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Rafer Alston is returning to Houston. The former Rockets starting point guard was named the new head boy’s basketball coach for the Lutheran South Academy Pioneers on Wednesday. “Coach Alston is known for his tremendous playing career including a 5 year stint with the Houston Rockets,” LSA said on X. ” He is excited to take the reins of the LSA Boys Basketball program!”
Texas Tech remains aggressive on the recruiting trail to secure future success for the basketball program. This week, On3 revealed the the Red Raiders are targeting elite 2027 point guard Reese Alston, son of former NBA point guard Rafer Alston.
Brandon 'Scoop B' Robinson: Miami Heat are championship contender if they pull another star says ex-Heat PG Rafer Alston to @BallySports during @and1basketball 's open run. Skip to my Lou on Tyler Herro: "Going forward he has to be healthy for them to make strides."
For those fans, Hinkie's endorsement of Morey might... be concerning. It shouldn't be, but it might be. Here's how Hinkie evaluated the Sixers hiring Morey, and why he thinks Morey will be a great fit for the organization: "This is why Daryl Morey will be good for this job, and has been good at his job for a really, really long time. In February 2009, we traded 32-year-old Rafer Alston for 22-year-old Kyle Lowry to be our backup point guard [in Houston]. [...] I sent Daryl this very emotional, for me, text, and I said, 'I'm so proud to work here, because you have done the hard right thing, which is, in the midst of where we are, leaned into this thing that we have massive conviction around.' [..] "We're going to get roasted in the interim. We traded our starting point guard, and we were good. We were, like, a four seed or five seed? We were interesting. And we traded our starting point guard. [...]
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"We'd long had our eyes on Kyle Lowry, and loved him, loved his makeup. And so we knew this was the time to do it. Increasingly the way the team was going, it was not going to work, in our minds, if Rafer continued to run the team. [...] "It was the hard right thing, and we did it. [...] And I was so happy to do it, even though I knew the papers were going to beat us up for a little while. [...] That kind of hard right thing, I think Daryl will help with a bunch."
Rafer Alston knew he was running out of chances when he signed a one-year deal with the Miami Heat in 2003. In his first four seasons, Alston had struggled to find his place in the NBA. He’d butted heads with coaches in Milwaukee and Toronto, and gotten cut in training camp by Golden State. The transition from street ball legend to reliable NBA rotation piece had been a bumpy one. But in Miami, under the tutelage of a first-year head coach named Stan Van Gundy, Alston (a.k.a. Skip to my Lou) proved his act could translate from the blacktop to the hardwood.
Alston averaged career highs in scoring (10.2 ppg) and assists (4.5 apg). He logged more than 30 minutes per game for a Heat team that finished the season 42-40, nabbed the No. 4 seed and won a first-round playoff series. “I came off the bench, but Stan played me starter minutes,” Alston said. “It propelled me to have a long career. The work we put in every day, when I went to other teams, it was like clockwork for me. I was always in the best shape. That year, '03-04, I’ve taken that everywhere I went.”
The following summer, Alston signed a lucrative six-year deal with the Raptors. He lasted 11 seasons in the NBA. He said the habits he developed under Van Gundy greatly contributed to his staying power. “I was someone who people didn’t think could play that long in the league,” Alston said. “I got 11 years out of it. I owe a lot to that year, to Stan.”
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Alston hasn’t played in the NBA since 2010, never made an All-Star Game or won a championship. But he still stands out in a crowd because as much as people remember Rafer Alston, they never forget “Skip To My Lou.” Alston has spent his entire basketball life reinventing himself at every turn. The trail-blazing streetballer. The college vagabond who eventually became a disciple of Jerry Tarkanian at Fresno State. The seldom-used rookie in Milwaukee. The invaluable floor general in Miami, Houston and Orlando. ... Now that his playing days are over, Alston has found a new calling that he didn’t expect. After wanting to get into coaching, he took a scouting job with the Minnesota Timberwolves last season. Just as he has his entire career, Alston is changing and adapting to make sure that he is not so easily dismissed.
“He’s a legend in the streets and he did a great job in the NBA,” said Wolves guard Jeff Teague, who grew up in Indianapolis trying to mimic the slick moves Alston showed on those mixtapes. “Now he’s a scout and is able to teach the game, see the game. It’s amazing to see and just from watching mixtapes I became a huge fan.”
Jon Krawczynski: Rafer Alston has joined Timberwolves as a scout, league sources tell The Athletic. Skip to My Lou reunites w/Thibs, who coached him in HOU
David Hardisty: Rafer Alston on 22gm W streak: "I got traded the following year. Went to the Finals. I remember The Streak more than I remember the Finals."
Rafer Alston on 22gm W streak: "I got traded the following year. Went to the Finals. I remember The Streak more than I remember the Finals." pic.twitter.com/DhOblUKXWa
— ClutchFans (@clutchfans) March 16, 2017
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