toe with some of the country's top post recruits. She played very well against ’21s Maryam Dauda (Baylor, No. 24 recruit in the country) and Sydni Schetnan (Louisville, No. 74), and ’22s Maya Nnaji (uncommitted, No. 8), Beatrice Culliton (uncommitted, No. 38) and Jada Gyamfi (Iowa, No. 70).
"It gives you a lot of confidence seeing what you're able to do against top posts in the country," Markowski said.
Markowski said she likes the Huskers' ability to interchange the fours and fives on the court, and she was drawn to Williams' "fun spirit and energy."
"They (Husker staff) are all in and all in to making the program one of the best in the Big Ten, so that made me really excited to be a part of something like that," Markowski said. "Really, this 2021 class should be really good, and I'm just excited to be a part of it."
Markowski is the first player from Lincoln to commit to the Husker women's program since Maddie Simon, another Pius X standout, and first with Williams at the helm. She's the second in-state recruit in the Huskers' 2021 class, joining Super-State point guard Allison Weidner from Humphrey St. Francis.
Markowski's father, Andy, played for the Nebraska men in the 1990s, starting two seasons for Danny Nee.
"My family would support me in anything I did, but me staying home is just super-exciting for him," Markowski said. "It's just something we will share forever."
Markowski, who also plays volleyball for the Thunderbolts, was named a first-team Super-Stater and the Class A all-state honorary captain after averaging 21.5 points, 12.1 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game in 2019-20. She shot 63% from the field and finished with 18 double-doubles.
She was at her best in big games, including the state tournament, where she recorded games of 29-11 (points-rebounds), 32-16 and 19-14 in helping lead the Thunderbolts to a state championship.