Stylish and Steady
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By Tim Povtak
Rafer Alston is still leading this secret double life.
The new Magic point guard, acquired in a February trade from Houston, is settling comfortably into his role as the replacement for Jameer Nelson, running the offense and protecting the ball, making sure that Dwight Howard, Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu are getting their shots.
No one here really gets to see his other side; Skip to My Lou mostly lives behind closed doors until the season ends. "That's a part of my game that doesn't come out in the NBA," Alston said after a recent practice. "There's a time and place for everything. But this isn't the time." Alston, now in his 10th NBA season, became a New York City streetball legend long before he joined the world's best, play-for-pay league, first carving a reputation as a flashy, high-stepping, behind-the-back-wraparound-passing showman.
He received his nickname the old-fashioned way. He earned it as one of the most entertaining playground wizards in New York history, handling the basketball so adroitly that it looked like he had it on a string.
He was a budding teenager on the blacktop that day in Harlem when he was hop-skipping his way down court, making two defenders dive for a ball that wasn't there anymore, magically flicking it away at the last moment to a wide-open teammate.
"Someone in the crowd said I had skipped the ball, and it later became Skip to My Lou. I had no idea that name would stick almost 20 years later. Now I have people tell me all the time they thought my real name was Skip," he said fondly. "It's just a different game we played."
Alston was famous as a teen not like great high school players today, but famous for his street style, appearing on And 1 Mix videotapes that were watched by youngsters around the country. He had a flair for the dramatic, even if it wasn't good for the team.
"If you're a student of the game, you understand there are two distinct styles. Street ball is more about individual play. It's what the people come to see. Most guys who play street ball can't differentiate between that and the team game," he said. "Here it's more controlled, about wins and losses, about the team. I've been lucky because I can play both ways. A lot of guys can't." Alston's streetball reputation may have hurt him early in his career as coaches and general managers shied away, thinking he was too risky and turnover prone. He came into the league as a lightly regarded, second-round draft choice after two years at two different junior colleges and one year at Fresno State.
It took him five seasons, wrapped around stints in the CBA and the D-League, before he finally earned enough respect to receive consistent playing time. And it came in Miami, which happened to be where current Magic Coach Stan Van Gundy was making his head-coaching debut.
He played in reserve, but he averaged 31.5 minutes, and he played all 82 games alongside rookie Dwyane Wade. Together they rescued the season.
"My experience that season with him was great. He was a tremendous teammate, a pass-first point guard who could push the ball and defend the position," Van Gundy said. "He's a solid player. He's not trying to throw full-court, behind-the-back passes. There was skepticism when he was young because of his streetball background, but he proved himself to be a steady player who could run a team well."
Van Gundy, who grew up in a basketball family, also appreciated Alston's love for the game. They often talked style and basketball philosophy.
"I've been around a lot of players in my years, but no one has a greater enthusiasm for basketball than Rafer does. As a coach that's something you enjoy," said Van Gundy, who strongly encouraged Magic management to get him. "He will talk to you about every college and pro game played last night -- because he watched them all. He's really, really into basketball." Alston, 32, started 74 games in Houston last season, averaging 13.1 points, 5.3 assists and 1.3 steals. The season before, he averaged a career-best 13.3 points and 5.4 assists while starting all 82 games with the Rockets. His job was making sure that Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady got the ball as much as possible, much like he does with Howard, Lewis and Turkoglu here. "My job isn't as difficult as you might think, even coming in the middle of the season," he said. "I've only played one position my entire life -- point guard -- so it comes natural for me. And we've got so many weapons. I just get them the ball, as quickly and as often as possible."
Alston never has been past the second round of the playoffs -- he reached that round in Miami -- but he believes the Magic are a team that can be a serious contender for an NBA title. It's why he welcomed the trade with so much excitement. He probably won't shoot as well as Nelson did early in the season, but he will make passes that Nelson can't.
"When I heard we were getting Rafer Alston, I was like 'wow, Skip to My Lou.' I watched all his tapes when I was in middle school. I used to copy all that stuff. They used to call me Big Skip," said Howard, who welcomed Alston to the team. "I also know that I better keep my hands up so I don't get hit in the face with any passes because they could come at any time. I'm excited about having him here."
Alston's game still has a New York City flair, much like that of former NBA point guards Kenny Anderson, Mark Jackson and Kenny Smith. The others, though, didn't have the playground reputation that he brought coming into the league. He grew up watching tapes of Pistol Pete Maravich, maybe the flashiest guard in NBA history.
"Sometimes people have a bad perception of playground basketball. They try to stereotype you right away, in a bad way. But I never had to be taught to play a team brand of basketball. I was born a point guard," he said. "And the positive is that if you grow up playing street ball, you don't have to be taught how to compete hard every day like they have to teach some guys coming into this league. If you can't compete in New York City, you don't come outside anymore."
Alston is so attached to his Big Apple roots, and so passionate about the game, that he already has plans there for after this season. He will return for the fifth consecutive year to coach his own AAU team, the New York Panthers. Unlike some NBA players who just donate the money to help a team, he donates his time and expertise. He spends his summers traveling the AAU circuit to coach them.
"I just love the game, and I don't want to leave it when the season ends," he said. "The majority of the kids come from the same situation as I did in the city. And a couple of them even remind me of myself at that age. I'm coaching them and they're cussing back at me. When you're 16-17 years old, you know it all," he said. "I just have to show them there is a right way to play this game if you want to make it. Not many make it streetball like I did."
