Alexis Peterson to Return Home From Israel on Monday
Former Syracuse point guard Alexis Peterson is expected to be on her way home soon, according to a post on her Instagram story. Peterson is currently in Israel where she plays professional basketball, and has been caught in the middle of the Israeli-Palestinian war.
"UPDATE: First and foremost I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart for the overwhelming amount of love, condolences, and prayers I have received," Peterson said in the Instagram story. "I was unable to individually thank everyone but please know your love was felt and greatly appreciated.
"Secondly, Tomorrow (5/21) we will play the championship game at 1:30pm (Israeli time). My team has been able to book me a flight for Monday - 5/24 to return back to America. Praying that all goes well - I will be back in Ohio Monday night.
"Lastly, I truly can't express how grateful I am to have so many people reach out to try and help me return home safely. These unforeseen circumstances were not easy to deal with so far away from my loved ones. However, I can truly say that I have been comforted by the outpouring of love and prayers. Thank you all so much. I am excited to return home and be with my family. God bless you all."
Peterson previously said there are several men's and women's American basketball players that were trying to get back home. According to Peterson, the female athletes were waiting for the final championship game to be played in order to all return home. It was supposed to happen on Wednesday, May 12th and the players were supposed to return home the following day. However, in the middle of the war, that was postponed and the players remained in limbo. The men's season typically ends in June, but they were trying to return home as well.
"Please help raise awareness that American athletes in Israel including myself have been stuck in the middle of the Israeli-Palestinian war," Peterson posted on Twitter. "The U.S. Embassy has no evacuation plan for us. We need help leaving the country immediately!!!!!!!"
Peterson also posted an Instagram story with video of Israeli's anti-missile defense system lighting up the sky at 1:15 in the morning over a week ago with a warning siren heard loudly in the background outside of her apartment.
This comes as increased tensions in the Middle East has led to violence and destruction. This has put athletes such as Peterson in the middle of a dangerous situation. Buildings that contain civilian apartments and media offices have been destroyed. A cease fire agreement was reached on Thursday.
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Peterson spent this past season with Maccabi Bnot Ashdod in the Israeli Female Basketball Premier League. She averaged 17.8 points, 7.0 assists and 5.1 rebounds per game. Prior to that she has spent time in Poland and for another Israeli squad.
Peterson was a second round draft pick of the Seattle Storm in 2017 after a stellar career at Syracuse. She spent one season with the Storm before heading overseas.
One of the best point guards in Syracuse history, Peterson helped lead the Orange to the 2016 Final Four and National Championship Game. She averaged 16 points and 4.7 assists per game that season. The following year, she became the focal point of the team and thrived in that role. Peterson scored 23.4 points while dishing out 7.0 assists per game. She had averaged 3.0 steals per game during her senior season.
