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Boise State Basketball: In-depth look at Broncos guard Derrick Alston Jr.

By Bryan Mauro

BOISE, ID - FEBRUARY 1: Buster Bronco plays to the crowd during second half action between the Nevada Wolf Pack and the Boise State Broncos at ExtraMile Arena on February 1, 2020 in Boise, Idaho. Boise State won the game 73-64. (Photo by Loren Orr/Getty Images)
BOISE, ID - FEBRUARY 1: Buster Bronco plays to the crowd during second half action between the Nevada Wolf Pack and the Boise State Broncos at ExtraMile Arena on February 1, 2020 in Boise, Idaho. Boise State won the game 73-64. (Photo by Loren Orr/Getty Images) /
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BOISE, ID – FEBRUARY 1: Guard Derrick Alston #21 of the Boise State Broncos (Photo by Loren Orr/Getty Images)
BOISE, ID – FEBRUARY 1: Guard Derrick Alston #21 of the Boise State Broncos (Photo by Loren Orr/Getty Images) /

Why you should know Derrick Alston Jr.

The senior guard is the son of former NBA player and current NBA G League coach Derrick Alston Sr. It is clear the guard has NBA blood. Aside from his NBA bloodlines he has one of the best stories in all of college basketball. Alston is 6’9” and is skinny. He is currently listed at 188 pounds on the Broncos website. Due to his size and being skinny, it hurt his recruitment and he ended up at Boise State as a walk on.

He was able to turn that walk on into a scholarship. He used his redshirt year to his advantage and developed his game. His game developed so much that he has evolved into one of it not the best player in the entire conference. The story only gets more interesting, heading into his junior year Alston entered the season as one of the go-to options for Coach Rice, but what happened last year was something not even he could imagine.

Alston had a true breakout, he ended the year as a finalist for the Julius Erving award which is given to the best wing/small forward in college basketball. He was a second-team All-Mountain West by both the media and the coaches.

The senior set a personal best in nearly every offensive category and saw himself move up the career leaderboard at Boise State. He scored 554 points last season which is 11th all-time at Boise State. Alston Jr. also led the Broncos in scoring at 17 a game. He is the first Boise State player to score at least 20 points in the first four games.

He was able to rack up 28 points against Oregon, which made him the first Bronco since 2012 to score 20 points against a ranked team. To go along with these games the senior also scored 30 points twice and ended the year with four double-doubles.

Watching Alston Jr. play you can see that he has a natural scoring ability and he is fresh off a breakout season, one that many believed would end with the guard playing professionally. It was a surprise to many including a lot of Boise State fans that the guard came back for one final go-around with the Broncos.

Alston Jr. is the best player in the Mountain West, and he is going to prove that this season. He also appears ready to follow in the footsteps of his father and play in the NBA.