ACC Basketball: Top 5 rising sophomores for 2018-19

4. Jose Alvarado, Georgia Tech

As head coach Josh Pastner approaches Year 3, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets could find themselves relying heavily on the services of Jose Alvarado. Alvarado is a 6-foot guard with Brooklyn roots who produced 12.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.7 steals per game in 2017-18.

The Yellow Jackets went 13-19 last season but Alvarado was a breath of fresh air for them when he was in the lineup. He started in all 25 games he appeared in for Georgia Tech, averaging 35.0 minutes per game as their starting point guard.

They had some ugly losses against the likes of Wright State and Grambling, but consider them growing pains. Consider injuries also a part of the growing pains chapter, too.

Alvarado went down with a season-ending injury against Duke on Feb. 11 which sent Georgia Tech’s motor away as well. In 2018-19, he returns healthy and with one year of experience under his belt. Look for him to turn a corner in his sophomore season.