Hayden Alston, Texline basketball, Sr.
On the court: Alston continues to grow as a player on and off the court for a very talented Texline team that is trucking through the Class 1A playoffs. During postseason wins against Hart and Valley in the opening two rounds, Alston showed his true potential as a threat in the paint and on the perimeter. Against Hart in the bi-district round, Alston scored 14 points, pulled down eight boards and dished out four assists. Against Valley, the senior post had a great outing pouring in a game-high 20 points and came one rebound shy of a double-double with nine. Alston also went over 1,500 career points in the win over the Patriots.
On the season, Alston is averaging 18.5 points a game, grabbing 7.1 rebounds a night and getting 2.3 steals a contest.
Assistant coach Eric Alston: “I think Hayden has come a long way when it comes to being aggressive. He is getting stronger on the boards, and he is much better defensively. He does everything we ask him to do. He doesn’t take a lot of outside shots, but he’s really improved from the perimeter when he does shoot it. He leads the team in 3-point percentage which says a lot. It’s been fun coaching him and watching him learn from head coach Coby Beckner. It’s part of why we moved to Texline. Getting to see my oldest son get this success is special and not having to be the head coach is giving me a chance to relax a little more and enjoy though I still get nervous watching him.”
Alston: “I think we have a lot of focus on our defense, and we work a lot on the press in practice. We try to get better at that every week and let the defense become our offense and that’s something we’ve been able to do especially in the playoffs. Personally, I think my defense is better and I’m working on getting more physical and doing a better job on my outside shooting. I’m playing with more confidence and spending a ton of time in the gym.”
About Alston
Favorite band or musician: Gary Allen
Favorite social media platform: Snapchat
Favorite athlete: Dirk Nowitzki
Bet you didn’t know: He has five younger siblings.
Parents: Eric and Stephanie Alston
