Jose Alvarado (basketball)


Jose Alvarado is an American college basketball player for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Early life and high school career

Alvarado played football in his childhood but quit after injuring his neck. He played basketball for Christ the King Regional High School in Middle Village, Queens in New York City. As a junior, Alvarado averaged 17 points and 6.5 assists per game and was named Catholic High School Athletic Association Player of the Year. As a senior, he recorded 18 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists and 10 steals, the first quadruple-double in school history, in a December 22, 2016 win over Xaverian High School. In his senior season, Alvarado averaged 17.9 points per game and led Christ the King to the CHSAA intersectional quarterfinals. He was named TimesLedger Player of the Year.

Recruiting

Alvarado was considered a four-star recruit by ESPN and Rivals and a three-star recruit by 247Sports. On September 15, 2016, he committed to play college basketball for Georgia Tech over offers from Rutgers and Seton Hall, among others. Georgia Tech head coach Josh Pastner had first seen Alvarado at the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League.

College career

As a freshman, Alvarado started in all 25 of his games and averaged 12.1 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. He became the fourth Georgia Tech freshman to average at least 12 points, 3.5 rebounds, and two assists per game. He suffered a season-ending left elbow fracture against Duke on February 11, 2018. Alvarado had an increased role in his sophomore season with the early departure of Josh Okogie. On February 20, 2019, Alvarado scored a career-high 29 points to go with six rebounds and five assists in a 73–65 win over Pittsburgh. As a sophomore, Alvarado averaged 12.5 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game, leading his team in scoring, assists and steals. Georgia Tech was banned from the postseason by the NCAA during his junior season due to several infractions. He missed seven games early in his junior season due to an ankle injury. On January 25, 2020, Alvarado scored a season-high 26 points and recorded eight rebounds and a school-record nine steals in a 64–58 victory over NC State. In his junior season, he averaged 14.4 points, four assists, 3.4 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game and was named to the Third Team All-Atlantic Coast Conference.

Career statistics

College

Personal life

Alvarado has Puerto Rican and Mexican heritage. His grandmother Diana Martinez died of stomach cancer in 2016. He and his girlfriend, Flor Castillo, have a daughter named Nazanin, who was born in February 2020.