Alonde Legrand has made his share of big shots over his basketball career. Some tied the score and sent the game into overtime. Some turned defeat into victory. But in his mind, no shot was bigger than the one that took place at a venue that had no crowd. In fact, the gym did not even have any bleachers. It took place at the rec center of the local YMCA.

                And when the shot cleared the net, it provided Legrand with one of his most memorable moments in his decade on the basketball court.

                "It was a step-back three pointer and gave me my first win over my big brother," Legrand said through a laugh. "To be honest, it was a really lucky shot because he contested it really well. But I was glad it went in. If it didn't go in, it would have become bully basketball. He was going to bully me the rest of the game."

                It had taken years for Alonde to finally get bragging rights over his brother so the feeling of elation was only surpassed by the ability to back up the years of trash talk that he sent his brother's way.

                "It was always my goal to beat my brother growing up because he was always bigger and stronger than me," Legrand said. "When I beat him, I felt like I backed up all that trash talk over the years. Every game I told him he was going to lose. So when I did beat him, I said I told you I was going to beat you because I'm way better than you."

                The win was also indicative of how far LeGrand had come over his years as a basketball player. He didn't start playing basketball until the sixth grade, instead trolling the baseball diamond as a shortstop and a part-time first baseman.

                "Baseball was all my mother," Legrand said. "She is from the Dominican Republic and is a big A-Rod (Alex Rodriguez) fan. Growing up, I remember my mother watching baseball. So when I started getting into sports, she put me into baseball. Plus, my brother was playing at the time and I was a big 'just follow your brother' type of guy."

                While his mother's influence certainly played a big role on the diamond, his brother's transition to the hardwood trumped her desire for him to play baseball.

                "When he transitioned to basketball, I did too," Legrand said. "And I fell in love with basketball from that point. I stayed with baseball until the seventh grade, but it was at that point that I really became involved with basketball."

                But the transition was not easy as Legrand felt he had a lot of catching up to do in regard to fundamentals and learning the game of basketball. He looked around for local programs that might be able to help him fill those needs and found it with the Riverside Hawks. Legrand began playing for the Riverside Hawks basketball program in the sixth grade and stayed through ninth grade. When his coach Rashid Najeeullah left Riverside for the Harlem United program, Legrand followed his mentor and joined the program where he stayed for two years. He eventually made his way to Castle Athletics where he finished out his club years.

                "Throughout my basketball career especially through my sophomore or junior years in high school, I've always been the underdog, the last player on the team" Legrand said. "I've always had to work my way up in the rotation. I played with strong teams so I was always undervalued and wasn't really noticed that much. It was like I needed to prove myself. So I felt like it was time to work hard and prove to everyone that even though I may not be one of the main guys, I was still good enough to compete against anybody"

                Legrand came to that realization when he made his way to the Berkshire School prior to his sophomore season. The guard came into his own under the guidance of Coach Doug Davis, a Princeton University grad who played under current Fairfield Head Coach Sydney Johnson. Davis, who left Old Nassau as the program's number three all-time scorer, not only improved Legrand's game on the floor, but also had an impact on his outlook as a basketball player.

                "I went to prep school (Berkshire School) and that's where my game really started to grow," Legrand said. "Coach Doug Davis was a big influence on me and really brought me to where I am today,"

                Davis also replanted the notion that Legrand should follow his dream of playing professionally and that only through setting goals can one be successful.

                "My ultimate goal was to play in the NBA," Legrand said. "But I became like a lot of people in thinking that you can't make that your dream because it is so difficult to achieve. But Coach Davis told me that you had to set your goals high so that you have something to work toward. But if I don't make it to the NBA, I'd like to play overseas. Coach Davis played in Germany and Coach Johnson played in Italy so they are a great resource in helping achieve that goal."

                Legrand also came into contact with another coach during his pre-Fairfield career, playing for Troy Bradford who runs the USAD basketball program. Bradford certainly knows how to develop scorers, relying on his abilities that led him to 1,648 career points which places fifth on Fairfield's scoring list.

                Legrand's scoring prowess will be an important addition to Fairfield's cause this season as he makes the transition from point guard, where he played most of his time at Berkshire, to shooting guard for the 2017-18 campaign.

                "I don't think the transition to shooting guard should be too bad," Legrand said. "It's definitely a different approach. I was a pass first kind of player in high school but became a scorer because that was what the team needed. The biggest change is making sure I get shots up and become a three-point shooter. But I have pretty good range so that is already part of my game."

                Head Coach Sydney Johnson believes that Legrand's talents will only become more pronounced as he become accustomed to the collegiate game.

               "Alonde reminds me of players I've had in the past who have blossomed into all-conference players and eventual pros," Coach Johnson said. "Like those guys, Alonde has the intelligence and natural ability to be really good. He just needs time to develop."

                With his basketball, Legrand will also make the transition to college life off the court, looking forward to working on a business degree and a career on Wall Street.

                "I've always thought about Wall Street because I think it would be hard to break into pro sports," Legrand said. "Pro sports would be the dream so I can stay involved with basketball. But if that didn't work out, Wall Street would be choice after my basketball career ends."

                Staying in New York City would afford him the opportunity to stay close to his family, an important factor for Legrand. He has three musically talented sisters and his brother is working toward a veterinarian degree. But more importantly, it would provide more opportunities for that sibling rivalry to continue growing at the YMCA.