BOISE, Idaho — As the Boise State men's basketball season ends at ExtraMile Arena, so does Broncos guard Derrick Alston Jr.'s college career.
“The last few days, I have been reflecting on everything and to get to this point is crazy to just say Senior Day for myself,” Alston said.
With no other offers out of high school, he jumped on the opportunity to come to Boise State as a walk-on in 2016.
“When I made the decision for myself to be a walk-on and bet on myself, I was kind of just seeing what was going to happen, and the events that transpired were beyond my dreams,” Alston said.
If you've watched him play on TV at all this season, his freshman year weight is always a topic of conversation for the broadcasters.
“148 that they say every time on TV, that is how much I weighed. That wasn’t a typo,” he said.
Alston Jr. went from playing a total of 26 minutes the entire season during his redshirt freshman year to now, playing as a 6'9", 190-pound guard averaging 18.4 points per game.
“I was all in on doing that. There were a lot of tough days a lot of hard ones, but I mean when I started to actually play and get out there on the floor, I realized that I belonged on this level,” Alston said.
And not only does he belong, but he is also a contender for Mountain West Player of the Year, an NBA prospect, and one of the best players to wear a bronco uniform.
“DA has been doing a great job," Abu Kigab, Alston's teammate, said. "He is such a great player. He hits open threes, gets to the rim, hits that mid-range shot, and he is also a great passer so what he does for our team is tremendous. We are going to need him to keep doing that."
But if you ask Alston how he has measured his success, it's not in the wins and losses or the titles.
“I really measure success by just my experience here was just second to none and this is a very special place and a very special place in my heart,” he said.
But he's not ready to hang up his Bronco uniform just yet.
“We have the privilege to have a lot of pressure on us right now and it will be exciting every single day just being able to give everything I got left," Alston said. "We got so much left to play for and that is all you want as a team.”
