New York native Jose Alvarado was Georgia Tech Basketball’s top recruit in the 2017 recruiting class and will be looking to make a major impact right away.
Being a point guard from New York and attending Georgia Tech presents a lot of expectations. After all, the two greatest point guards in program history in Kenny Anderson and Stephon Marbury were both from the Empire State. In 2017, Jose Alvarado will look to start his journey in becoming the next great Tech point guard that hailed from NYC.
In high school, Alvarado was ranked as a three-star prospect and one of the top 200 players in the country. Before committing to Tech in September of last year, Alvarado collected a total of 13 scholarship offers, including several notable northeast powers. However, Alvarado decided to commit to the Yellow Jackets.
The Brooklyn native was recruited to be the Jackets point guard of the next four years and be a future leader for a hopeful tournament-bound team. After all, the 6-foot-0, 174-pound point guard knows what is like to play on one of the best teams in the country. In high school, Alvarado lead Christ the King High School to, two New York City title’s as the Royals were also considered one of the top 25 teams in the entire country.
On the court, Alvarado is a point-guard who can do it all. Coming out of high school, he was praised for his toughness both physically and mentally. ESPN’s scouting report of Alvarado said the following;
"“sometimes words like ‘winner,” “tough”, and “competitive” get thrown around a little too easily, but in Alvarado’s case he truly embodies those qualities to the highest degree.”"
Alvarado is the exact type of player Josh Pastner wants to have in every single player on his roster. What a player can’t present in physical traits or skill, they make up with their intangibles. That being said, skill wise Alvarado will present a strong set of assets as well.
Alvarado’s best capability and not shockingly is his vision and ball handling. In high school, Alvarado averaged over six assists per game. His ability to spread the ball around and make high-IQ plays will certainly open up shots for players like Josh Okogie and Tadric Jackson.
Alvarado isn’t too shabby as a shooter and averaged 17 points per game as a junior according to his Georgia Tech profile. How his shot and shooting abilities will translate to the college game is remain to be seen, but with a little development and some confidence, Alvarado could become a huge threat whenever the ball is in his hands. If the Jackets hope to make the tournament over his four years, he will have to make that jump.
Next: Khalid Moore commits to Georgia Tech
When it comes to playing time in 2017-18, Alvardo’s time at the beginning of the year might be split with Justin Moore. If he can play at a high level and become more of a shooting threat than Moore, Alvarado could easily become the starting point guard early in the season.