Photo By, Christopher Doomes 

By Rece Allen, Staff Writer

From Jose Alvarado’s days at Georgia Tech, an overlooked player, to being a part of All-Star Weekend makes his journey to stardom seem surreal in his own eyes. He was MVP in the Rising Stars games and was able to show progress in his level of play in the NBA.

Jose Alvarado was an undrafted rookie and was picked up by the New Orleans Pelicans in last year’s NBA season. He was most known last year for a sneaky tactic he would use on inbounds plays, which entailed him standing in the corner, waiting to run behind the ballhandler to steal the ball before they cross halfcourt. His signature moves frustrated players and put a spotlight on his game.

This season, his minutes have increased from 15 to 22 minutes per game, and points increased from six to nine per game, including a career-high of 38. He has proved himself to be more than a gimmicky player by earning a spot on the Rising Stars team, the only one by an undrafted player.

The Rising Stars team is 24 of the best rookie and second-year NBA and G League players. Alvarado was a part of Team Pau that won the tournament-style competition by first beating Team Deron in round one 40-25 and Team Joakim in round two, hitting the game-winning 3- pointer, 25-20. He was named MVP of the event and was rattled with emotions by his success. 

“This is something I can’t even put into words,” Alvarado said. “I would be lying if I told y’all that I ever had this in my mind. I believe in myself 100% but this is something I didn’t even think of or dream of, so for me to accomplish this from my Georgia Tech days helps build onto my journey.”

At Georgia Tech, he played a game against Morehouse, and both Alvarado and Morehouse are overlooked in terms of exposure in the NBA. Luckily, he got his chance and proved that anything is possible no matter the journey or obstacles ahead. His breakthrough as an up-and-coming star should motivate athletes who relate to his journey.