Now That Jose Alvarado’s On The Knicks, Let’s Remember Him As A Queens High School Star

Excuse me while I go Dave McKenna mode: I watched Jose Alvarado as a high school star in Queens nearly a decade ago. His team at Christ the King Regional High School took on Bishop Loughlin, another local powerhouse, in the Brooklyn-Queens Catholic High School Athletic Association semifinal back in February 2017. I paid $5 to get into a very loud gym, and distinctly recall thinking to myself that it was the best basketball game I'd ever attended in New York City, at any level. Aptly for the city, it was a battle between two slight, speedy, hard-nosed point guards: the 5-foot-11 Alvarado and the 5-foot-7 Markquis Nowell. But Alvarado fouled out at the end of regulation, and Loughlin pulled away in double overtime, 98-90.

I knew then that Alvarado was headed for Georgia Tech; I had no idea he'd eventually carve out a role in the NBA as a point-of-attack dog. Watching him break out for the New Orleans Pelicans in the 2021-22 season was a delight. I often thought back to that raucous gym in Queens as Alvarado thrived in his pro career, needling opposing ball-handlers, talking prolific shit, answering real-time questions about his shooting ability, and even establishing his own signature steal—creeping around in the backcourt to ambush the inbounds pass. That whole Pelicans season was a rush. Head coach Willie Green came aboard and led a Zion Williamson-less squad through the play-in and into the postseason, where Alvarado got to torment Chris Paul on the national stage. He was one of many cool new faces on the team, alongside Herb Jones and Trey Murphy. The undersized scrappy guard had found his niche in the league, finessing his two-way deal into $6.5 million guaranteed.

This year's Pelicans were headed nowhere in particular, so Alvarado was rumored as a New York Knicks trade target for much of this season. Just a few hours before the Thursday deadline, this Queens kid was sent back home, in exchange for Dalen Terry, two second-round picks, and cash. Alvarado should bring an edge to a Knicks team that often coasts on a vague reputation of toughness, without consistently embodying it on the floor. The timing also could not be better, as guard Miles McBride has just been sidelined for a core muscle surgery that will likely keep him out until the playoffs. Alvarado will have some time to slide into McBride's minutes and give head coach Mike Brown an energetic demon in the backcourt. Judging by Alvarado's wholesome postgame interview after his Madison Square Garden debut in 2022, he'll be pretty keen on suiting up there as the home team.