Get to know Georgia Tech point guard Jose Alvarado
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(Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)[/caption]
Could another potential point guard option put his name in the transfer portal in the near future?
If you haven't heard of Georgia Tech's Jose Alvarado, allow us to help introduce him. The 6-foot, 180-pound lead ball-handler has spent all four seasons of his collegiate career suiting up for head coach Josh Pastner and the Yellow Jackets. During that time, Alvarado recorded 1,429 points on a four-year shooting split of 44.4/34.1/79.0. During his 2020-21 campaign, Alvarado averaged career-highs in points (15.2 per game), assists (4.1), and steals (2.8) while also putting up career-best shooting figures of 50.4 percent from the field, 39 percent from deep, and 83.7 percent from the charity stripe.
Back on April 14, Alvarado announced that he would test the NBA Draft waters, but left open the opportunity to return for his free year of college eligibility that the NCAA gifted to all basketball student-athletes as a result of the impact from COVID-19. If he were to return to college, he could easily finish his career where it started: with Georgia Tech. Or, just maybe, he could transfer.
Our own Matt Jones said on the radio show Wednesday morning that whispers of Alvarado to Kentucky could potentially surface if the 23-year old point guard does ultimately decide to turn down the NBA Draft and put his name in the transfer portal.
"Travis Graf of Cats Illustrated said last night that if Jose Alvarado from Georgia Tech enters the portal, Kentucky fans could presume he will probably go to Kentucky," Jones said on KSR.
This isn't the first time Alvarado's name has been linked to Kentucky, either. Chris Fisher of 247 Sports wrote earlier this week that Alvarado would be a player to keep an eye on for Kentucky fans if he were to ultimately put his name in the portal.
The deadline to put names into the NCAA's transfer portal isn't until July 1 and the very last date potential NBA Draft prospects would need to pull their name from that pool is July 7, so it could be some time down the road before Alvarado makes his next move.
That being said, he's another name that fans can add to the seemingly endless list of potential guards that Kentucky may or may not be looking to add to the 2021-22 roster.
Let's see what else we can learn about Alvarado in case he does put his name in the transfer portal at some point in the future.
A native of Brooklyn, NY, Alvarado was named the ACC's Defensive Player of the Year this past season as he helped guide Georgia Tech to its first conference championship in 28 years and first NCAA Tournament appearance in 11 years. His efforts on both ends of the floor were good enough to earn him Second-Team All-ACC honors as a senior, just one year after he was named to the All-ACC Third Team as a junior.
He's about as reliable as they come, too. Alvarado started all but one of the 106 games he's played in for Georgia Tech and has consistently improved year-over-year. The 2020-21 season was also his best in terms of his assist-to-turnover ratio, which ended with 106 assists and 53 turnovers for a rate of 2.0.
Kentucky fans might remember (or might have purposefully forgotten) when Alvarado and Georgia Tech matched up against the Wildcats this past season in what was UK's fourth game of the year. We don't need to dive into the specifics of what happened when the final buzzer sounded, but Alvarado did finish with 10 points on 4-9 shooting in addition to three rebounds, one assist, and two turnovers in 39 minutes of action.
Out of high school, Alvarado wasn't exactly a big-name prospect. He was a three-star point guard (some outlets had him tabbed as a four-star) when he graduated from Christ the King High School up in New York and was ranked as the 170th best player in the nation, according to 247 Sports. The other two schools, aside from Georgia Tech, in contention to land Alvarado at the time were Seton Hall and Rutgers.
On a more personal note, Alvarado is a "girl dad" with a one-year-old daughter, he is of Puerto Rican and Mexican heritage, and has been studying literature, media and communications during his time at Georgia Tech.
If Alvarado were to back out from the NBA Draft and put his name in the transfer portal, he would bring an immediate presence as a game manager to whichever team he decides to play out his final college season with. He's crafty around the rim when it comes to both finishing and finding his teammates, and also incredibly dependable from long range, even on a high volume of shots. Obviously, his defense is his calling card, particularly when he's eyeing the passing lanes.
Alvarado has been the heart, soul, and motor of Georgia Tech basketball since his arrival ahead of the 2017-18 season. He is the pure definition of a floor general. Check him out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvtSJn61G9c&t=25s
(Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)[/caption]
Could another potential point guard option put his name in the transfer portal in the near future?
