"I remember being on the bonnet and then the ground, then looking up and calling out for help because of the pain."
Police are speaking with a 20-year-old man from Reporoa who walked into the Rotorua Police Station yesterday.
Alex had been shooting hoops with his heroes only hours before the hit-and-run, which has left his sporting career dangling in uncertainty.
But the 16-year-old is determined to get back on his feet as soon as he can, hopefully in enough time to attend the New Zealand Breakers' summer camp at Christmas. Alex was hand-picked to attend the camp for the top under-20 players in the country.
"I'm pretty p****d off because I was quite excited about it, and because the Breakers just played there that night," he said.
The 16-year-old was riding his scooter out of the new Baypark entrance and onto Truman Lane on Saturday when he was hit about 10.45pm.
The 2.08m athlete was hit head-on and flipped onto the car's bonnet before being thrown to the ground as the car sped off from the scene. His right leg was shattered.
The car that hit Alex reversed, spun around and took off. The other car stopped.
"They were looking around wondering if they should come over or not, then a cop car came in right behind them," Alex said.
He believed the people from the car knew the others they were racing with.
Coach and mentor Andy Mackay said the injury was a disaster.
"The kid has a very, very bright future. We had a lot of things going on in the pipeline for him on top of the under-20s summer camp. Now all that is going to grind to a halt," he said.
However, Mr Mackay said the basketball industry understood injury and Alex was lucky he was young and fit.
Alex works at Baypark and had been on his way home when the crash happened.
Earlier that day he took the opportunity to meet with members of the New Zealand Breakers basketball team, who were training shortly before the game.
"That really boosted my hopes up because they were talking to me and stuff," he said.
Alex is considered a rising star in basketball, despite starting late, just two years ago. His favourite player is Alex Pledger, who started playing basketball about the same age.
"I never thought I'd actually get this far but with my height and everything, I got the chance to go further. But with this happening, I'm going to have to start from the beginning again," Alex said. He'll be forced to wear a plaster cast from toe to crotch for up to six weeks. Doctors have estimated it will be another six months before the young talent is active again.
Alex's mother, who was at his hospital bedside yesterday, said her son trained five times a week.
"It was a huge achievement. He was working towards regional and possible national recognition and he got it ... they will try to keep a spot open if they can," she said.
Once Alex starts rehabilitation and physiotherapy, the Breakers have said they would like to keep in touch with how his treatment was going and do what they can, Mrs Schipper said.
Police were yet to interview Alex but Western Bay of Plenty police Inspector Karl Wright St-Clair said it was not uncommon for police to wait a few days before speaking to crash victims who were hospitalised.
"While it is important that police interview victims or witnesses in a timely manner after an incident, it is also important that those people are formally interviewed when they are not under the influence of medication," he said.
Because the matter was being investigated, police were unable to comment, Mr Wright St-Clair said.
