From NBA ball boy to NBA prospect: The ‘remarkable’ story of Boise State’s Alston Jr.
Derrick Alston Jr.’s first paying job left him starstruck on a regular basis.
But between shagging basketballs, picking up jerseys and folding towels as a ball boy for the NBA’s Houston Rockets, Alston absorbed every behind-the-scenes detail with insatiable interest.
He learned quickly that success doesn’t happen by accident, and greatness is built on a mountain of hard work.
Alston is now in the midst of ascending his own mountain toward greatness — from Boise State men’s basketball walk-on to scholarship recipient to NBA prospect — and he still draws inspiration and motivation from his days as a Rockets ball boy.
“I think coming from my position, I had to earn everything. I wasn’t given anything,” Alston said. “… My first year redshirting was probably one of the hardest years of my life — just working every day and maybe not seeing what it could lead to — but having faith and staying true to the process and having no regret. … It’s just being able to keep working in the dark to where when the lights do come on and you get your opportunity that you’re ready to seize it fully.”
Alston has seized his opportunity in a way few have before, going from averaging 0.6 points in 11 games as a redshirt freshman in 2017-18 to the Broncos’ second-leading scorer (13.4 ppg) in 2018-19 to the No. 2 scorer (18.4 ppg) in the Mountain West Conference this season.
“Usually you’ll hear a walk-on story and … ‘Hey, he made a basket. Let’s celebrate,’ ” Boise State coach Leon Rice said. “This guy’s become one of the best players in the Mountain West Conference, and from where he came from, it’s a pretty remarkable story.”
When words linger
Alston was riding in a Toyota Center elevator with his father, Derrick Alston Sr., and 2012 Rockets first-round pick Jeremy Lamb when he was given some lasting words of encouragement.
Lamb, a 2011 NCAA champion with UConn, had once been just like him.
“I remember he told me, because me and him are kind of built the same — long and lanky — strength’s not always about weight room strength. Everyone can be weight-room strong, but it’s just really how you play the game and the physicality with how you play the game. I really took that to heart, and I’ve always remembered that advice from him.”
When Alston arrived at Boise State in the summer of 2016, many judged the Houston product based on his physical appearance alone. Could a then-6-foot-8, 148-pound athlete withstand the rigors of college basketball?
Some of Alston’s teammates already knew the answer to that question.
“Playing him in high school, our senior years we scrimmaged each other at his place. He had skill. He was a tall, lanky dude dabbing after hitting 3s and what not,” Boise State senior Alex Hobbs said. “… (At Boise State), he had to sit there and wait his turn and wait for his opportunity. But the confidence that he plays with now was confidence that he had back then.
“I think that was so huge, because if he didn’t have that confidence, I don’t think he would have been able to have been ready for the opportunity when it came and then just punched it in the face and took off running like he did.”
Humble beginnings, humble star
As a Houston Rockets ball boy, it was Alston’s job to rebound for players during warmups. Sometimes, that meant helping players from the visiting team.
Alston remembers retrieving basketballs for players like Kevin Durant, Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo. And even though they were busy NBA stars, they took the time to make Alston feel appreciated.
One particular comment from Antetokounmpo (6-11, 242) stands out.
“I don’t know what year it was, but this was when Giannis was in like his second or third year, and I remember he looked at me and he said, ‘I looked just like you when I was like 15, 16,’ ” Alston said. “That was a really crazy memory, because he wasn’t as strong as he is now. That was a really cool moment for me, and I always remember that.”
It’s part of the reason Alston takes time to connect with fans now at ExtraMile Arena. Earlier this season, Alston organized a coat drive for the Boise Rescue Mission.
“That speaks to his character and his family and the way he’s raised,” Rice said. “Because I had nothing to do with him doing that coat drive. That was him on his own. … He just did that because he saw somebody needed a coat.”
The next step
Alston, a redshirt junior, now stands 6-9 and weighs in at 188 pounds with a wingspan of 7 feet.
His length and vertical leap give him the ability to extend beyond defenders. He can shoot the 3 or elevate in traffic and dunk over a defender. In a win against San Jose State last month, Alston surprised everyone — himself included — by skillfully bouncing the ball off the backboard to himself for a dunk. It was a move made famous by former NBA stars like Tracy McGrady and Kobe Bryant.
And Alston’s evolution has put him front and center on every opposing team’s game plan. It’s a position he’s still getting used to, Rice says.
“He’s never been the guy that the whole team’s defense is gearing up to guard,” Rice said. “The more you think about it, the more it’s got to be a challenge. There’s moments in his head where he’s probably like: ‘Oh my gosh, this is different. I gotta figure this out.’
“That’s what we’re trying to always help him do and help him get better. That’s why I think there’s a whole other step or two that he’s gonna make here. That’s why my staff pushes him and I push him.”
Will he stay or will he go?
Boise State has won 11 games in a row at ExtraMile Arena and six of its past seven Mountain West contests to rise from eighth place to a share of second in the league standings.
The Broncos host unbeaten and fourth-ranked San Diego State at 2 p.m. Sunday in front of a national TV audience on CBS Sports Network.
Between classes, practice, travel and games, there’s hardly time for anything else. Staying in the moment is Alston’s form of survival.
Some 2020 NBA mock drafts have Alston going in the second round. NBADraft.net predicts he’ll go with the 48th pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder, while BabcockHoops.com — run by a former NBPA and FIBA agent — sees him coming off the board at No. 46 to the Portland Trail Blazers.
But he also could stay at Boise State for another year. Alston says he’s on track to graduate with a degree in communications at the conclusion of the first semester of the 2020-21 school year.
“I’m not even really focused on that,” Alston said of the looming decision. “I haven’t had a conversation with my parents or Coach Rice about any of that. I’m really just focused on the rest of the season and the Mountain West Tournament. Then when it comes to that time, we’ll have a conversation and go from there.”
Alston won’t have to look far for guidance. Alston Sr. was the No. 33 overall pick by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1994 NBA Draft. He played in the NBA and overseas and is now the head coach for the Westchester Knicks in the G League.
Alston Jr. also played two seasons alongside Chandler Hutchison, the only first-round draft pick in program history.
“There’s just a lot going on,” Alston Sr. said. “I just know when you start wondering about everything, you lose your concentration on what’s going on at the moment. So I just want him to live in the moment, and then we’ll take care of the rest when it’s time.”