If you haven't heard of Georgia Tech's Jose Alvarado, allow us to help introduce him. The 6-foot, 180-pound lead ball-handler has spent all four seasons of his collegiate career suiting up for head coach Josh Pastner and the Yellow Jackets. During that time, Alvarado recorded 1,429 points on a four-year shooting split of 44.4/34.1/79.0. During his 2020-21 campaign, Alvarado averaged career-highs in points (15.2 per game), assists (4.1), and steals (2.8) while also putting up career-best shooting figures of 50.4 percent from the field, 39 percent from deep, and 83.7 percent from the charity stripe.
Back on April 14, Alvarado announced that he would test the NBA Draft waters, but left open the opportunity to return for his free year of college eligibility that the NCAA gifted to all basketball student-athletes as a result of the impact from COVID-19. If he were to return to college, he could easily finish his career where it started: with Georgia Tech. Or, just maybe, he could transfer.
Our own Matt Jones said on the radio show Wednesday morning that whispers of Alvarado to Kentucky could potentially surface if the 23-year old point guard does ultimately decide to turn down the NBA Draft and put his name in the transfer portal.
"Travis Graf of Cats Illustrated said last night that if Jose Alvarado from Georgia Tech enters the portal, Kentucky fans could presume he will probably go to Kentucky," Jones said on KSR.
This isn't the first time Alvarado's name has been linked to Kentucky, either. Chris Fisher of 247 Sports wrote earlier this week that Alvarado would be a player to keep an eye on for Kentucky fans if he were to ultimately put his name in the portal.
The deadline to put names into the NCAA's transfer portal isn't until July 1 and the very last date potential NBA Draft prospects would need to pull their name from that pool is July 7, so it could be some time down the road before Alvarado makes his next move.
That being said, he's another name that fans can add to the seemingly endless list of potential guards that Kentucky may or may not be looking to add to the 2021-22 roster.
Let's see what else we can learn about Alvarado in case he does put his name in the transfer portal at some point in the future.
A native of Brooklyn, NY, Alvarado was named the ACC's Defensive Player of the Year this past season as he helped guide Georgia Tech to its first conference championship in 28 years and first NCAA Tournament appearance in 11 years. His efforts on both ends of the floor were good enough to earn him Second-Team All-ACC honors as a senior, just one year after he was named to the All-ACC Third Team as a junior.
He's about as reliable as they come, too. Alvarado started all but one of the 106 games he's played in for Georgia Tech and has consistently improved year-over-year. The 2020-21 season was also his best in terms of his assist-to-turnover ratio, which ended with 106 assists and 53 turnovers for a rate of 2.0.
Kentucky fans might remember (or might have purposefully forgotten) when Alvarado and Georgia Tech matched up against the Wildcats this past season in what was UK's fourth game of the year. We don't need to dive into the specifics of what happened when the final buzzer sounded, but Alvarado did finish with 10 points on 4-9 shooting in addition to three rebounds, one assist, and two turnovers in 39 minutes of action.
Out of high school, Alvarado wasn't exactly a big-name prospect. He was a three-star point guard (some outlets had him tabbed as a four-star) when he graduated from Christ the King High School up in New York and was ranked as the 170th best player in the nation, according to 247 Sports. The other two schools, aside from Georgia Tech, in contention to land Alvarado at the time were Seton Hall and Rutgers.
On a more personal note, Alvarado is a "girl dad" with a one-year-old daughter, he is of Puerto Rican and Mexican heritage, and has been studying literature, media and communications during his time at Georgia Tech.
If Alvarado were to back out from the NBA Draft and put his name in the transfer portal, he would bring an immediate presence as a game manager to whichever team he decides to play out his final college season with. He's crafty around the rim when it comes to both finishing and finding his teammates, and also incredibly dependable from long range, even on a high volume of shots. Obviously, his defense is his calling card, particularly when he's eyeing the passing lanes.
Alvarado has been the heart, soul, and motor of Georgia Tech basketball since his arrival ahead of the 2017-18 season. He is the pure definition of a floor general. Check him out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvtSJn61G9c&t=25s
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